Thanksgiving Series Day 4: Ezra and the Rebuilding of the Temple

November 2020 Series on Thanksgiving – for more information and an outline see here.

¹¹ With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:

“He is good;
    his love toward Israel endures forever.”

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.

Ezra 3:1-13 NIV

In the last two posts, we discussed David’s thanksgiving at the return of the ark (Day 2) and Solomon’s celebration of thanksgiving at the dedication of the temple (Day 3). These celebrations were during a high point in Israel’s history, during the reigns of it’s greatest kings, David and Solomon. However, as other kings replaced them, the nation of Israel fell more and more into sin, leading to captivity at the hands of the Assyrian and Babylonian kings.

For today and tomorrow, we’ll discuss the return of the Israelites and the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah to rebuild the temple and the walls of Jerusalem. After about 70 years of captivity and 50 years after the first temple was destroyed, the Babylonian empire was conquered by the Persians. Persia’s King Cyrus received a revelation to rebuild the temple, and sent back the exiles, all who were willing, to return and complete the work.

With the city and temple in ruins and potential danger from those living in and around the area, the first task they undertook was to rebuild the altar and lay the foundation for the new temple. As we’ll discuss tomorrow, the wall of Jerusalem, which would be needed to protect the returning exiles, was left unrepaired until a later group of exiles returned, led by Nehemiah, about 70 years later. Rather than build up the city and it’s protections, these first returning exiles focused on what they needed to restore worship to God.

It took them seven months to lay the foundation of the temple, then it was time to give thanks. As David and Solomon had done before them, the leaders of the people, Zerubbabel and Jeshua, appointed Levites (v. 8-9) and called on the sons of Asaph to praise the Lord “according to the directions of David king of Israel” (v.11). They repeated the chorus that was sung in Solomon’s time when the first temple was dedicated:

With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:

“He is good;
    his love toward Israel endures forever.”

Ezra 3:11a NIV

These are almost the same words used in David’s original song of praise at the return of the ark to Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 16:34).

Ezra then reports that all the people shouted, but also many of the priests and heads of the households, older men who remembered the first temple, wept with a loud voice. The people couldn’t tell the shouts for joy from the weeping, and it was so loud it was heard far away. These older men must have experienced joy over the beginning of the new temple, but also a mourning over what was lost with the destruction of the old temple and the exile of the people of Jerusalem.

Psalm 126, one of the songs of ascent, commemorates the thanksgiving celebration at the laying of the temple foundation.

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
    we were like those who dreamed.
² Our mouths were filled with laughter,
    our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
    “The Lord has done great things for them.”
³ The Lord has done great things for us,
    and we are filled with joy.

⁴ Restore our fortunes, Lord,
    like streams in the Negev.
⁵ Those who sow with tears
    will reap with songs of joy.
⁶ Those who go out weeping,
    carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
    carrying sheaves with them.

Psalm 126 NIV

Our fellowship of churches has a song based on this psalm, “Men Who Dreamed”. In our times, we’re laying the foundation for raising God’s temple, his church. And we are his temple, as 1 Corinthians 6:19 reminds us:

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?

1 Corinthians 16:19 NIV

• The returning exiles focused on rebuilding the altar and the temple instead of on their homes and the wall that would protect them physically. They recognized that without God’s presence, they would have no real protection. Do you rely on your own strength or look to God for your security?
• Their worship and thanksgiving included both shouts of joy and weeping of mourning. Often an event may be joyful to some but a time to reflect and feel sadness at a previous loss. Do you make enough room for others to express their feelings in worship and consider it acceptable worship along with yours?
• The exiles had seen God’s glory fade with the destruction of the temple and the holy city of Jerusalem, but were determined to rebuild it. Even before it was returned to glory they gave thanks. Do you focus on thanksgiving for what you have or focus on the fading glory in your faith, marriage, relationships? What can you do to give thanks and then restore God’s glory in your life?