HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 788
EZRA 4
page 418
his family in rebuilding the altar of the God of
Israel. They wanted to sacrifice burnt offerings
on it, as instructed in the Law of Moses, the man
of God. 3 Even though the people were afraid of
the local residents, they rebuilt the altar at its
old site. Then they began to sacrifice burnt offerings on the altar to the Lord each morning
and evening.
4 They celebrated the Festival of Shelters as
prescribed in the Law, sacrificing the number
of burnt offerings specified for each day of the
festival. 5 They also offered the regular burnt
offerings and the offerings required for the
new moon celebrations and the annual festivals as prescribed by the Lord. The people also
gave voluntary offerings to the Lord. 6 Fifteen
days before the Festival of Shelters began,*
the priests had begun to sacrifice burnt offerings to the Lord. This was even before they
had started to lay the foundation of the Lord’s
Temple.
from exile, including Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jehozadak and his fellow
priests, and all the Levites. The Levites who
were twenty years old or older were put in
charge of rebuilding the Lord’s Temple. 9 The
workers at the Temple of God were supervised
by Jeshua with his sons and relatives, and
Kadmiel and his sons, all descendants of Hodaviah.* They were helped in this task by the Levites of the family of Henadad.
10 When the builders completed the foundation of the Lord’s Temple, the priests put
on their robes and took their places to blow
their trumpets. And the Levites, descendants
of Asaph, clashed their cymbals to praise
the Lord, just as King David had prescribed.
11 With praise and thanks, they sang this song
to the Lord:
The People Begin to Rebuild the Temple
7 Then the people hired masons and carpenters
and bought cedar logs from the people of Tyre
and Sidon, paying them with food, wine, and
olive oil. The logs were brought down from the
Lebanon mountains and floated along the coast
of the Mediterranean Sea* to Joppa, for King Cyrus had given permission for this.
8 The construction of the Temple of God
began in midspring,* during the second year
after they arrived in Jerusalem. The work force
was made up of everyone who had returned
Then all the people gave a great shout, praising
the Lord because the foundation of the Lord’s
Temple had been laid.
12 But many of the older priests, Levites, and
other leaders who had seen the first Temple
wept aloud when they saw the new Temple’s
foundation. The others, however, were shouting for joy. 13 The joyful shouting and weeping
mingled together in a loud noise that could be
heard far in the distance.
• Spiritual Warfare
E Z R A 4 :4 -5
How long will opposition to God’s
work continue? The Jews returned
to Jerusalem in 538 BC, and Darius
began to reign in 521 BC. Their
enemies persisted in attempting to
halt the rebuilding for almost two
decades! God’s adversaries don’t
quit after one or two defeats. This is
true both of human opposition and
of Satan, the enemy of our souls. We
must therefore strengthen ourselves
for a long campaign against the forces
of darkness. Dashed expectations of
quick success will breed frustration and
despair. Expecting extended conflict
will lead to careful preparation and
patient determination. All the while,
we must never forget that, no matter
how long the battle, victory belongs
to the Lord!
“He is so good!
His faithful love for Israel endures
forever!”
Enemies Oppose the Rebuilding
The enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard
that the exiles were rebuilding a Temple
to the Lord, the God of Israel. 2 So they approached Zerubbabel and the other leaders
and said, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God just as you do. We have sacrificed to him ever since King Esarhaddon of
Assyria brought us here.”
3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other leaders of Israel replied, “You may have no part in
this work. We alone will build the Temple for
the Lord, the God of Israel, just as King Cyrus
of Persia commanded us.”
4 Then the local residents tried to discourage
and frighten the people of Judah to keep them
from their work. 5 They bribed agents to work
against them and to frustrate their plans. This
went on during the entire reign of King Cyrus
of Persia and lasted until King Darius of Persia
took the throne.*
4
3:6 Hebrew On the first day of the seventh month. This day in
the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred in September or
October. The Festival of Shelters began on the fifteenth day
of the seventh month. 3:7 Hebrew the sea. 3:8 Hebrew in
the second month. This month in the ancient Hebrew lunar
calendar occurred within the months of April and May 536 b.c.
3:9 Hebrew sons of Judah (i.e., bene Yehudah). Bene might also
be read here as the proper name Binnui; Yehudah is probably
another name for Hodaviah. Compare 2:40; Neh 7:43;
1 Esdras 5:58. 4:5 Darius reigned 521–486 b.c.