Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? –– Haggai 2:3

A multitude of nearly fifty thousand responded to the edict of Cyrus permitting a return to Jerusalem for the Jews of the Babylonian captivity. They must have included many of the more prosperous Jews, for over seven thousand were servants and maids (Ezra 2:64,65).

The trek would be some eight hundred miles if they traversed the intervening desert, and longer if they followed the Euphrates north into Syria before turning south to Israel. The journey is likely to have taken about five months.

Arrival in Jerusalem — Ezra 3:1

And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.

If the journey had taken about five months, the Israelites would have left Babylon about the first of May. To avoid the fierce summer desert heat, it is likely they followed the fertile Mesopotamian crescent and then went south along the Mediterranean coast or through the Beqaa Valley that separates the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountain ranges.

Finding the city of Jerusalem in shambles, the party formed small village settlements in an area surrounding their former capital for about twenty- five miles. Once they settled in and made arrangements for their herds and flocks, they unitedly turned their attention to Jerusalem.

Rebuilding the Altar — Ezra 3:2,3

Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God. And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD, even burnt offerings morning and evening.

Leadership of the work was placed in the hands of the heads of the Levitical priestly family and the heir of the line of David. Joshua, the high priest, was the grandson of Seraiah, the chief priest at the beginning of the captivity who was taken prisoner and executed by the forces of Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 25:18-21). Zerubbabel, the grandson of Jeconiah, appears to be the biological son of Pedaiah, who was presumably killed, and raised by Salathiel (1 Chronicles 3:17-19).

The religious zeal and enthusiasm of the returning captives are well attested by their quick attention to rebuilding the temple and its altar. The altar was a prime necessity for at least four reasons:

1) They feared their enemies with their superior size and armament and therefore felt the need for an altar to offer sacrifices and seek God’s divine protection.
2) The Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles were fast approaching, and these festivals called for the offering of many animals.
3) They desired to reestablish the daily sacrifices that were a fundamental part of their religious worship.
4) They felt the need to seek the aid of Jehovah in the great work of rebuilding a suitable house of worship.

Evidently, the foundation of the altar of Solomon’s temple was still standing and it was there, on Mount Moriah, that they placed the rebuilt altar. It was there that Abraham offered Isaac. It was there that David had placed the tabernacle when he brought the ark to Jerusalem. It was there that Solomon had constructed the first temple. And it was there that Jesus preached so frequently in the magnificently refurbished temple of King Herod. Indeed, it was a holy spot and it must have been with great jubilation that the people willingly set about their task.

The Feast of Tabernacles — Ezra 3:4,5

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.

The religious fervor of the returned exiles was so great that they not only observed the sacred Feast of Tabernacles but also all of the other sacrifices prescribed in the Mosaic Law. The Israelites had learned a great lesson from their long captivity in Babylon and were now ready to observe all of their God-given rituals. Although there was a falling away from this original zeal, there is no historical record of the returning Jews ever again turning to outright idolatry.

The freewill offerings that were proffered to the temple ministry were in addition to the thousand sixty drams of gold, five thousand pounds of silver, and one hundred priestly garments previously given (Ezra 2:69). This offering is said to have equaled some $400,000 in 1899 dollars, apparently contributed in roughly equal sources by the Jews who remained in Babylonia, the wealthy of the returnees, and the poorer classes chipping in about three dollars each (Nehemiah 7:71,72; see Reprints, p. 2511).

The energy and human resources that were given so voluntarily well illustrate the enthusiasm and ready hearts and purses that contributed to the more significant return from mystic Babylon in the early days of the Lord’s second advent; a return so well pictured by the dramatic events recorded in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.

The Temple Foundations — Ezra 3:6-9

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. They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia. 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. Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites.

The renewed fervor of the returned exiles manifested itself in three activities:

1) Reinstating all of the temple sacrifices.

These were begun shortly after their arrival (Ezra 7:9). In the meantime, they no doubt arranged for living accommodations and pasturage for their sizable flocks (Ezra 2:66,67). They probably did not settle in Jerusalem itself, as the city was in ruins, but in surrounding areas where they may well have encountered strong resistance from the current inhabitants of the land.

2) Making necessary preparations for the rebuilding of the temple itself.

The Jews obtained the raw materials by a barter system, trading foodstuffs (as well as money) to the same nations from which these products had been obtained for the first temple of Solomon. Zidon, Tyre, and Lebanon had the rich cedar forests that were lacking in Judea. The contributions of the people were supplemented by the grant of money given to them for this purpose by the Persian king, Cyrus.

