Ezra 3:1-7

II. The Temple Is Rebuilt (Ezra 3:1 to Ezra 6:22)

A. The altar is built, and the foundation laid.
1. The altar and the sacrifice are restored.

TEXT, Ezra 3:1-7

1

Now when the seventh month came, and the sons of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem.

2

Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brothers arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the law of Moses, the man of God.

3

So they set up the altar on its foundation, for they were terrified because of the peoples of the lands; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, burnt offerings morning and evening.

4

And they celebrated the Feast of Booths, as it is written, and offered the fixed number of burnt offerings daily, according to the ordinance, as each day required;

5

and afterward there was a continual burnt offering, also for the new moons and for all the fixed festivals of the LORD that were consecrated, and from everyone who offered a freewill offering to the LORD.

6

From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, but the foundation of the temple of the LORD had not been laid.

7

Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and to the Tyrians, to bring cedar wood from Lebanon to the sea at Joppa, according to the permission they had from Cyrus king of Persia.

COMMENT

Ezra 3:1: Now when the seventh month came. This would correspond roughly to our September; though that is our ninth month, the name comes from the Latin for seven (septem). There is no year stated, so it must be in the same year as the previous events. Verse eight will confirm this, since it refers to the start of the second year after their return. They had barely had time, at best, to set up residence in cities when this busiest month of the year in terms of religious obligation arrived: the month of Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles. In Ezra 7:8-9 the same trip from Babylon required four months, and their getting ready for the trip must have taken a substantial part of the other two, so the events of this chapter must have followed very closely their arrival in their homeland.

The number seven would be significant to Israel: the word itself signifies completion, or taking a vow. Every seventh day was holy; seven weeks separated two other feasts (Passover and Weeks) from each other; the seventh month as noted was particularly marked for religious observances; every seventh year was a Sabbath Year, and seven sevens of years (the fiftieth year) brought them to the Year of Jubilee.
Their assembling at Jerusalem would not have been a great hardship, for all the towns in which they had resettled were within a 25-mile radius of the Holy City.

In Ezra 3:2 Jeshua and Zerubbabel are mentioned again; with their brothers. Obviously, all Jeshua's brothers would be priests also. Zerubbabel is called the son of Shealtiel; this presents a problem. 1 Chronicles 3:16-19 calls him the son of Pedaiah, who is the son of King Jeconiah. Since Jeconiah's oldest son is Shealtiel, we can assume that this is an illustration of the Levirate law (Deuteronomy 25:5 ff.); when an heir would die without children, his wife was to marry his next brother, or his nearest available kin, and the first son of that marriage would be legally the heir of the woman's earlier husband. The story of Ruth (Ezra 2:2) and of Tamar (Genesis 38) are examples of this principle. Thus Zerubbabel probably was legally the son of Shealtiel, but actually the son of Pedaiah.

But the center of focus in verse two is the altar. Since a second smaller altar was also located in the original Temple and used exclusively for incense offerings, it is necessary to specify that the altar which they built was the one for burnt offerings (animal sacrifices).
It is further specified that the pattern for their offerings was the Law of God given through Moses. One of the reasons for their bondage was that the Law had been neglected; now they set themselves scrupulously to observe it.
The timing for constructing the altar may need further explanation. Verse six indicates that sacrifice began on it on the first day of the seventh month; verse, one says that they assembled in the seventh month, and then verse two describes the building of the altar. We may wonder how they could make sacrifice on it the first day if it was built during the month.
One possibility is in the translation of these words; they could just as accurately be rendered, Now Jeshua. and Zerubbabel. had arisen and built the altar.

A second possibility is that the altar which they constructed may have been temporary and very simple: a pile of dirt or stones as specified in Exodus 20:24 f. Elijah had built a similar altar in a small part of a day (1 Kings 18:20 ff.).

Ezra 3:3 speaks of setting up the altar on its foundation, which would not need to be said unless to indicate that it was on the same foundation as the previous altar. This emphasizes their effort to be in continuity with the past. The reason given for it is their fear of the neighboring peoples; we will shortly see how justified this fear was. Stated positively, they were convinced that if they would complete this obligation to God, He would consequently protect them from their enemies.

With this verse begins a list of the different offerings and celebrations which they observed. The first of these, the burnt offering, is regarded as the most ancient and noble; it was placed first in the descriptions of sacrifices in Leviticus 1-7, and it required the most expensive, most perfect animal. It is also appropriate as the first because it portrays dedication, or consecration, where the others speak more particularly of fellowship or of expiation; so it would be most useful at dedications, or beginnings,

Ezra 3:3-5 each mention the daily, or continual, burnt offering made morning and evening (Numbers 28:3). Thus each day was made holy to God. In Ezra 3:4 this is also said to be according to the ordinance. A reading of Numbers Chapter s 28 and 29 will explain the different offerings and celebrations alluded to here.

