A SACRIFICE, A TEMPLE, AND FEASTS The first batch returned to Jerusalem, yet they did not encounter God through the altar and the sacrifice for the following eight months. Now, as the seventh Hebrew month, considered as the climax of the feasts, approached, they gathered together as one man, set the altar, offered the sacrifices, and started building the temple. Having arrived at Jerusalem, they were preoccupied by three things: 1- Setting the altar: Being afraid of the non-Jews who settled down in the surrounding region, those who envied them for their return from captivity; the solution was to return to God through prayer and to reconcile with Him by the precious blood of Christ. For there is no refuge for us other than His cross -- the amazing altar! The priority, therefore was to set the altar to offer the sacrifices. 2- Building the temple of the Holy God: Building the temple was next to the altar in importance. The ruins of the destroyed temple was a source of the stones; whereas all the wood were burnt (2 Kings 25: 9) . According to the apostle Paul: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16).. God cared to provide them even with their material needs; but it was befitting of the rich among them to cover the expenses of building the temple which Cyrus allowed them to do; even before spending their wealth on their personal affairs. 3- As the seventh Hebrew month was the most important concerning the Jewish feasts (Leviticus 23: 24-36; Nehemiah 8), the people gathered together in the ruined Jerusalem, after being away for decades in the land of captivity, and set forth to celebrate the feasts. Their harps are no longer hung upon the willows, because of the bitterness of their souls, but they were now praising the Lord in His holy city (See Psalm 137: 2). Our Christ is our Feast who grants us his heavenly joy. The great day came to lay the foundations of the temple, under the supervision of the Levites. The trumpets started blowing as is befitting, and the psalms of David started to be used to praise the Lord. According to verse 11, psalm 136 that was used in the dedication of Solomon’s temple (2 Chronicles 5: 13; 7: 3) was used in the present occasion. A psalm or more are normally used for every occasion in our life (Ephesians 5: 10; James 5: 19). We should not be ashamed to express our joy for the work of God through our emotions by praising Him. The elders who waited fifty years since the temple was devastated in the year 587 BC wept; whether out of joy for laying the foundations of the new temple, or out of grief when they compared them to those of the old temple (Haggai 2: 3). It is very good to look back at the past, to grieve and moan on what we lost; but not in the way that makes us lose our hope , and our enjoyment of what we already have today (Ecclesiastes 7: 10; Philippians 3: 13-14). 1- Setting the altar of the Lord 1 - 3 2- Celebrating the feasts 4 - 6 3- Laying the foundation of the temple 7 - 9 4- Celebrating the restoration of the temple 10 - 11 5- Tears of hope and tears of sorrow 12 - 13 1- SETTING THE ALTAR OF THE LORD: “And when the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem” (1) The seventh month conforms to the second half of September and the first half of October. They most probably started their journey which took between three and four months in the spring. The seventh month was the month of the feasts important to the Jews: the feast of blowing the trumpets, of the atonement, and of the tabernacles. a- On the first day of the seventh month, the feast of blowing of the trumpets is celebrated (Numbers 29: 1) b- On the tenth day, the great day of atonement is celebrated (Numbers 29: 7) c- On the fifteenth day, the feast of the tabernacles is celebrated; for seven days, and on the eighth day there is a sacred assembly for the Lord (Numbers 29: 12 – 35). “The people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem”. There, all of them realized the need of having an altar for the Lord, who is capable of protecting them and supporting them in the terror that dwelt upon them from the peoples all around them, On another aspect, they were in need of collectively celebrating the feasts that would restore to them their joy in the Lord. All, priest, Levites, and people, gathered together as one man to set an altar for the Lord…. In the New covenant, “When the day of the Pentecost has fully come, they were all with one accord in one place” (Acts 2: 1); when the Holy Spirit dwelt upon them, and the church of the new covenant was born, being the holy temple of the Lord. Whenever there is the spirit of love and unity, God proclaims His presence, and sets His dwelling place among His people. + God so counsels us, not only lest every one would be separated from the other; but to present a flow of love and conformity. If the being of every man is set upon the peace of his neighbor, the least thing to do is to love him. … The body sustains, through the clear differences between its members; whereas in case it perishes, this will not be the