Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
EZRA 3
Rebuilding the Altar
1 When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled together as one in Jerusalem. 2 Then Joshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. 3 Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices. 4 Then in accordance with what is written, they celebrated the Festival of Tabernacles with the required number of burnt offerings prescribed for each day. 5 After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings, the New Moon sacrifices and the sacrifices for all the appointed sacred festivals of the Lord, as well as those brought as freewill offerings to the Lord. 6 On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, though the foundation of the Lord’s temple had not yet been laid.
Rebuilding the Temple
7 Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and gave food and drink and olive oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they would bring cedar logs by sea from Lebanon to Joppa, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia.
8 In the second month of the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak and the rest of the people (the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem) began the work. They appointed Levites twenty years old and older to supervise the building of the house of the Lord. 9 Joshua and his sons and brothers and Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Hodaviah) and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together in supervising those working on the house of God.
10 When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the Lord, as prescribed by David king of Israel. 11 With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:
“He is good;
his love toward Israel endures forever.”
And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. 12 But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. 13 No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.
Application Notes
3:2-3 The Jews built the altar as one of their first official acts. It symbolized God's presence and protection. It also demonstrated their purpose as a nation and their commitment to serve God alone. Zerubbabel sacrificed burnt offerings as the law of Moses instructed (Leviticus 1-7). The sacrifices were essential because they demonstrated that the people were seeking God's guidance, rededicating themselves to living as he commanded, and daily asking him to forgive their sins.
3:3 The Jews were afraid they were going to be attacked by the surrounding people—a mixed group whose ancestors had been conquered by the Assyrians. Foreigners had been forced to resettle in the northern kingdom of Israel after Israel was defeated and the people taken captive in 722 BC (4:1-2). This resettlement procedure was a common tactic of the Assyrians to prevent strong nationalistic uprisings by conquered people. Some of the resettled people in Israel had migrated south near Jerusalem, and they may have thought the returning exiles threatened their claim on the land.
3:4 The Festival of Tabernacles lasted seven days. During this time the people lived in temporary dwellings (tents, booths, shelters) as their ancestors had done years before when they journeyed through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land. The festival reminded the people of God's past protection and guidance in the wilderness and of his continued love for them. The Festival of Tabernacles is described in detail in Leviticus 23:33-36.
3:5 Almost immediately after arriving in the new land, the returning exiles built an altar. The people began worshiping God through sacrifices even before the temple foundations were laid. After many years in captivity, they had learned their lesson—they knew that God does not offer special protection to people who ignore him. They had been carried off by the Babylonians when they were relatively strong; now they were few, weak, and surrounded by enemies. If ever they needed to rely on God's power, it was at this time. They realized the importance of obeying God from the heart and not merely out of habit. If we want God's help when we undertake large tasks, we must make staying close to him our top priority.
3:5 These sacrifices were originally set up under the Law of Moses in Leviticus 1 and 6:8-13. The festivals are described in Leviticus 23. At the beginning of every month (the Hebrew calendar was based on lunar months), at the time of the New Moon, they also held a special observance (Numbers 10:10).
3:7 When Solomon built the first temple (2 Chronicles 2), he had also exchanged Israel's plentiful resources of food and olive oil for building timber, a resource Israel lacked. The timber had come from Sidon and Tyre (who controlled the Lebanon mountains) that time too.
3:8 Why was the Lord's temple begun first, even before the city wall? The temple was used for spiritual purposes; the wall, for military and political purposes. God had always been the nation's protector, and the Jews knew that the strongest stone wall would not protect them if God was not with them. They knew that putting their spiritual lives in order was the only real way to ensure their national defense.
3:8 It took from September (3:1; September was the seventh month because the year began in March) to April just to prepare to build the temple. The exiles took time to make plans because the project was important to them. Preparation may not feel heroic or spiritual, but it is vital to any project meant to be done well.
3:10-11 David had given clear instructions concerning the use of music in worship services in the temple (1 Chronicles 16; 25).
3:10-11 Completing the foundation for the temple required great effort on the part of all involved. But no one tried to get praise for themselves and their own hard work. Instead, everyone praised God for what had been done. All good gifts come from God—talents, abilities, strength, and leadership. We should also thank God for what he has done in and through us!
3:11 The Bible records many songs and musical events.
3:12 Fifty years after its destruction, the temple was being rebuilt (536 BC). Some of the older people remembered Solomon's temple, and they wept because the new temple would not be as glorious as the first one. But the beauty of the building was not nearly as important to God as the attitudes of the builders and worshipers were. God cares more about who we are than what we accomplish. Our world is always changing, and once-magnificent accomplishments decay and disappear. Seek to serve God wholeheartedly. Then you won't need to compare your work with anyone else's.
3:12 Because the new temple was built on the foundation of Solomon's temple, the two structures were not that different in size. But the old temple had been far more elaborate and ornate, and it was surrounded by many buildings and a vast courtyard. Both temples were constructed of imported cedar timber, but Solomon's had been decorated with vast amounts of gold and precious stones. Solomon's temple had taken over seven years to build; Zerubbabel's took about four years. Solomon’s temple had been at the hub of a thriving city; Zerubbabel's was surrounded by ruins. No wonder the people wept.
3:13 The celebration after laying the temple's foundation was marked by a contrast of emotions—shouts of joy and sounds of weeping. Both were appropriate. The Holy Spirit can stimulate us both to rejoice over the goodness of his grace and to grieve over the sins that have required him to correct us. God made us with the full range of emotions. He's pleased when we experience him in his totality. When we come into the presence of the almighty God, we may feel full of joy and thanksgiving yet at the same time feel sobered by our shortcomings.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)