Ezra 3:4 also mentions their celebration of the Feast of Booths; this was one of the three major feasts of the year. If we wonder why they should begin their observance of the yearly feasts with this instead of with the Passover for example, answer is quickly found. It was the first one that came up on the calendar, after their arrival in the land.

But what is undesigned by man may be designed by God. The Feast of Booths (Tabernacles) was the one which relived the experiences of Israel as they journeyed from Egypt to Canaan. Now they had arrived at home at the end of a similar journey, and, the parallel would be especially meaningful. Matthew Henry[19] calls it the feast.. which had a peculiar reference to gospel times, and notes Zechariah 14:16-18, a prophecy incidentally which was written very close to this same time. If the Passover found its fulfillment in the event of the Cross at the Passover season (John 19:14; 1 Corinthians 5:7), and if the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) was fulfilled for the Christian in the birth of the church at a Pentecost celebration, perhaps the Feast of Booths can speak to us of the age in which we live, as sojourners or ambassadors separated from but moving toward our permanent home which we will receive at the end of our journey or at our Master's return.

[19]. Commentary on The Whole Bible, p. 1037.

Ezra 3:5, in addition to the burnt offering, speaks of the monthly or new moon offerings (Numbers 28:11) and of the other festivals which are described in Numbers 28:29. Added also are the freewill offerings which were not restricted to any special times or circumstances, but which arose out of the spontaneous gratitude and affection of the offerers; there is never a time when they are not appropriate.

Within Ezra 3:3-5 are described offerings which came each day, each month, each year, and whenever the offerer chose. One periodic offering most conspicuous by its absence here is that which came each week, and marked each Sabbath (Numbers 28:9-10). Strangely enough, Ezra nowhere specifically mentions the Sabbath. However, it would be included in the phrase, all the fixed festivals (verse five).

Ezra 3:6 states clearly that the sacrifices were renewed beginning with the first day of the seventh month; this was one of the lesser feasts, the Feast of Trumpets, though it is not mentioned here. The subject of the last half of the chapter is anticipated in the statement that the Temple foundation had not been laid; this stresses once more that they did not wait for a temple to be completed, or even started, before they began worship through sacrifice. (As noted in the Interpreter's Bible, David also had an altar without a temple.).[20]

[20] Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 3, p. 588.

Ezra 3:7 continues this transition by showing the preparations made, the gathering of materials, for the beginning of construction. The citizens are paid with money for their work; the foreigners receive goods (food, drink, and oil) instead, which would be more useful to them. Food is a better international currency than money.

The materials were brought from Lebanon, as the materials had been originally in Solomon's time; we recall Hiram of Tyre. These would have consisted of timber; the stones of the old structure probably still remained. Sidon (also called Zidon) was close to Tyre, and had assisted also with the earlier structure (1 Kings 5:1; 1 Kings 5:6). Then, Hiram of Tyre and Solomon had been bound together by friendship; now both lands were under the heel of Cyrus. Joppa, as any reader of the book of Jonah would be aware, was the seaport closest to Jerusalem.

WORD STUDIES

LAW: Torah (Law of Moses, Ezra 3:2). The idea of legalism is not present in this word. It is possible that the word is derived from a verb, throw: hence, to throw out the hand, to point out, to direct or instruct. It is more likely that it comes from the verb, give light: hence, enlightenment or instruction. Law in the O.T. is the kind of loving instruction which a father gives to his children to help them avoid unhappy consequences of bad choices, or to enable them to live happy lives.

ALTAR: Mizbeach. The verb from which it is taken means slaughter, either for food or for sacrifice. Most of the meat or food which was sacrificed in Israel, specifically of the peace and thank offerings, the meal or grain offerings, trespass or guilt offerings, and even certain sin offerings, was eaten by the offerers, or by the priests, or by both (Leviticus 7). This excludes only the burnt offerings. Sacrifice in Israel was a time of festivity and fellowship.

TABERNACLE: Sukkah, or Sukkoth (Feast of Tabernacles): tent, booth, hut, or temporary shelter made of green boughs. This was the housing of the Israelites on their trek from Egypt to Canaan, and they were commanded to keep it fresh in their memories by living in such structures one week of each year.
LEVITE: the basic idea is to join, or cleave, or entwine. It was the function of the Levites to join the people to God, to cause them to cleave to Him, or to be entwined with Him.