case; Destruction will definitely happen unless even the least members properly work. (St. John Chrysostom) + You all are one in Christ Jesus; It is not that some are more enlightened, and others are less, in spiritual knowledge. Let everyone of us put aside all the carnal covetousness; and be equally spiritual before the Lord. (St. Clement of Alexandria) “Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shaltiel and his brethren, 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” (2) Jeshua the high priest together with his brethren the priest, and Zerubbabel together with his brethren the statesmen, arose and built the altar of God to offer on it sacrifices and burnt offerings to the Lord, and to sing His praise, after so long being denied, and so long hanging their harps on the willows. Jeshua was the first high priest after captivity. His name is mentioned before Zerubbabel, on account of that the work here concerns offering the sacrifices, a completely priestly task; whereas in verse 8, we find the name of Zerubbabel come before that of Joshua, for the task concerned the building of the temple, which was commanded by king Cyrus to be executed by Zerubbabel. Here, we notice the elaborate commitment to keeping the law as it is written by Moses the man of God. The altar refers to the divine presence, or more precisely to the reconciliation with God through the sacrifice. In building the altar there is a confession by the people of their need to atone for their sins; and faith in the mercies of God, the Forgiver of sins. The altar is a symbol of the cross, on which the incarnate Word of God delivered His life a sacrifice for our sake. Believing that faith is the inner altar of the heart, St. Augustine says: [We spiritually understand that faith is the inner altar of God, for which the seen temple is a symbol. Every gift we offer to God – whether a prophecy, teaching, praise, singing psalms, or any other gift coming from the mind – God will not accept, unless it is offered with true faith, to be bound with cords to the horns of the altar (Psalm 118: 28); for then, our words will come out pure without a blemish] Believing that the inner altar is the dedication by the congregation of their life with one spirit and one mind, St. Clement of Alexandria says: [The heavenly altar set among us here is the gathering together of those who dedicated their life to prayer, to have one voice and one mind]. “Though fear had come upon them, because of the peoples of those countries, they set the altar on its bases, and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening burnt offerings” (3) Terrified of their enemies, they resorted to the refuge of the altar of the Lord, namely under His wings, trusting in His strength. It is to be noticed that they set the altar before building the wall of the city; for it is more important; on account of that the altar is the secret wall that protects the people of God. They even built the altar before building the temple itself, with the perception that the temple of the Lord is set upon the sacrifice that sanctifies the people of God His holy temple. If sin causes confusion in the life of man, and lets him lose his peace and security, God alone is our refuge, stronghold, and peace; “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Proverb 18: 10); and as said by the psalmist: “God alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge is in God” (Psalm 62: 6-7). And having experienced the power of the altar of the new covenant, the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, the apostle Paul says: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing; but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1: 18). Some may wonder: If the animal sacrifices were abolished through the unique offering of the sacrifice of the Lord Christ on the cross, what is then our further need for an altar in the new covenant?! The answer for this came in both the old and the new testaments of the Holy Book: 1- The prophesies of the old covenant confirm the setting of the altar of the new covenant, not bound to Jerusalem alone, and not confined to a specific people and not to others; of which we may mention: a- The saying of the prophet Malachi: “For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles. In every place incense shall be offered to My name … “ (Malachi 1: 11). This saying certainly does not apply to the incense of the old covenant and its offering; on account of that it should not be offered out of Jerusalem, and only by the Hebrew priests. b- The prophet Isaiah gave special care to the altar of the Lord in Egypt by saying: “In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt; … then the Lord will be known to Egypt; and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day, and will make sacrifice and offering” (Isaiah 19: 19, 21). 