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1. Recalling the Past: Read Ezra3:1-6, 1,
When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their
towns, the people assembled as one man in Jerusalem. 2, Then Jeshua
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 Feast 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 feasts 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. Commentary: Ezra3:1-6 3: 2, 3, The
Jews built the altar as one of their first official acts. It symbolized God’s presence and protection.
It always 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 her people taken captive in 722 B.C. (4:1,2).
This resettlement procedure was a common tactic of the Assyrians to prevent strong
nationalistic uprisings by conquered peoples. 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 Feast
of Tabernacles lasted seven days. During this time, the people lived
in temporary dwellings (tents, booths, lean-tos) as their ancestors had done
years before as they journeyed through the desert on their way to the promised
land. The Feast reminded the people of God’s past protection and guidance in
the desert and of his continued love for them. The Feast 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; here they were few, weak, and
surrounded by enemies. If ever they needed to rely on God’s power, it was at
this time. the
heart, and They
realized the importance of obeying God from 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
feasts are described in Leviticus 23. Every month on the day of the New Moon,
they held a special observance (Numbers 10:10).
2. Living into the Present: Read Ezra3:7-9,
7,
“Then they
gave money to the masons and carpenters, and gave food and drink and 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, Jeshua son of Jozadak and the rest of
their brothers (the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the
captivity to Jerusalem) began the work, appointing Levites twenty years of
age and older to supervise the building of the house of the LORD. 9, Jeshua
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.” Commentary: Ezra 3: 7-9,
3:7, When Solomon
built the first temple (2Chronicles 2), he also exchanged food and
olive oil-plentiful resources in Israel-for good, a resource Israel lacked.
The wood came from Sidon and Tyre 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 purpose. 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 a far
higher priority than assuring the national defense. (P.940 of N.I.V.)
3. Envisioning the Future: Read Ezra 3:10-11, 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 to 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. Commentary: Ezra 3:10,11, David had given clear
instructions concerning the use of music in worship services in the temple (11
Chronical 16:25). Completing the foundation for the temple required great
effort on the part of all involved. But no one tried to get praise for himself
and his 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 thank God for what
has been done in and through us! (N.I.V. P.940)
4. CONCLUSIONS: 1. Ezra 3:1-6, Concentrate on the prelude of worship,
Verses 2 and 4, Guidelines
for Israelite worship had been instituted by God through Moses from the days
preceding their entry into the Promised Land. One of the functions of worship
is to connect us to the larger community of faith, both physically and historically.
Verse 3, See 2 Samuel 24:18. (Connection to the past. Once ground had been
used for sacred purposes, it remained set apart for such over the years and
continued the legacy for generations.) 2. Verses 7-9, Concentrate on work. Swinging a hammer or painting a wall seems much
like worship here; they began by giving money, food, drink, and oil to the
people.
3. All the people gave a great shout of praise to the
Lord, it was more than celebrating the accomplishment of a human feat. This
celebration pointed to the past as they sang the praises prescribed by King
David (v.10). When you look to the past, what events or answers to prayer
prompt you to sing praises to God?
5. PRAYER: Lord, may our worship today, the emptying of ourselves, and our
sacrifice of praise be an opportunity for Your infilling so that our lives may
be pleasing sacrifices to You. (1. Insert from NIV Bible, 2. Excerpts from
Jim Edlin, New Beacon Bible Commentary: Ezra/Nehemiah-
Beacon Hill Press of Kansa City, 2017 & the Faith Connection, Professor Gay Leonard.
Gay is an author and editor. Following 45 years of ministry together, she and
her husband, Larry, now reside in Florida and Tennessee.) 第一. 以斯拉記
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工作前要敬拜Worship Before Work
