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Determined to Worship

February 13, 2022 Speaker: Kit Johnson Series: Ezra

Topic: Expository Passage: Ezra 3

 

Introduction

(Read Text) A big part of being an adult is embracing the fact that many things in life are not easy. Instead, they are inconvenient, costly, and sometimes even painful, but we do them anyway because they matter. Maybe you have a major deadline looming at work, but a friend is suffering, so you drop everything and spend a whole day helping them. Then you barely sleep for a few days to make your deadline.

When your child gets sick at night, it doesn’t matter how tired you are or what obligations you have the next day, you get out of bed and you help them. Maybe a brother in Christ needs to be confronted about his sin but doing so could get ugly. But you put on your big boy pants and say what must be said. So, yes, many of the most important duties in life are hard, but we do them anyway because they matter.

That’s exactly what we see in Ezra 3. On one hand, this chapter is extremely exciting and important. The Jews are reestablishing the sacrifices and festivals God instituted through Moses on Mt. Sinai, and they are rebuilding the temple of Solomon. There’s not much that could be more historically significant for a Jew!

But they are also facing real world problems like putting a roof over your head and food on the table and not being slaughtered by hostile neighbors. These things also matter. Yet the Jews knew that worship matters; therefore, they gritted their teeth and went to work.

In the process, they teach us that our worship matters even if it requires doing hard things because God is our greatest need. These people were “Determined to Worship,” and we need to be challenged and encouraged by their example. Ezra 3 describes two endeavors to restore proper worship. First…

I.  Israel restored Mosaic worship (vv. 1–6).

It’s important that we grasp the significance of these events within God’s broader plan of redemption. This story took place around 536 B.C., but to really appreciate it’s significance, we must back up some 900 years to at Mt. Sinai where God formed the nation of Israel under the Law of Moses.

The most important aspect of the Law was that God created a system of worship whereby Israel could draw near to him. This incredible privilege was built around a central place of worship where Israel offered sacrifices and observed sacred festivals. Initially, this central location was a mobile tent called the tabernacle. But once David was established as Israel’s king, God decreed that Israel was to build a permanent temple in Jerusalem. David brought the ark to Jerusalem, and Solomon finished the temple in 960 B.C.

And that’s where Israel worshiped the Lord for almost 400 years. But this worship ended abruptly in 586 B.C. when the Babylonians destroyed the temple and took the Jews into captivity. They could no longer offer sacrifices or rightly observe the feasts; therefore, they lost the presence of God.

But we saw last Sunday in Ezra 1–2 that God began to move when 42,360 Israelites returned home. Notice how the story concludes in 2:68–70. After an exhausting journey of roughly 4 months, they arrived in Jerusalem, collected an offering, and then scattered to their ancestral lands.

It’s worth noting that this left very few people in Jerusalem. We know this because Nehemiah will have to make the people take turns staying in Jerusalem to guard it. They probably had this problem because Babylon mostly wiped-out Jerusalem’s population.

So, the people scattered to rebuild their homes and their farms which had lain desolate for years. So, they didn’t return to furnished, move-in ready homes with a full pantry. Everything was in bad disrepair. But they went to work rebuilding their homes and preparing their fields.

Then 3:1 says that in the 7th month, they reassembled in Jerusalem. We don’t know exactly how long they had been rebuilding their homes, maybe 3 months or 6 months, but regardless, life was a long way from normal. Yet they left the work to assemble for worship the very first time.

The 7th month was called Tishri, and it began around mid-September and ran through mid-October. They chose it because it was the climax of the Jewish religious calendar. The 1st of Tishri was always a day of Sabbath rest (Lev 23:24–25), and the 10th of Tishri was the most sacred day in the Jewish calendar—the Day of Atonement. Finally, the Feast of Booths fell on days 15–22. So, the 7th month was a natural time for their 1st sacred assembly.

