The Book of Ezra
Study #6
(Ezra 3:1-7)
Rebuilding the Altar!
INTRODUCTION:
If given the chance, would you return to your home place to rebuild it, even if it lay in total devastation?
What are some of your earliest memories of church?
What buildings come to your mind?
What parts of those buildings come to your mind?
When do you remember coming together to get something done for God?
SUMMARY STATEMENT:
• God raised up a new leader named Cyrus.
• He is led to send to Jews back to their homes.
• At his request, a large offering is given for the rebuilding of the Temple.
• Now, the Jews are back in the land.
• There is a time gap between chapters 2 and 3 (we do not know exactly how long).
• Some estimate that it has been approximately 3 months since their arrival.
• The Jews have settled into their cities, built homes, raised crops.
• Now it is time to get busy in the work of the Lord.
I. The Fervency Restored (1)
And when the seventh month was come [or, was coming], and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.
A. The Month
• The text tells us that this occurred on the seventh month.
• This would be the Hebrew month Tishri, corresponding to our late September, early October.
• This could refer to either the seventh month after the people left Babylon or to the seventh month after they arrived in Jerusalem.
• Or it could just be the seventh month of the calendar.
• The year would be 537 B.C.
• In years past, the seventh month had been a great month religiously for Israel.
• Three religious festivals were held in the seventh month:
1) The Feast of Trumpets on the 1st day (Lev. 23:23-25),
2) The Day of Atonement on the 10th day (Lev. 23:26-32),
3) The Feast of Tabernacles on days 15-21 (Lev. 23:33-36, 39-43; Num. 29:12-39; cf. Ezra 3:4).
B. The Meeting
• Word is published throughout the land that the leaders are calling for a convocation.
• The people, recently settled in their cities, revive a centuries-old tradition.
• The annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem as commanded by the Lord.
• The people are united in taking this divine requirement seriously.
QUOTE: The idea was that they gathered in unity for the same purpose. Unity is one of the basic foundations for accomplishing a work for God (Phil 2:1-4). Lack of unity is one of the hindrances to revival in the twentieth-century church. (KJV Bible Commentary)
Philippians 2:1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
• Nothing could cause more sincerity than the 70 years of captivity they have just endured.
• The people know that the altar and the offerings and the feasts must be restored.
• And they united to get it done!
II. The Fire Restored (2-3)
A. The People (2A)
[2] Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren,
• The men who headed up the constructing of the altar were Jeshua, the religious leader (a descendant of Aaron). He is mentioned first because this is a religious event!
• and Zerubbabel, the civil leader (a descendant of David),
• along with fellow priests (other descendants of Aaron)
• and associates (other descendants of David, as well as heads of families in chapter 2).
B. The Purpose (2B)
[2B] and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.
• It strikes me that they studied the Word of God to determine what to do next.
• Once they saw the clear command of God, there was no controversy over what to do next.
• The consequences were not important.
• Conformity to God’s Word and will were what mattered. (That is how it should be at Calvary)
• They built the altar so that they could offer sacrifices in accordance with what was written in the Law of Moses.
QUOTE: There is an application here for us. What men say and think is not important. The Scriptures are all-sufficient and contain all of the instruction that is needed for the guidance of those who would be faithful to God in any particular period of church history.
This is the reason I do not give talks on methods, or psychology, or sex. I preach and teach the Word of God. We need to look at the total Word of God, not just one or two familiar well-worn passages. I thank God for those familiar passages, but I think some of them have been worn out at the expense of other sections of the Word of God. When we look at the total Word of God, we won’t need a book on how to be happy though married and books like that which are going around. The Word of God has the answers. Why not go back to the source? (McGee)
• It was imperative that the returnees would come back to the Mosaic Covenant.
• Because their forefathers had left the covenant, the nation had been driven into Captivity.
• These former exiles did not want to make that same mistake.
• NOTE: They put worship ahead of buildings! No Temple, but a restored altar!
• The altar was the altar of burnt offering.
• It points to the blood of Christ.
• Without the altar, there is no worship!
C. The Priority (3)
[3] And they set the altar upon his bases [NOTE: The original foundation]; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord, even burnt offerings morning and evening.
• One should be right with God before the crisis comes.
• But if one hasn’t, then it is certainly the right thing to do!
• Those returning were very vulnerable to the locals which had been transplanted there by the Assyrians and Babylonians.
• These locals immediately recognized the threat posed by the arrival of the Jews.
• No doubt, threats had been made.
• A time of crisis is not the time to offend a holy God!
III. The Feasts Restored (4-6)
A. The Feast of Tabernacles (4)
[4] They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required;
SEE SUPPLEMENT ON THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES.
NOTE: By number. According to Keil this means “the burnt offerings commanded for several days of this festival, viz. on the first day thirteen oxen, on the second twelve, etc., compare Numbers 29:13-34" (Keil, p. 51).
