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When the seventh month came, and the Israelites were in the towns, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. (Ezra 3:1)
On the spiritual calendar of Israel, the seventh month was a particularly significant month to observe. They observed the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Trumpets, and the Feast of Tabernacles during the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar.
Then stood up Jeshua son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and they built the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings upon it, as it is written in the instructions of Moses, the man of God. (Ezra 3:2)
Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, “was the grandson of Seraiah the high priest, who was put to death by Nebuchadnezzar, 2 Kings 25:18, 21. This Jeshua or Joshua was the first high priest after the captivity.”
Jeshua and Zerubbabel were the two primary leaders in this effort to reconstruct the temple. They started their work by constructing the altar that was located outside the temple on the temple mount in Jerusalem.
arose and built the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses, the man of God. (Ezra 3:2)
Before beginning construction on the temple, they first erected an altar in God's honour. After the construction of the altar, erecting the temple would be a simple task, spiritually speaking. They began with the altar since it was a wise spiritual priority as the altar signified forgiveness for the past and renewed consecration for the future. Therefore, they began with the altar.
There can be an altar without a temple, but there can be no temple without an altar. God meets men at the place of sacrifice, and that is an altar.
And they set the altar [in its place] upon its base, for fear was upon them because of the peoples of the countries; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord morning and evening. (Ezra 3:3)
They set the altar on its bases, meaning they found the old foundations for the previous altar and built the new upon the exact place as the old, which dated back to David’s altar on the threshing floor of Araunah (2 Samuel 24:16-19).
The people feared because there was opposition to the building of the altar. There will always be opposition towards you even as you begin to build the altar and worship at the altar
They also gave money to the masons and to the carpenters and gave food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the seaport of Joppa, according to the grant they had from Cyrus, king of Persia. (Ezra 3:7)
The earlier temple of Solomon was also built with Gentile cooperation. Likewise, the second temple was also built with Gentile resources and cooperation.
and appointed the Levites from twenty years old and above to oversee the work of the house of the Lord. (Ezra 3:8)
In accordance with the requirements outlined in the Law of Moses, Levites were required to achieve the age of thirty before beginning their roles as community servants (Numbers 4:1-3, 4:3-47). David set the minimum age requirement for Levitical service at twenty years old, bringing it in line with other religious obligations (1 Chronicles 23:24). During the time when Zerubbabel and Jeshua were in positions of leadership, they made David's better practises the standard for the community.
12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house [Solomon’s temple], when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice, though many shouted aloud for joy.
13 So the people could not distinguish the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far off. (Ezra 3:12-13)
It was highly likely that some of the older men had stood on this very spot half a century earlier and must have seen in despair the cruel flames licking the ancient stones and burning down the cedar beams of the former temple. As a result, they were weeping, remembering the former splendour of the temple.
The younger man, who had no memory of the previous temple, experienced nothing but pure joy at witnessing this significant milestone in the process of restoring the temple and the worship that took place.
The prophets, however, cautioned the people not to look down on this temple because of its lowly beginnings (Haggai 2:1-9, Zechariah 4:8-10).
On the spiritual calendar of Israel, the seventh month was a particularly significant month to observe. They observed the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Trumpets, and the Feast of Tabernacles during the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar.
Then stood up Jeshua son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and they built the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings upon it, as it is written in the instructions of Moses, the man of God. (Ezra 3:2)
Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, “was the grandson of Seraiah the high priest, who was put to death by Nebuchadnezzar, 2 Kings 25:18, 21. This Jeshua or Joshua was the first high priest after the captivity.”
Jeshua and Zerubbabel were the two primary leaders in this effort to reconstruct the temple. They started their work by constructing the altar that was located outside the temple on the temple mount in Jerusalem.
arose and built the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses, the man of God. (Ezra 3:2)
Before beginning construction on the temple, they first erected an altar in God's honour. After the construction of the altar, erecting the temple would be a simple task, spiritually speaking. They began with the altar since it was a wise spiritual priority as the altar signified forgiveness for the past and renewed consecration for the future. Therefore, they began with the altar.
There can be an altar without a temple, but there can be no temple without an altar. God meets men at the place of sacrifice, and that is an altar.
And they set the altar [in its place] upon its base, for fear was upon them because of the peoples of the countries; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord morning and evening. (Ezra 3:3)
They set the altar on its bases, meaning they found the old foundations for the previous altar and built the new upon the exact place as the old, which dated back to David’s altar on the threshing floor of Araunah (2 Samuel 24:16-19).
The people feared because there was opposition to the building of the altar. There will always be opposition towards you even as you begin to build the altar and worship at the altar
They also gave money to the masons and to the carpenters and gave food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the seaport of Joppa, according to the grant they had from Cyrus, king of Persia. (Ezra 3:7)
The earlier temple of Solomon was also built with Gentile cooperation. Likewise, the second temple was also built with Gentile resources and cooperation.
and appointed the Levites from twenty years old and above to oversee the work of the house of the Lord. (Ezra 3:8)
In accordance with the requirements outlined in the Law of Moses, Levites were required to achieve the age of thirty before beginning their roles as community servants (Numbers 4:1-3, 4:3-47). David set the minimum age requirement for Levitical service at twenty years old, bringing it in line with other religious obligations (1 Chronicles 23:24). During the time when Zerubbabel and Jeshua were in positions of leadership, they made David's better practises the standard for the community.
12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house [Solomon’s temple], when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice, though many shouted aloud for joy.
13 So the people could not distinguish the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far off. (Ezra 3:12-13)
It was highly likely that some of the older men had stood on this very spot half a century earlier and must have seen in despair the cruel flames licking the ancient stones and burning down the cedar beams of the former temple. As a result, they were weeping, remembering the former splendour of the temple.
The younger man, who had no memory of the previous temple, experienced nothing but pure joy at witnessing this significant milestone in the process of restoring the temple and the worship that took place.
The prophets, however, cautioned the people not to look down on this temple because of its lowly beginnings (Haggai 2:1-9, Zechariah 4:8-10).
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