Preparing the Land
Before laying the foundation the people needed to prepare the land and themselves.
Ezra 3: 4-6, “They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required; and afterward offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the Lord that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the Lord. From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the Lord. But the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid.”
Growing up on a farm, I learned a great deal about building. When building something, you first prepare the land to receive that building. This ensures the foundation you lay is strong and secure. If the land is prepared properly and the foundation is strong and secure, then the building will survive the test of time.
This is what the returning remnant were doing in Jerusalem. They were preparing themselves to receive the strong foundation and eventually the completed temple of God.
As the Church, we prepare ourselves to receive the presence of God through praise and worship. Fostering a life of praise and worship ensures that our land is always cleared and leveled out so that the foundation is always strong and God can tabernacle within us.
Matthew 7:26-27, “And every one that hears these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”
Laying the Foundation
Ezra 3:8, “Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the Lord.”
They began the cleansing of their land in the 7th month of the first year. Now its 7 months later and they begin the process of laying the foundation. It took them seven months to prepare their hearts to begin the work. It took 7 months to cleanse themselves form their folly.
The time had come to begin the construction off the house off the Lord. Their hearts were prepared and cleansed through their worship of God and who He is. As the Church, we need to remember that praise and worship is key in becoming all that God wants us to be. It cleanses our minds and spirits and prepares us to receive the work God wishes to do in us.
Psalm 63:1-5, “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Because Your loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.”
The Foundation
Ezra 3:10, “And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the Lord, after the ordinance of David king of Israel.”
As the Church we must remember that Jesus is the Foundation of our temple. He is the Chief cornerstone (1 Peter 2:6). A cornerstone was the template for all the other stones. It had to be perfect or else the entire construction would be off.
Ephesians 2:19-22, “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together grows unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”
As we continue this journey in rebuilding God’s Church the way He wishes it built, we notice that once the foundation was laid that the priests adorned themselves in their royal robes and sounded their trumpets and praised God in celebration as David established when he brought the Ark of the Covenant into the Tabernacle (1 Chronicles 6).
We must praise God for every work He does in us. Every step should be celebrated. Every victory enjoyed. You are the priests (Revelation 1:6, “and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 5:10, “and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”) And the trumpets and cymbals are your voice and praise!
Revival Comes
Ezra 3:11-12, “And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because he is good, for his mercy endures forever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.”
When the foundation was laid the people gathered together and rejoiced and praised God for the work that was done. Most of the people were in pure joy over seeing this small, but significant progress. “… they sang together…”.
In Strong’s Concordance this phrase is H6030. It means that they responded and answered in signing and shouting. In other words, the people sang and fed off of each other. The joy and shouting of praise of one or several people caused others to do the same.
The people were in one accord as in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit fell upon them. This was a Great Revival of the people after decades of exile.
However, many of the older priests and Levites who were alive during the time of Solomon’s Temple remembered the grandeur and magnificence of it. Looking at the foundation (footprint) of the new temple they saw that it was a mere fraction of what they had known so long ago.
“But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice;”
This was no Mega-Temple as they had known. God is building His new Temple just as in Acts. We will not look as we have before.
If you enjoyed this post consider Buying Me a Cup of Coffee
