Bittersweet Restoration

Ezra 3

INTRODUCTION

Good morning! Thank you for joining us from home via livestream as we continue to navigate life in these strange times. I pray that you are well and encourage you to continue to seek the Lord each day through prayer and reading of the word. I invite you to open your Bible this morning to the Book of Ezra, chapter 3. As you turn there, Id like to give you some background information and set the scene for what we will be studying this morning.

SETTING

The exiles have been permitted to return to Israel after 70 years of captivity for their disobedience and sin. They were warned repeatedly by the prophets, particularly Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel of the impending judgement and yet they did not corporately repent. Indeed, the Southern Kingdom of Judah (ended 597 BC) which survived the Northern Kingdom (ended 722 BC) by some 135 years had been arrogantly confident that the city of Jerusalem could not be destroyed because the temple, containing the Ark of the Covenant, was there. It was assumed that God would not let his house be destroyed, especially by a pagan nation serving false gods. They were correct that God’s presence would obliterate any rival that stood against Him, but they were wrong in assuming that God’s presence would reside in the temple simply because they had built it for him, or continued to burn sacrifices on the altar, all the while living in unrepentant sin. Ezekiel 10 records the vision of the Lord’s Spirit leaving the Holy of Holies, the temple, and finally exiting Israel completely.

Their sin had been widespread and varied in content, but the Lord identifies the root of their sin to be simple – they did not regard Him as God and honor him accordingly (see Romans 1:18-32). So, while with their mouths they confessed him as the God of their ancestors, with their hearts and hands they confessed that he was not their God. This is emphasized further by God’s choice of a 70-year exile, which coincides with the 490-year period in which Israel had kings (from Saul to Jehoiakim). The law of God required a Sabbath year for the land to rest and the people to rely on God’s presence and blessing to sustain them – yet they had broken God’s law repeatedly even under the leadership of Kings which they had requested because they were not satisfied with being led by a prophet-priest like Moses or Samuel.

Now, the people are returning to Jerusalem (538 BC) and their desire is to immediately begin the worship of God as is prescribed in the law and prophets. No doubt those who had been born during the exile had heard their fathers and grandfathers recount to them the miraculous acts of God, or the glory of Solomon’s temple, the mighty acts of men of God and so forth. There is a zeal to see the kingdom restored as the Lord promised to do through the prophets when their exile had been completed. Thus, they begin construction on the temple (536 BC), and celebrate the laying of its foundation.

Please join me in reading Ezra 3, beginning in verse 1:

English Standard Version Chapter 3

Rebuilding the Altar

3 When the seventh month came, and the children of Israel were in the towns, the people gathered as one man to Jerusalem. 2 Then arose Jeshua the son of Jozadak, with his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel with his kinsmen, and they 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. 3 They set the altar in its place, for fear was on them because of the peoples of the lands, and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, burnt offerings morning and evening. 4 And they kept the Feast of Booths, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the rule, as each day required, 5 and after that the regular burnt offerings, the offerings at the new moon and at all the appointed feasts of the LORD, and the offerings of everyone who made a freewill offering to the LORD. 6 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 was not yet laid. 7 So they gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant that they had from Cyrus king of Persia.

Rebuilding the Temple

8 Now in the second year after their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak made a beginning, together with the rest of their kinsmen, the priests and the Levites and all who had come to Jerusalem from the captivity. They appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to supervise the work of the house of the LORD. 9 And Jeshua with his sons and his brothers, and Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together supervised the workmen in the house of God, along with the sons of Henadad and the Levites, their sons and brothers.

10 And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the directions of David king of Israel. 11 And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD,

“For he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.”

And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. 12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, 13 so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away.

POINT 1 (VERSES 1-7)

The first thing that is evident is the great zeal the people have for the worship of God. They have returned to a city which had been completely razed to the ground. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had been so infuriated by the repeated rebellions of the Southern Kingdom that he had ordered the entire city destroyed and every living thing to be killed or taken away into captivity. This meant that every house had been burned, the temple had been torn down and its foundations destroyed, and the bodies of the fallen had been left to rot. I imagine it would not have looked any different than some of the towns and cities in Europe did when they were ravaged by one of the World Wars. Any valuables had been taken by the invaders or destroyed in the fires. Surely the streets were not only littered with rubble and weeds, but the bones of the men, women, and children who had died were likely scattered about. It was truly a place of horror as the Lord had sworn to make it. Yet the people of God walked into it with faith that just as God had fulfilled his word to destroy the city and punish the nation, he would also keep his word to rebuild the walls and restore the people. And so, we see that Faith in God leads to Zeal for Worship. The people were determined to be faithful to God’s Word and never bow their heads to false gods or give their ears to false prophets again. As soon as they arrive, they make a point to begin the sacrificial system again by erecting an altar, much as the patriarchs had done. According to verse 4 his was done because “fear was on them because of the peoples of the lands”. We should understand that at this time only a small percentage of the exiles had returned, roughly 50,000 people. They were small compared to the nations around them and had no defenses save one – their God who had split the seas, conquered nations, and brought victory when all earthly wisdom saw only defeat. They knew that they could not and should not depend on strength of arms or fortified cities because the evidence lay before their very eyes that such things are as stubble before the hand of the Almighty.

