Solomon’s Temple was a major undertaking to complete. It was a multi-generational task. King David made so many preparations. His son Solomon worked to see the temple built and dedicated to the Lord. The temple, we call Solomon’s Temple, was destroyed and laid in ruin during the seventy-year Babylonian captivity.
You will also find that the building of the second temple was a major undertaking. They made building a place to meet God in worship a priority. They did everything according to the instructions laid out by the Lord. This did not just happen. It takes planning. It takes energy. It takes commitment and perseverance to build the Temple.
You can read the first six chapters of Ezra to find just how big of an undertaking rebuilding the temple was. You find in Ezra the children of Israel returning from exile with a vision to rebuild the temple and revive true religion.
In building this temple Israel faced difficulty of organizing workers. They faced opposition to the work and they were sabotaged by those who opposed them. They faced apathy from within. There was a crises in leadership and a lack of commitment that had to be overcome. Zerubbabel, the priests and the elders had to overcome setbacks.
There was long period of inactivity. After all of this they persevered after 24 years the temple is complete.
So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia. 15 The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. (Ezra 6:14-15)
For those of you who value preaching you will love these verses. It was the preaching of these, so called, “minor prophets” Haggai and Zechariah that the work flourished. The whole time, now under their preaching the people were working with diligence.
Then, because of the decree King Darius had sent, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates carried it out with diligence. (Ezra 6:13)
There was practical work and God’s prophets preached, inspired and instilled God’s principles. Without vision, inspiration from God’s Word the building project for the temple could degenerate to merely mundane material work. Now they are fulfilling Gpd’s purposes and God’s mission.
Let the preachers preach. Their role is significant. They are to continue to remind us that we are talking about more than mundane projects. We do all the work we do for the Glory of God. We are expanding our potential to minister in Jesus’ name. We are to saturate our Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and the ends of the earth with the gospel.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
The children of Israel were rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. Ironically it was the Samaritans who were opposing them, but we are called to reach them. We all need to remind each other of the true reason of the work we do. It is significant!
The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. (Ezra 6:15)
The Temple was completed!
It was four and a half years after the restart under the prophet’s encouragement. It was 24 years after efforts were first undertaken. The together we build became the together we built. Now we have the dedication of the temple.
Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy. 17 For the dedication of this house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred male lambs and, as a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, one for each of the tribes of Israel. (Ezra 6:16-17)
Finishing the temple was not the end. It was the beginning. Now true worship was restored. The people had the exciting experience of dedicating the temple.
The Hebrew word Hanukah means dedication. They dedicated themselves to God. We need a little Hanukkah too. We need to dedicate ourselves to God.
The Jews celebrate Hanukah because later this temple had to be rededicated. It was rededicated eight days after it was desecrated.
The dedication was a thrilling experience. There were a few catches along with the excitement. This temple was not as big as Solomon’s Temple. The sacrifices were not as dramatic:
The 2nd Temple 100 bulls were sacrificed verses Solomon’s Temple 22,000 oxen sacrificed.
The 2nd Temple 200 rams and 400 male lambs as a sin offering sacrificed verses Solomon’s Temple 120,000 sheep sacrificed.
In total the 2nd Temple 712 animal sacrifices verses Solomon’s Temple 142,000 animal sacrifices. With the coming out of exile there was not the large number of animals available.
The number of sacrifices was smaller, but the 12 goats represented Israel was together. There was nothing small about it. God was moving in history to bring the fullness of his plan of redemption in Christ. There was worship with joy.
On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles celebrated the Passover. 20 The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were all ceremonially clean. The Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their relatives the priests and for themselves. 21 So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the LORD, the God of Israel. 22 For seven days they celebrated with joy the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because the LORD had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel. (Ezra 6:19-22)
These were exciting days in the life of Israel. God strengthened them and worked miraculously though them to bring the work to completion. The Lord gave them favor in the eyes of two kings so they could build.
It was a time of joy, and that joy was expressed in worship. The Passover was an integral part of their worship. They were remembering the Exodus from Egypt. They had a special joy because they had an exile from Babylon.
A new era has begun. They are back in Jerusalem again with a temple. Israel is restored and dedicated and excited about the future. The completion of the temple and the joy that came with it made all the difficulties they endured worth it.
The people even became inclusive.
So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the LORD, the God of Israel. (Exodus 6:21)
This is after what happened previously.
When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel, 2 they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, “Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.” 3 But Zerubbabel, Joshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, “You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.” (Ezra 4:1-3)
From this you might get the idea the Israelites are a bundh of narrow-minded separatists. They must remain pure and not mix with people who worship other gods.
It is always exciting to be part of what God is doing. God is moving and working in our midst. I hope that you sense that and are experiencing that. There are vibrations in the air that things that seemed like dreams are about to become reality.
Even as we put energies in our new building in our new location, we need to dedicate ourselves to the main this. The main thing is abiding in Christ, evangelism, discipleship and church planting.
With full gusto like Israel of old the completion of the temple and spiritual priorities and go hand in hand and be in the midst of spiritual revival.