2- The Lord Himself spoke in the new covenant about the altar, saying: “If you bring your gift to the altar…” (Matthew 5: 23-24) 3- Comparing between the Christian and the pagan worship, St. Paul says: “You cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons” (1 Corinthians 10: 21); If he refers to the altar of the pagans as the table of the demons, he surely refers to the Christian altar as the table of the Lord. + It is the collective sacrifice, offered by the Greatest High Priest – the Lord Christ. He who delivered Himself by passion for our sake, to make out of us a body to such a great Head. This is the sacrifice of the Christians, in which all become one unique body in Christ Jesus. That is what the church offers through the secret of the altar. For, while raising the sacrifice to God, she offers herself an offering to Him + You are on the table; You are inside the chalice. + The secret of our peace and unity originates on His altar. (St. Augustine) 2- CELEBRATING THE FEASTS: “They also kept the feast of the tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings in the number required by ordinance for each day” (4) The congregation, were most probably subjected to the ridicule of the surrounding peoples, when they gathered together around the site of the altar to build it, and started collecting the remains of the old altar. Yet they paid no attention to their ridicule, perceiving that the secret of their strength is in the sacrifice offered to God. The feast of the tabernacles: They kept it to remember that they were sojourners, to live with the spirit of sojourn. As the feast of the tabernacles conforms to the day of the dedication of the temple of Solomon, and the dwelling of the glory of God in it (1 kings 8: 2); they cared for offering burnt offerings (3: 3-6); for it is “a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord” (Leviticus 1: 13). Those who returned from captivity came to find the city desolate, and the temple as though it never existed. Their terror of the surrounding peoples so destroyed their souls, that they had no refuge except in God Himself. Although it was Zerubbabel who got the permission to build the temple including the altar, yet, at the time of building the altar, the high priest had the precedence over him. “The daily burnt offering” The feast of the tabernacles was held seven days, to be followed by the great day of atonement. Every day had its appointed number of sacrifice (Numbers 29: 13, 17) “And afterwards they offered the regular burnt offering, and those for new moons and for all the appointed feasts of the Lord that were consecrated and those of everyone who willingly offered a freewill offering to the Lord” (5) “And afterwards”; From that day on, they offered the daily burnt offerings, those of the new moons and of all the appointed feasts of the Lord. “From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord. But the foundation of the temple of the Lord had not yet been laid” (6) 3- LAYING THE FOUNDATION OF THE TEMPLE: “They also gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to the sea at Joppa, according to the permission which they had from Cyrus king of Persia” (7) “According to the permission which they had from Cyrus king of Persia”. Although Cyrus had no authority over Lebanon, yet he allowed the Israelites to negotiate with them to get the wood for building the temple. “Now in the second month of the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, Zerubbabel the son of Shaltiel, Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all those who had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, began work and appointed the Levites from twenty years old and above to oversee the work of the house of the Lord” (8) According to what was written in the book of Numbers 4: 3, 23 30, 35, 39, 43, 47, the Levite had to be at least 30 years old, and not older than 50 years; Then it came in Numbers 8: 24-25, that he should be from 25 to 50 years ; and in 1 Chronicles 23: 24, 27; 2 Chronicles 31: 17; and Ezra 3: 8, that he should be at least 20 years, with no maximum age. This discrepancy refers to the variation of the existing circumstances. When there is need for more Levites, and the number available is not enough, the minimum age is reduced and the maximum age is increased for those who are capable to work. “Then Jeshua with his sons and brothers, Kadmiel with his sons, and the sons of Judah, arose as one to oversee those working in the house of God: the sons of Hanadad with their sons and their brethren the Levites” (9) Here we notice the good planning, and the assignment of the families responsible to oversee the work. “In the house of God”, Namely at the site where the house of God will be built. “Hanadad”; He was not mentioned in chapter 2; He probably came from somewhere else other than Babylon, or he was all the time in Israel and was not taken into captivity. 3- CELEBRATING THE RESTORATION OF THE TEMPLE: “When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the elaborate ordinance put ahead by David king of Israel” (10) “And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord: ‘For He is good, For His mercies endure forever toward Israel’. Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid” (11) The building was done amid the praise of thanksgiving, and of hope that God will bless and consummate the work. 5- TEARS OF HOPE AND TEARS OF SORROW: “But many of the priests and the Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses, who were old men, who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes; yet many shouted aloud for joy” (12) As there was about 50 years between the desolation of the temple on the hands of the Babylonians, and its restoration now, there were certainly some elders who remember the old temple; and when they saw that the new temple was not as magnificent as the old one, they mourned their lost old glory; and with despair of the possibility of building a similar one. But their attitude was not acceptable, nor reasonable, for God who built the old temple, is capable of building a similar or a better one; and we should not despair however great the work is before us, for it is God who helps, It is our duty just to begin, and God will be pleased however small is our endeavor. . We should rejoice, praise, and give God thanks for His work with us; for once He starts He will consummate; And if there had to be grief and weeping, let it be on our sins; for then “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30: 5). Those who wept would rather weep on their sins that caused the desolation of the first temple. “So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard afar off” (13) + O God, I shall not cease praising You, even after my death For whoever live for and by You, will never die, and death would not be able to silence him; I shall, therefore, speak by my mouth, what will be preached in the future. (St. (Mar) Jacob El-Serougi) + The quiet praises will bring the mind to a state of joy and peace. + Praising God is a kind of work concerning the angels (St. Basil the Great) + To praise is to raise a double prayer. (St. Augustine) + Turn the night into a musical. Praise by the spirit and by the mind; Use the songs of David, the blessed psalmist. (St. Jerome) --------------------------------- AN INSPIRATION FROM EZRA 3 NAIL YOUR CROSS IN ME + Carry me with You to Mount Calvary; There, to gather together with my brethren with one spirit; Around You, O the Great High Priest, and the Unique Sacrifice; Intercede for us before Your Father; Acquire us by Your precious blood. + We are in no more need for animal sacrifices; For Your cross is the power of God for salvation; Your cross takes away from us the spirit of animosity; And present us to Your Father, as His children. + Let us then plant Your cross in our hearts; To become truly a holy temple for You; Where You Dwell together with Your Father and the Holy Spirit; No enemy can terrify us; Nor any trap can catch us; As long as we are hidden in You, and You dwell in us. + With every breath, we remember that we are sojourners; But our sojourn motivates us to celebrate an unceasing feast; We Sojourn as strangers to the love of the world; And our souls will cling to Your heavens Our life will turn into an unceasing feast; For You are our perpetual feast. -------------------------------------- AN ANNEX TO EZRA 3 A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON AND THAT OF ZERUBBABEL THE TEMPE OF SOLOMON THE TEMPLE OF ZERUBBABEL It took seven years to build it (1 kings 6: 38) It took four years to build it (Ezra 6: 5) King David prepared much of its need for gold, silver and bronze beforehand (1 Chronicles 22: 1 – 5) Most of its building materials were of the ruins of Solomon’s temple It was 60 cubits long and 20 cubits wide (1 kings 6: 2) They were committed to the same dimensions of Solomon’s temple It was a wonder in magnificence, adorned with huge quantities of “Who is left among you who saw this temple in its gold, silver, bronze, and precious kinds of wood former glory? And how do you see it now? In comparison with it, is this not in your eyes as nothing?” (Haggai 2: 3) On the days of its dedication the glory of God filled the house (1 Kings 8: 11) On the days of its dedication, It did not happen that way They brought the ark of the covenant up to the temple with great glory and offered uncountable sacrifices (1 Kings 8: 5) The ark of the covenant was most probably not present in the temple of the Lord With many buildings annexed to it, It overlooked a living city With no annexed buildings, it overlooked a desolate city with no walls, and burnt up gates On the day of its dedication they sacrificed 22,000 bulls and 120,000 sheep On the day of its dedication they sacrificed 100 bulls and 400 sheep Solomon king of Israel was the greatest, the wisest, and the richest king of his time Israel had no more kings, but was under the authority of foreign nations until the coming of the King of kings On the day of its dedication, Israel was a united, great, and strong kingdom There were a few remnant of those returning from captivity from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin; together with poor people from other countries
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