What about you believer? Does your faith make you zealous for God? When we face trials and tribulations, do we respond by seeking Him, or do we rest in our wealth and possessions to see us through. If one thing has been made clear by the current situation, it is that wealth and possessions are fleeting and unreliable. Our jobs, homes, investments in property and precious metals, stocks and bonds, all threatened by an enemy so tiny we can scarcely detect it with our most power microscopes. Our entire nation brought to a screeching halt by something we cannot detect with our physical senses. The exiles who returned saw the danger around them and responded by turning to God in faith. We must follow their example individually, and corporately as the body of Christ, because “without faith, it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6)

POINT 2 (VERSES 8-9)

Notice how their Zeal for Worship produced Resolve to Act. It was not enough for them to resume the daily sacrifices and observe the feasts, but they desired to rebuild the temple and resolved to sacrifice of themselves to accomplish it. They had scarcely returned to the desolate wasteland of Jerusalem for two years, yet they pressed on to the laying of the temple foundations. Considering the condition of the city when they found it, and the number of people who needed to be housed and fed on a daily basis, this is astounding!

Before the Coronavirus outbreak began my wife and I had decided we wanted to plant a garden when the weather began to warm up. At the time with the regular flow of ministry, second job, and school, this would have been a big undertaking. But we enjoy gardening and seeing things grow after the hard work of caring for them. Right before the state ordered the closure of non-essential businesses and large gatherings, we bought some potted plants and some seeds, as well as bagged topsoil, fertilizer, and mulch. With everything shutting down we found we had a lot more time than usual at home and were grateful for the opportunity to invest that time in working in our garden.

I can tell you from recent experience that starting a garden from scratch is hard, HARD work. First, I had to mark out the area we needed for the plants we wanted to raise. Then all of the sod had to be dug up. I didn’t have any power tools, so this was all by hand. I used a garden fork to help break up the soil, then used the shovel to chop it into squares of about one foot. When that was done, I came back and dug down deep with the shovel, prying up one square at a time and moving them out of the way. I dug down a full four inches or so to make sure I got out all the roots. I’d like to give a quick shoutout to Danny Brinley as well, who came over with a small tiller to help break up that last bit of soil that was particularly hard. Then I had to go back through all the squares of sod and salvage as much dirt as I could to put back in the garden. That required the garden fork and a hoe, and an excruciating process of picking through the dirt we put back in to make sure no roots, rocks, or grubs in it (we found plenty of each of those). We poured our purchased topsoil and fertilizer in with the salvaged dirt and had to use a garden rake and shovel to get it all evenly mixed. Then we watered it really thoroughly and left it for a day or two. We came back and mixed it again, then formed rows and started planting our live plants and dropping seeds. All in all, it took us a full three weeks with the whole family pitching in to help. This is not a large garden by the way – about 10ft square. Our kitchen is bigger than that!

I say all of that to emphasize just how much the people who returned gave of themselves to make sure the Temple building happened as quickly as possible. Our 100 square foot backyard garden isn’t large enough to sustain our family by itself – that would take something the size of 700 square feet or more. Each family that came back from exile would need to build some sort of shelter and either till and plant crops or tends herds, or both. The point is, it’s hard work starting from almost nothing. But when you are zealous for worship of God, it propels you to act much like the widow Christ commends in Mark 12 – giving sacrificially, as all believers are called to do, for the sake of the kingdom.

I am sure there are many people who have been faithfully giving to their church for years who find themselves in a precarious financial situation right now. We have an example set before us in the scriptures that devotion to God is most precious in the times when it is most difficult. If you look at your bank account and your bills and are struggling to make those numbers work out, we are praying for you. But I exhort you to strive to give – even if it’s 10 dollars or five, or less. Your obedience is seen by God. And take joy in knowing that those funds are being used to support ministries who are giving people hope in this life and the one to come. Amen.

