Ezra 1-3
The last thought of Chronicles is the first thought of Ezra: Cyrus, the king of Persia, grants official permission for God’s people to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and re-start the daily worship of the Lord. Why? Why would Cyrus be interested in little old Jerusalem and her people’s worship practices. On the surface, it seems that he was given a heart for the Lord—the view I would hold. But many say that Cyrus was the sort of king who liked to “cover his bases,” that he didn’t want to risk offending the gods of any of his vassal states. He must have done a lot of re-building.
The returnees are named in Ezra 2; the leader of this wave was Zerubbabel. Soon after their arrival, they built an altar and reinstituted feasts and sacrifices. When the foundation of the temple was laid, they held a big celebration that nearly back-fired. They commissioned the choir and musicians; they sang songs of praise; they shouted for joy! But when the old-timers, who had seen Solomon’s temple, saw this foundation (Was it too small?), they wept as loudly as others cheered.
Will they overcome the obstacles they will face, and finish the temple?
Tomorrow, we find out.
Pastor Gary
No comments:
Post a Comment