And v. 2 says that the leaders of the assembly were Jeshua the high priest and Zerubbabel, the governor. These guys will be very important to the story because Jeshua was a rightful heir to the priesthood, and Zerubbabel was a descendant of David and specifically of one of the last Davidic kings, Jehoiachin (1 Chron 3:19). And the text tells us that they led the nation in two monumental acts. First, they restored the…

Daily Burnt Offering (vv. 2–3): The burnt offering was the foundation of Israel’s worship. The Law commanded Israel to offer morning and evening burnt offerings in order to atone for Israel’s sin and maintain fellowship with God. So, the burnt offering was the foundation of Israel’s relationship to God.

But the text tells us that before they could reinstitute the daily burnt offerings, they first had to build an appropriate altar in the same location as the previous altar. The text says they had to build it “on its foundation.”

That may sound simple enough, but Jeremiah 41:5 says that the Samaritans had built an altar in this spot after the Babylonian destruction. We don’t know the details, but it certainly didn’t reflect the construction standards or the purity standards of the Law.

Therefore, it had to come down even though tearing it down would seriously anger the locals. But the returnees were committed to obeying the Lord, so they boldly tore down the sacred site.

Then v. 2 emphasizes the fact that they built the new altar “as it is written in the law of Moses, the man of God.” They followed the law precisely. And notice connection to Moses. This is not just any altar. They rebuilt the altar God had Moses build. It’s a big deal!

And then for the very first time in about 50 years they offered a true burnt offering to the Lord. Again, it was a big deal because the burnt offering was the foundation of Israel’s worship.

This is because we are sinners, and the Bible teaches that our sin separates us from God. We cannot be near to God when sin stands between us and him. So, God graciously instituted the sacrificial system to atone for or cover Israel’s sin and God’s wrath so that they could fellowship with God.

Now, I want to be clear that the sacrifices never saved anyone. The Bible is clear that Jesus’ death on the cross which is applied to us by faith is the only reason anyone will be in heaven. That was just as true for Israel as it is for us.

But the Bible also teaches that even after we are saved, our sin limits our fellowship with God. So, God gave Israel the sacrifices so that they could draw near, worship God, and enjoy the grace of his presence.

All of it is a powerful object lesson about the seriousness of our sin. Every violent death of a lamb is a reminder that my sin is terribly offensive to God and must be accounted for. And it should make me incredibly grateful that Jesus provided the once-for-all sacrifice when he shed his blood on the cross. John 1:29 declares of Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

As a result, there is no more need of sacrifice. All I must do be saved is put my trust in what Jesus did on the cross as fully sufficient to save my soul. Then I can simply rest in the finished work of Christ and know that my soul is secure in him. If you do not know that assurance, do not leave today without making sure your sins are covered under the blood of Christ.

So, restoring the burnt offering was huge for the returnees, but I don’t want us to miss the fact that it was not without difficulty. Notice the note in v. 3a. This is the first hint at an important issue throughout Ezra and Nehemiah. The other peoples in the region were fiercely resistant to every step the Jews took to rebuild their worship and their national identity.

To these peoples, every positive step the Jews took was an act of war. And that would be terrifying to the Jews because they were far from being ready for war. They were just getting settled.

So, it would be tempting to think, “We better get established before we provoke our neighbors.” But instead, notice again the logic of v. 3a. In other words, their terror drove them to worship, not to back away. They needed God more than they needed diplomacy.

And to take it a step further, they needed God more than they needed to rebuild their homes and prepare their fields for planting. They were determined to worship even at great personal cost because worship matters. Then vv. 4–6 add that they took it a step further by reinstituting…

The Festival Calendar: Verse 4 says that this began with the Feast of Booths. Again, it took place on days 15–22 of the 7th It was one of the 3 pilgrimage feasts in the Jewish calendar meaning that every male was to appear at the temple, so it was very important.