POINT 3 (VERSES 10-11)

Now as a result of their efforts produced from their zeal as a result of faith, their work bore Fruits of Faithfulness. Verses 10 and 11 record that when the foundation is finished being laid the people gathered to rejoice and worship God. They did it with all of the beauty and splendor they could muster; the priest in their vestments, the use of trumpets, and cymbals, and I’m sure other musical instruments. I imagine it did not look very different from being at a Winter Jam concert when Newsong takes the stage and starts “Arise My Love”. If you’ve never been it is something special to behold. But here, 50,000 people are all singing in one accord “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel”. What a beautiful sight that must have been.

As I think about the scene, I can’t help but think about the events that took place on September 11, 2001. I was in 7th grade. I remember sitting in my first period Spanish class talking with a friend when the Teacher got a call on his cell phone and ducked out of the door. He rushed back in and turned the TV on. Less than a minute later we all watched the second plane hit the other tower. When we witnessed the towers collapse it was surreal. In an instant life had changed dramatically. The pictures and video of the debris were everywhere for weeks following. Most famously, the picture of 3 firemen raising the flag at ground zero. It took almost 9 months for them to clean up the debris. But even as truckloads of broken concrete and warped steel left the site, there were plans to rebuild, and to memorialize those who lost their lives.

The scene of the Israelite people gathering to worship must have looked something like every church in Manhattan gathering to sing “Amazing Grace” at ground zero 6 months after the collapse. There were still homes that had not been repaired. The royal palace still lay in shambles. Some of the streets and alleys were still littered with debris. But in the midst of the rubble and ruin this people proclaimed God’s faithfulness and love for His people.

When we can gather again corporately – and rest assured believer that will happen – I hope we find ourselves sing for joy at the top of our lungs, celebrating the goodness of God and proclaiming His glory, even if it must be done while we stand 6 feet apart! Let us resolve now to burst forth in celebration when by the grace of the Lord we can join with each other in the same building and see each other face to face again. Amen!

POINT 4 (VERSES 12-13)

Unfortunately, the sounds of joy are not the only ones heard during this gathering. In the midst of this ceremony the elderly among them who had seen the first temple wept. It is certain that upon looking at the size of the new foundation, and the materials being used in the construction, they knew it would never match the first in beauty and grandeur. In fact, they were correct – none of the temples that were built in Jerusalem approached the splendor or size. The original had been constructed during the Golden age of Israel under Solomon’s reign, and had been richly decorated with gold, bronze, and precious stones. The best artisans had sculpted the pieces of furniture and carved the buildings decorations. Experts have given various estimates to the cost for constructing the first temple and its associated treasures from the tens of millions to nearly a billion dollars. Israel never regained this level of wealth.

The sound of mourning was so great from those who knew what had been lost that it rivaled the shouts of joy and no one was quite sure which was happening. But the sound was heard from far away.

And that brings us to our final point in this passage; Godly sorrow for the cost of Sin. It is an appropriate response to mourn over that which sin has marred and destroyed. Throughout history, the saints have endured hardship and loss of homes, loved ones, jobs, churches and cathedrals. They’ve been exiles, martyrs, slaves and prisoners. In those moments of grief they have shed tears – precious to their heavenly father – and cried out to Him in distress. Without fail, he answered their cries and comforted their hearts.

We must acknowledge that the effects of this current outbreak are long-term and many may be here to stay. Churches are having to rethink how to do everything – ministry to the needy, worship gatherings, Bible study groups, vacation Bible school, youth camp, children’s church. There are programs, strategies and methodologies that will have to be changed or maybe done away with completely. Things are going to change drastically. But what will be most heartbreaking may be the absence of familiar faces. There are a variety of reasons why we may not see everyone we once had fellowship with. Some will have moved away. Others will have fallen away. And most sadly, some will have passed away.

In light of that, it is appropriate that we feel sadness over the fallout from Coronavirus. It is a result of the fall of man in the garden, and a result of man’s fallen nature in the present.

CONCLUSION

What can we say about the state of the church in light of this passage? That it will endure. That God is faithful to his bride. That His people can trust in His promise to love and restore them when they are hurting and broken. So, in the midst of our mourning and our joy, we hold fast to our faith. The church has not endured through the centuries by building great buildings or creating engaging teaching curriculum. Nor has it survived by making good investments or drawing massive crowds. It has always survived because it belongs to Christ – and the faithful can rest in his gentle but mighty hands. The Church will endure.