Building the Temple….Again
Today was another busy day in a busy week. I had both a breakfast and lunch appointment with a Chiropractor appointment in between. This afternoon I had a meeting with some legislators on a project that I am working on with Northern Colorado Rehabilitation Hospital. It is good to feel productive, but I’m learning how to pace myself at this point in my life. I’m not sure if I will make it to my evening meeting.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given all the kingdoms of the earth to me, and he has appointed me to build a Temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. May God be with all of you who are his people. You are free to go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the Temple of the Lord, the God of Israel…” Ezra 1:2,3 NCV
With the words of this proclamation, the seventy years of captivity for God’s people comes to and end. It at least signals the beginning of the end. The first step in God’s people returning to the land was the rebuilding of the Temple. This was not their plan, it was God’s plan through King Cyrus of Persia. He commanded it to be done and made the provisions and protection necessary to get it accomplished.
What is of interest is who did the work and who supported the work. This was God’s holy Temple, so the work was accomplished under the direction of the priests and levites. But we see that all the people were to have a part in supporting the work, even those who did not immediately return.
Almost 50,00 people total made the return trip to resettle in God’s land. When they arrived the first thing they did was to rebuild the altar. “…[the] priests joined Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and began to build the altar of the God of Israel where they could offer burnt offerings, just as it is written in the Teachings of Moses, the man of God. Even though they were afraid of the people living around them, they built the altar where it had been before. And they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord morning and evening.“ Ezra 3:2,3 NCV
In their work they made worship to the Lord a priority. Even though their actions may have not been accepted by the people around, they sought to please the Lord and put Him first in their endeavor.
The next thing they did was build the foundation of the Temple. After the foundation was completed they stopped to celebrate and worship the Lord. “The builders finished laying the foundation of the Temple of the Lord. Then the priests, dressed in their robes, stood with their trumpets, and the Levites…with their cymbals. They all took their places and praised the Lord…With praise and thanksgiving, they sang to the Lord: “He is good; his love for Israel continues forever.” Ezra 3:10,11 NCV
After the joyful celebration, the building of the Temple began. Soon others wanted to take part, but they were people who had lived in the land since the Jews were taken captive to Babylon. When God’s people did not allow them to help, they worked to stop their efforts.
“Then the people around them tried to discourage the people of Judah by making them afraid to build. Their enemies hired others to delay the building plans during the time Cyrus was king of Persia…” Ezra 4:4,5 NCV
They finally got the next King, Darius to stop the work. But after a time the Lord’s prophets Haggai and Zechariah began to prophecy that it was time to rebuild the Temple. The people obeyed the Lord and when asked who gave them the authority they said, “God did!” This time when letters were sent to the King the royal records showed the account of Cyrus’ instructions and the rebuilding continued with the King’s blessings and protection.
When the Temple was finished the people celebrated with observing the Passover. The feast that was ignored for hundreds of years under the Kings of Judah and Israel was now the first act of obedience. It reminded them of the Lord’s faithfulness through the generations and that He is the One who delivers and keeps His promises.
We can make several observations. We see the Lord was faithful to fulfill His word and promise through Jeremiah. The Lord moved upon the heart of a pagan King for God’s people to return and to rebuild the Temple. The people “got their priorities right.” We see this in the rebuilding of the Temple, the praise to the Lord for his help with the foundation being finished and the Passover being celebrated when the Temple was completed. They did this out of obedience to the Lord and in spite of any objections by the people of the land. This is in contrast to all their years of disobedience and giving in to the people of the land that lead them into idolatry.
In terms of approach to “a project” we see everyone was called to participate and be involved. From those who returned to those who stayed in Babylon. We see they trust in the Lord ‘s help and they celebrated increments of accomplishment. This can be so important in a big task. Break it into smaller parts and celebrate along the way.
We see that even when “plans were put on hold” that the Lord had not forgot His people. The project was delayed but did not come to an end. We need to remember that even in delays the Lord is till able to work to accomplish His purposes and in His time and in His way He will bring to pass that which He has promised.