It was also very significant considering the situation. This is because the Feast of Booths was designed to remember the exodus from Egypt and Israel’s 40 years in the wilderness. They would build rudimentary huts out of branches to mimic the tents Israel lived in for 40 years, and they would stay in the tents for 7 days. Afterwards, they would emerge from the tents to rejoice in the fact that God had brought them into the land.

It’s not hard to see how the returnees would identify with this feast. They had also been in captivity, they endured a long trip home, and now they rejoiced that God had brought them home. So, v. 4 notes that they worshipped God by offering sacrifices, “according to the ordinance as each day required.” They worshipped precisely as God prescribed.

And vv. 5–6 add that they followed by reinstituting the entire schedule of daily and monthly sacrifices and all the annual feasts. They didn’t wait for a convenient time when they were established economically and militarily; instead, they prioritized worship at great personal risk.

And they didn’t spice it up by adding some worship features they learned in Babylon, or by compromising with their pagan neighbors. Instead, they precisely followed the Law.

Their example is a good reminder to us that worship is not fundamentally about expressing myself or about what I like. No, ever since the Reformation, Protestants have clung to the “regulative principle of worship,” meaning, we go to the Bible to find out what God wants in our worship.

Then we worship God first and foremost based on what he says pleases him. Our worship must be obedient, holy, and God-centered. Yes, from there we adapt to our setting and to the people we are trying to serve, but it always about God first.

So, vv. 1–6 are a big deal. These people took an incredibly difficult step of faith by prioritizing worship. It didn’t matter what it cost them economically or if they angered their neighbors. They had to worship God. And in the process, they achieved an incredible victory. They restored the foundational elements of the Mosaic worship, and God drew near. He was doing great things. But they weren’t done yet. Verses 7–13 add that…

II.  Israel began restoring Solomon’s temple (vv. 7–13).

The Work (vv. 7–9): Verse 7 says that Israel got busy setting up contracts to begin the work of rebuilding the temple. Cyrus had given them money to build, and they followed through with their end of the bargain. So, they paid masons and carpenters to do the actual building, and they sent “food, drink, and oil” to Tyre and Sidon to provide them with cedar wood.

That’s significant for a couple reasons. First, they obviously needed quality lumber to build a large structure. But second, what previous biblical story does v. 7 also parallel? The language clearly reflects 1 Kings 5, which describes how Solomon contracted with Hiram, king of Tyre to buy cedar wood to build the 1st Both Solomon and the returnees paid for lumber with food supplies. And in both accounts, they milled the wood in Lebanon and then floated it south to Judea on the Mediterranean Sea.

So, the author clearly wants to draw a parallel between these two projects. The returnees aren’t embarking on just any building project. They are rebuilding Solomon’s temple, the most important building of Israel’s past and of Israel’s future.

This is the place where Israel received atonement, met with God, worshipped God, and rejoiced in his blessings. All of God’s blessings to Israel were centered in the temple because that’s where they came near to God. Therefore, it wasn’t just the center of their religious life, the temple was ultimately the center of their political and economic life. All of life centered on the worship of God.

Therefore, v. 8 says that in the 2nd month of 2nd year after the return, they went to work rebuilding the temple. So, this is about 7 months after the 1st It makes sense that this is when they would begin building because they would have observed the Passover during the 1st month, and they would have just completed their 1st harvest. The 2nd month is also the beginning of the dry season when you can’t do much agriculture. And finally, it's also when Solomon began construction of his temple (1 Kings 6:1).

So, now that the crops are in, Zerubbabel and Jeshua organize their labor force under the direction of the Levites who were 20+ years The law had said they must wait until they were 30 to begin their service (Num 4:3), but this time, they were really short on Levites. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so they dropped the age requirement.

And v. 9 emphasizes the fact that they all stood united and got to work on the project. And v. 10 says that they worked until they had repaired the foundation of the temple. Considering how large the old temple had been, they probably had to do a lot of clean up. And I imagine that preparing the foundation for such a large and heavy structure required a lot of careful and demanding work. But they persevered until the foundation was complete.

