Ezra 3 – Study

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Ezra 3:1-6

1 When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled together as one in Jerusalem. 2 Then Joshua 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 Festival 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 festivals 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.

A. Find Out:

1. When did they gather in Jerusalem ? v.1
2. Who were the two main leaders? v.2
3. Why did they build the altar? v.2,3
4. Then what did they celebrate? v.4
5. What did they then establish? v.5
6. What hadn’t been done yet? v.6

B. Think:

1. What did offering sacrifices represent? i.e. why did they do it?
2. What are WE to offer to God? Look up Rom 12:2 and Heb 13:25

C. Comment:

We observe here the first thing the Jews did after they settled in before they started building the temple – they offered sacrifices to God. Even before they started rebuilding the temple itself, they re-established the altar, the very heart of worship, a place of offering

Offering sacrifices was first a sign of offering something to God. In a day when we focus so much on getting, we need to observe again the wonder of giving to God unreservedly. When a sacrifice was brought, the person bringing it gave up all claim to it and it was either totally destroyed or partially destroyed and the rest given to the priests to eat. Only occasionally did the offeror partake of it.

Sacrifices were also a means of expressing either a) the need for forgiveness of sins or b) the need for fellowship with God. The offeror publicly declared his need for forgiveness and his need for a relationship with God

Such things must come before any concern for “doing things”. God is more concerned that we have a right, living relationship with him than about us doing lots of things. The doing comes out of the loving. These Jews showed their love for God before their love for his Temple . They had their priorities right! Do we?

D. Application:

1. Giving to God is at the heart of the Christian faith.
2. That giving should be our hearts in loving and joyful obedience.

Passage: Ezra 3:7-13

7 Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and gave food and drink and olive oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they would bring cedar logs by sea from Lebanon to Joppa, as authorised 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, Joshua son of Jozadak and the rest of the people (the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem) began the work. They appointed Levites twenty years old and older to supervise the building of the house of the Lord. 9 Joshua 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.

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 towards Israel endures for ever.’

And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. 12 But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. 13 No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.

A. Find Out:

1. How were the people of Tyre & Sidon to help? v.7
2. Who were appointed supervisors? v.8
3. Who praised the Lord as the work started? v.10
4. How did the people respond? v.11
5. What two reactions were prompted? v.12
6. What sort of situation was it? v.13

B. Think:

1. How would you summarise the approach to building as seen in v.7-9
2. What do v.10-11a show us about their approach to the building work?
3. How did the people feel about it all?

C. Comment:

The laying of the foundation of a building is always an exciting time – the first sign of the building coming into being. So it was with the Temple being rebuilt in Jerusalem.

First comes the planning: with the authority of King Cyrus they get materials sent from Tyre & Sidon and make sure there is responsible supervision. The Levites were the ones who had been called to serve in the temple previously, before its destruction, so they will oversee the work from the outset.

Second, they made sure that God was in the forefront of their thinking all the time they built, so they appointed men to continually praise the Lord in song. This was not just to be a building project; it was to be something to the glory of God!

Third, we see what an emotional scene it is – shouts and tears of joy indicate how important the rebuilding of this dwelling place of God was to them. They wanted this sign of God’s presence in their midst so much! Imagine the scene: old men who had been children when the temple was destroyed, have waited years in exile, and now their dreams come true, the temple is being rebuilt. No wonder they weep with joy. Others shout with joy at the shear wonder of what is happening. What had seemed impossible for so many years was coming true!

D. Application:

1. We too, need to keep the Lord in the centre of our work. Do we?
2. It is right to be emotional over good things from God. Are we?