Read Ezra 3
Rebuilding the Altar
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.
Rebuilding the Temple
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 authorized 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 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.
Go Deeper
In this chapter, we see Zerubbabel leading the rebuilding of the temple. Over 42,000 Israelites returned to Jerusalem with him, and they immediately began work on the altar and the temple foundations. However, we see in verses 12 and 13 that this work was met with very different reactions. Those who had seen the original temple, the older priests and Levites, wept at the sight of the new foundation. Those helping to rebuild shouted for joy. Verse 13 tells us that the sounds of both were so loud you couldn’t distinguish one from the other.
Isn’t it interesting that the same event would bring such polar opposite emotions? The shouts of joy are easy to understand. This sight was a symbol of obedience, a promise of hope, and the beginning of a new future. Even though this new temple was not going to be as elaborate or ornate as the original built by Solomon, it was a reminder of God’s protection and promises.
But for those who had lived through the years of disobedience and punishment, who had seen the destruction of Solomon’s temple, this new building elicited weeping and conviction. The original temple was surrounded by a thriving empire, while Zerubbabel’s temple was surrounded by ruins. For those who had lived through the destruction and fall of the original temple, the sight of this rebuild was a physical reminder of God’s correction and discipline – a reminder of their failures and shortcomings. It is no wonder there was such a range of emotions. Their individual responses had a direct correlation to whether their work was destroyed by sin or whether their work was a result of obedience.
Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 3 that we are now God’s temple, and just like the Israelites, our work will be tested on judgment day. Just as the new temple was built on the original foundation built by Solomon, we are now charged with building God’s kingdom upon the foundation of Jesus. Our work will be evaluated and either rewarded or discounted.
When that day comes and our kingdom work is looked upon, will we weep or will we shout for joy? Will the sight of it be a reminder of our sins or will it be a symbol of our obedience and God’s faithfulness? If we are honest, there will probably be some of both. Thankfully by God’s grace, we will be saved. Let’s get to work today building something that lasts, starting with a firm foundation in Jesus and continuing with materials that pass the test – obedience, love, and faithfulness to the God who has saved us.
Questions
- Do you think you will look back at your life and weep, or will you shout for joy?
- If you take an honest look at your life, have you established a firm foundation in Jesus?
- Spend some time praying and asking God what He is wanting you to do to build His kingdom. What specific step is He asking you to take in obedience? If you feel Him prompting you, consider sharing that with someone who will help hold you accountable.
By the Way
Haggai addressed those who were weeping in Ezra 3 and comforted them by prophesying that the glory of this new temple would exceed the glory of the former, because Jesus was going to come and fill it with His glory! See Haggai 2:7, written around 520 B.C.
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10 responses to “Ezra 3”
There is so much here. Hope in the future and hope for rebuilding of the past.
1. They did not wait until a temple was built to start honoring God. They built an alter and began daily offerings. They put God, with worship, first. We dont clean ourselves up before we meet God, we come as we are and give Him our all with worship.
2.Their leadership mattered. Their leaders put scripture and the law of Moses first even though they were afraid. They began with what they could do and trusted God to meet them as they honored His Word.
3.They planned well. They were not as wealthy as Solomon but they the material and set the bar high. Some were excited about new temple and others were sad because of what use to be. BUT GOD even though we cant redo the past, God gives us second chances. Even when we look at situations and know it will not be like it use to, God is in the middle of it all and with us through it all.
Dont let your past hinder your future. God is not about religious rituals. God is about your heart. He wants to be first in all that you or I do.
“Do not remember the past events, pay no attention to things of old. Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming.
Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.
…the people I formed for Myself will declare My praise.”
Isaiah 43:18-19,21
Come Lord Jesus, come!!!!
God thank You for my hope that I placed in You. God let my praise and worship to You not be about religion but about putting You first and foremost. God as JP discussed Sunday about our joy being made out of pain. It’s okay to mourn what used to be, but I have to continue moving forward. God I am and desire to be, in a constant state of worship. It just comes down to am I worshipping You or things of this world. God help it to be You, in Jesus name. God help me to see what is enticing me from You. Help me to fall away from those things in this world. My identity in You God is what, where, and why. God let all I do and say be glorifying and honoring to You in my minutes of this day, today in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes! So true!!
“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” (v3).
When living in the shadowlands of the now and not yet fulfillment of God’s promises, fear can grip and paralyze, thwarting God’s best for us. Scripture records many times “fear not” from Genesis to Revelation, encouraging trust over worry. What ever God asks, do it scared!
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.”
Yes, so fascinating the different reactions of the generations. As we grow older, do we look back with sadness while younger generations look forward with hope? Best to look forward while being very honest about the past.
Very well said!
“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.” Ezra 3:12.
There is a distinct sadness I feel in my own life for the seasons in which I have allowed the temple of the Lord… Me… to be desecrated and destroyed because of my actions throughout my life.
I too weep in remembrance of what the temple once was and could have perhaps been versus its diminished presence now.
Lord God, may I from this day and forevermore, be completely dependent on you; And in that dependence, be completely obedient to you. Amen.
Amen.
“I too weep in remembrance of what the temple once was and could have perhaps been versus its diminished presence now.”
As I read this statement, I felt a sting in my own heart with conviction and metaphorically tore my shirt.
My biggest takeaway from Ezra 3 is this:
Faithfulness does not flatten emotional complexity.
“Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord…” (Ezra 3:3)
God’s people were afraid — and yet they acted anyway. This is courage — not the absence of fear, but action in the face of fear. Before walls were rebuilt, before safety was secured, worship was restored. Obedience did not wait for fear to subside.
Of equal note was the celebration when the foundation was laid (v. 11). Not when the project was finished — but when it began. This would seem to echo Zechariah 4:10, which reminds us “the Lord delights to see the work begin.”
Ribbon-cuttings and building openings are a big deal — such moments mark commitments carried through and completed. Yet groundbreaking ceremonies carry their own sacred weight, reflecting vision, promise and hope as we begin the work God has entrusted to us. And as we see in Ezra, Scripture encourages us to worship and celebrate both the work begun — and the work completed.
Ezra then concludes with this emotional complexity:
“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.” (Ezra 3:12)
A single accomplishment. Vastly different reactions.
Because rebuilding after destruction is not emotionally simple. Restoration does not erase loss. Moving forward means leaving something behind — and leaving behind comes with grief.
In light of our church history, this part hits particularly close to home.
Did you know? Harris Creek is more than 150 years old. Before this church moved to its current campus, the original sanctuary adjoined a very old cemetery that marked the resting place of saints who worshiped and served and were laid to rest on sacred ground.
When church growth required not only building — but MOVING — that first groundbreaking was a bittersweet celebration of faithfulness. For some, moving forward meant leaving behind a sanctuary saturated with memory, history, and holy moments. We had our own mix of “younger people rejoicing and older members lamenting.”
Ezra 3 gives us sacred language for such complexity.
The Go Deeper section then asks this sobering question:
“Do you think you will look back at your life and weep, or will you shout for joy?”
But Ezra suggests the answer may not be either/or. Today’s story assures us that faithfulness has the capacity to hold fear and courage, celebration and grief, beginnings and endings — all in one sacred space.
And often the time to laugh and the time to weep arrive in the very same moment. Because of the hope we have in Christ, joy does not eliminate sorrow — it meets us there.
Despite the opposition, the Israelites did not abandon their mission. They persisted in their faith and commitment to God’s command.
“Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).
May I stay steadfast in faith, knowing that perseverance will lead to victory.