Ezra 3 — Rebuilding the Altar and Temple
Ezra 4:1-6 — Adversaries Oppose the Rebuilding
Ezra 4:7-24 — The Letter to King Artaxerxes and His Response
Creative Space for Wanderers
Creative Space for Wanderers
Ezra 3 — Rebuilding the Altar and Temple
Ezra 4:1-6 — Adversaries Oppose the Rebuilding
Ezra 4:7-24 — The Letter to King Artaxerxes and His Response
“Despite their fear of the peoples around them” (Ezra 3:3), God’s people build an altar to offer burnt and free will sacrifices. This is a joyous time of hard work. The young are excited to live out the stories they probably grew up hearing. They “gave a great shout of joy” but the “older priests and Levites wept” (Ezra 3:11, 12) when the foundation was laid.
Their weeping is significant to me. Such realization that much of their life was spent in captivity, far from God, they see what should have been. I imagine they said things like, “why didn’t we just obey God and enjoy worship…did we have to be exiled?” Sadly the answer was, yes! Sadly. The thought overwhelmed them and they are brought to tears. As I grow older, I wonder why I haven’t been serving Christ in full time ministry all these years. Why did I wait so long? No doubt God was refining me, but so many years! I only hope I can help others learn to completely trust in God’s favor when they’re young, so they can have a full lifetime of joyous celebration!