• These were tough times, yet they praised the Lord anyway!
• It is time for the Feast of Tabernacles (or, booths) and so they keep it!
B. The Burnt Offerings (5-6)
[5] And afterward [NOTE: After the Feast of Tabernacles] offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the Lord that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the Lord. [6] From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the Lord.
• These were the first sacrifices made there in 50 years—since 586 B.C. when the temple was torn down.
• Evidently, portions of the altar were already prepared, for the altar is said to be built and used on the same day. (Or, verse one refers to the season of the seventh month coming.)
1. Daily Offerings
• The five offerings (see chart) could be offered at any time.
• But often, they were offered on special feast days when the people would be exempt from work.
2. Other Feasts
NEW MOON (See NIV Study Bible)
• Each month was consecrated to the Lord.
• Special offerings would be brought to the Temple.
• It was not a worship of the moon itself, for Moses forbade such in Deut. 4:19.
• Rather, the moon served as a reminder of the new month, and a new obligation to God.
• Often, work would be laid aside on this day, especially on the 7th month!
3. Freewill Offerings
• These freewill offerings played a major part in the rebuilding of the Temple.
• The book of Ezra mentions them 4 times. (1:4; 2:68; 3:5; 8:28)
IV. The Furnishings Retrieved (7)
AT FIRST, I ALMOST DECIDED TO MOVE THIS SECTION TO NEXT WEEK. BUT IT BELONGS HERE, BECAUSE THIS WAS BEGUN ON THE SAME DAY AS THE ABOVE EVENTS, AND WAS MOTIVATED BY THE SAME SPIRIT. MUCH AS THE 2ND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS MET TO DISCUSS PROBLEMS WITH ENGLAND AND YET RESULTED IN A BRAND NEW NATION.
• Verses 6-7 are transitional in the story of the rebuilding of the Temple.
• The sacrificial worship has been established; now the people begin the task of rebuilding the Temple.
• The people had great zeal and enthusiasm for the worship of God.
• But the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid.
• This is the transitional phrase.
• The people were anxious to complete this task. (KJV Bible Commentary)
A. The Concern - The Foundation is not laid. (6)
[6B] But the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid.
• The altar has been laid, but there is so much more to do.
• The first step must be taken, and has been taken, but there is a long trail ahead.
• These were not content until the ministry became all that it could be for God.
• May their tribe increase, may that spirit dominate Calvary Baptist Church.
B. The Commencement - The Furnishing are Obtained. (7)
[7] They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia.
• Sidon and Tyre … Joppa. The materials were shipped from the Phoenician ports of Sidon and Tyre, (on the Mediterranean Coast) South to Joppa, the main seaport, about 35 mi. from Jerusalem. permission which they had from Cyrus. (MacArthur)
• As the Phoenicians had participated in providing materials for the first temple, so do they again here.
CONCLUSION:
How do you go about restoring things after God’s chastening hand has been removed?
Put worship first. There was no temple as yet, but that did not hinder them from setting up an altar and sacrificing to God. This is an illustration of Matthew 6:33. They needed to worship God for their own sake as well for a witness to the people around them.
Celebrate God’s goodness. It was time for the Feast of Tabernacles, a joyful feast of thanksgiving. Times were tough, but the people obeyed the Word and praised the Lord. This in itself would be a testimony to the Gentiles, and it would do their own hearts good. It is always the right time to praise the Lord.
Establish the foundations. The Scriptures told them all they needed to know to rebuild the temple, and they followed God’s plan. The foundation is the most important part of the building, for it determines the size, shape, and strength of the structure. Do you have the right foundations for your life? (Wiersbe, With the Word)
Thank God that we need not return to sacrifices today. As we saw in our Communion Service, Christ is the end of the law and the sacrifices.
SUPPLEMENTAL TO STUDY #6
THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES
John 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying,
THE SEVEN FEASTS IN ORDER
P Passover
U Unleavened Bread
F Firstfruits
P PENTECOST(Harvest)
T Trumpets
A Atonement
T Tabernacles
One Jewish writer said, “Until you have seen the water ceremony at the Feast of Tabernacles, you have not seen celebration.”
The Feast was a yearly reminder of the time when their forefathers dwelt in tents in the wilderness.
If any man thirst. On each of the seven preceding days water was drawn in a golden pitcher from the pool of Siloam and carried in procession to the temple and offered by the priests as the singers chanted Isaiah 12:3: “With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.” “It is uncertain whether the libations were made upon the eighth day. If they were not made, the significant cessation of the striking rite on this one day of the feast would give a still more fitting occasion for the words” (Westcott).
PITCHER - Made of Gold, this represents God.
WATER - Running water = Holy Spirit, Still water for bathing = Word.
LAVER - the believer.
CUPS - the lost. (Witnessing)