The Celebration (vv. 10–11): Then vv. 10–11 say that they once again held a sacred assembly to worship the Lord and give thanks for his blessing. And once again, this celebration closely mimics the celebration that Solomon held when he dedicated the first temple.

Yes, the 2nd temple is not complete. They’ve only laid the foundation. And this celebration was only a fraction of Solomon’s celebration. The crowd, the singers, the sacrifices—everything was on a far smaller scale. But the returnees were excited about what God was doing, and so they mimicked Solomon’s celebration.

The priests put on their priestly garments, and they pulled out the trumpets and cymbals. The sons of Asaph, or the temple choir gathered to sing. Verse 10 emphasizes that they did all of this “according to the direction of King David of Israel.” They wanted to honor God and connect to their past.

And then v. 11 says, “They…” And again, all of this closely parallels Solomon’s celebration even down to the lines that they sung. They realized that God was doing something of grand importance within his broader redemptive purposes for Israel.

So, they glorified God for all that he had done and worshipped him passionately. In fact, v. 13 says they were so loud that “the sound was heard far away”!

Now, next week we will see in chapter 4 that the noise is going to attract some hostile attention from their neighbors, and it’s going to make like hard. But God had done great things; therefore, they were determined and inspired to worship no matter the cost. So, it was a great day.

The Reality (vv. 12–13): And yet the chapter ends with a sobering reality check (read). Again, it had only been about 50 years since Jerusalem was destroyed, so some in the crowd were old enough to remember Solomon’s temple. As they looked at the foundation of the new temple, it was obvious that this new temple would only be a fraction of the first one.

Therefore, they loudly grieved over what had been lost, over what God’s judgment had done to the nation. This sounds kind of odd to us because in our culture guys really try to avoid wailing, because you risk losing your man card when you cry. But in Eastern cultures, loud wailing is common.

Here it creates a confusing tension. On the one hand, some of shouting with joy, while others are wailing with grief. The text says “the people could not distinguish” one from the other.

That note brilliantly captures the complexity of this moment. Israel has regained so much, but they have lost far more. There is great joy but also great sorrow. They are excited about the future, but they are also surrounded by hostile neighbors. And they are still very small, very weak, and very poor.

To go back to my introduction, God called these people to a very hard, risky, and costly task. And the challenges are only going to increase in Ezra 4–6 as their neighbors and even the Persian king make their lives difficult.

But worship matters. So, they persevered, they made sacrifices, and they took risks. And God was pleased, he was faithful, and he blessed. And let’s reflect for a moment on our worship both privately and corporately. The basic message of Ezra 3 is…

We must prioritize worship even when it is hard. The returnees were a tough, gritty crew. They made big sacrifices and took huge risks to worship God rightly and to build his temple. Their example should cause us to ask, “What does my life say about how I value private and corporate worship?”

You all know me well enough to know that I’m not saying there aren’t valid reasons that keep us from worshipping. And I’m not advocating for a legalistic view of worship where every church service and devotional time earns you 1,000 points with God.

But I am saying that we should value the nearness of God. We should desperately desire the presence and the grace of God. And the proof of what you value is in your actions. Do I strive to honor God by obeying his will, and do I discipline myself even when it is hard to get in the Word and to worship with his church? Don’t be a flaky Christian who only seeks the Lord when it is easy. Be a mature believer who does hard things because they matter.

God matters! He is worthy of our worship, and the greatest need in your life is his presence. “The nearness of God is my good” (Ps 73:28). So, rest in the finished work of Christ. Walk in holiness and obedience to his will. And then even when it is hard, risky, and inconvenient, spend time in his presence. Live before him each day and come to church.

More in Ezra

April 24, 2022

Sin Demands Attention

April 10, 2022

Just As I Am

April 3, 2022

The Good Hand of Our God