Restoration and Joy
When you see the images of the devastation and destruction of cities and towns in Ukraine from bombs and missiles, it is hard to imagine how they will recover and restore their lives. And even worse, this war is not over yet. There will be more that will be destroyed in the coming days. 70 years after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and the exile of the Jewish people, a remnant returned and rebuilt the temple. The rebuilt temple was more than a building, it represented the restoration of the Jewish center of life and their covenant relationship with God. The return of exiles to Jerusalem and the rebuild of the temple were only possible because of God’s divine orchestration of events to restore His people to Him. In Ezra 6:13-22, we see the joy of the Jewish people at the completion of the temple and restoration of temple worship after 70 years of exile. May God bless you with exceeding and abundant joy as you draw closer in your worship and relationship with Him.
Then, because of the decree King Darius had sent, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates carried it out with diligence. So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia. The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. (Ezra 6:14-15) God was orchestrating the events around the building of the temple, His house, in Jerusalem. And because of that, everyone was aligned. The former antagonists (Tattenai, Shethar-Bozenai and their associates) in Jerusalem now became “diligent” about facilitating the rebuilding process. The Jewish people, no longer harassed and interrupted in their efforts, resumed the building effort. The prophets Haggai and Zechariah ministered to the people and encouraged their efforts. All of these activities converged and resulted in the completion of the temple. The temple was completed at just over 70 years from the Jewish exile from Jerusalem, thus fulfilling Jeremiah’s prophecy regarding the exile (see Jeremiah’s prophecy regarding the time they would be in exile; Jer. 29:1-10). God still causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy. For the dedication of this house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred male lambs and, as a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, one for each of the tribes of Israel. And they installed the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their groups for the service of God at Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses. (Ezra 6:16-18) There was great joy and celebration at the completion and dedication of the temple. Finally, after 70 years, they were once again able to worship God in His house! There were a substantial number of sacrifices offered at the dedication. Additionally, a sin offering was made, not just for the Jews who had returned, but for all 12 tribes of Israel. This was an atonement for all of Israel’s sin and a demonstration of their faith in the covenant relationship Israel still had with God. The priests and the Levites were also installed into their offices at this time, for the purpose of serving in the temple and conducting the proper priestly duties as commanded by Moses. I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord!
The Passover
On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles celebrated the Passover. The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were all ceremonially clean. The Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their relatives the priests and for themselves. So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the LORD, the God of Israel. For seven days they celebrated with joy the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because the LORD had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel. (Ezra 6:19-22) The first Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread celebration in the new temple is recorded here. Passover represented God’s deliverance of Israel from bondage and oppression. Certainly at the completion of the temple, and their return from captivity and exile, this Passover celebration must have taken on special meaning for them. There was joy in this celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread as the people recognized God’s hand in orchestrating the king’s assistance that paved the way for the completion of the temple. We can have joy when we look back and see how God has delivered us out of circumstances that bound us up in hardship and despair.
The exiles return and rebuild of the temple is really about God orchestrating their return to and restoration of relationship with Him. The joy the exiles had at the completion of the temple was because they knew where God had brought them from. And they knew that they were only able to complete the rebuild and restoration by God’s divine power. So they worshipped Him with great joy. Not only was the physical temple rebuilt. The articles that had been taken from the temple were restored to their places. The Priests and Levites were restored to the service of the Lord in the temple. And finally, God restored the people’s joy in their worship and their relationship with Him. Is there some joy missing from your worship? The season of Lent Is about returning to God and restoring things to their proper place in that relationship. Remember what God has done for you and where He has brought you from. Remember that you are the temple that God’s Spirit desires to live in. Rebuild your temple. Restore any areas of your heart where you have allowed anything to get in the way of a full relationship with God. And let God restore the joy of your relationship and worship of Him!
Blessings,
Rev. Glenn
Listen here as Tasha Cobbs Leonard and Kierra Sheard sing “Your Spirit”