These groups of workers are given the task of rebuilding the temple:

a) Jeshua and his sons — this does not appear to be Joshua the high priest mentioned in the previous verse but another Levite with the same name mentioned in Ezra 2:40.
b) Kadmiel and his sons — a group of seventy-four, also mentioned in Ezra 2:40.
c) The sons of Judah — again showing the leadership divided between the two tribes, the kingly tribe of Judah and the priestly tribe of Levi.
d) The sons of Henadad — A family whose descendants also played an active role in the work of Nehemiah in the next century of rebuilding the city (Nehemiah 3:18,24).
e) Other Levitical families — Thereby producing a workforce of somewhat over a hundred laborers in all.

3) Reestablishing the Levitical order to oversee the offering of the sacrifices.

Although the original law had established the service of the Levites as being from the age of thirty (Numbers 4), it was decreased in the time of David to twenty (1 Chronicles 23:24). This younger age was probably necessary then because of the increased workload foreseen for the temple arrangements and was probably considered wise in the return from Babylon because of the relatively smaller number of Levites available from which to draw the temple ministry.

In addition to the work of ministering in the temple, there was a choir of some two hundred singers to vocalize their praise to God (Ezra 2:65). Two other subdivisions of temple workers are mentioned in Ezra 2:70 — and Nethinims. The role of a porter (literally, gatekeeper) is poorly defined and is associated both by Edersheim (The Temple, Its Ministry, and Service, p. 62) and Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews, 7,4) with that of the guard. This would be an important service in the hostile environment of Jerusalem in the days of the rebuilding of the temple.

The Nethinims are even more vague. Literally, the term was taken to mean “given ones.” Edersheim (ibid, p. 63) states that they were probably “originally strangers and captives, as in all likelihood the Gibeonites had been the first ‘Nethinims’ (Joshua 9:23,27).” They were eventually incorporated into the genealogies of Israel (1 Chronicles 9:2). There were 392 Nethinims from forty-four families who made the journey from Babylon to Jerusalem (Ezra 2:43-58). These were Gentiles who had sufficient faith in the God of Israel to return and resume their responsibilities in temple service.

Celebrating the Rebuilt Temple — Ezra 3:10-13

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. And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD: because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever 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. 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; and many shouted aloud for joy: So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

The great joy of the people in seeing the relaying of the foundation for a new temple on the very site where the magnificent temple of Solomon once stood evoked a festive celebration. They followed the pattern of King David in welcoming the ark to Jerusalem and perhaps used many of his psalms to honor the occasion (1 Chronicles 15:16).

The singing was responsive with one group answering another. The phrase “by course” in verse 11 is better rendered as “one to another” in the American Standard Version. Thus, the alternating stanzas deeply impressed the gathered crowd with the import of this historic occasion.

The theme of their song was the mercy of Jehovah who, after severely chastising them for their national pride and sins by selling them into captivity, had now mercifully closed that chapter of their history.

All, however, were not equally elated.1 The younger, looking forward to a brighter future, shouted with anticipatory joy for the opportunity to make a fresh start. The older, looking backward, compared the bleak surroundings and humble copy as only a shadow of the glory of bygone days.

There is a lesson here for all true Christians. Many see the stark comparisons of modern materialistic religion with the fervor and joy of the zeal and vision of the early church. Still, others compare it with the bold start of the Great Reformation and bemoan the muted efforts at reform in our day. Bible Students tend to compare the heady days of the founding of their movement with the over-filled auditoriums, large amounts of distributed literature, the glory of the Photo-Drama showings, and a rapidly growing worldwide movement with a system fragmented with divisions and showing but dim results in the vastly changed environment of the past 125 years.

In contrast, others see a future through the rose-colored glasses of optimism and raise their voices loud in shouts of praise for the Lord’s mercies in permitting further service in his vineyard even at this late date.

So mixed were the emotions that the sound of the one could not be distinguished from the sound of the other. Mingled, however, they form a reaction that is heard afar off — yea, around the world. The question remains for each to ask and individually answer: Will I weep over the lost glories of the former days, or will I rejoice in untold privileges still ahead?

NOTES

1. An interesting demographic might be noted here. Apparently, this great celebration happened in the second year of Cyrus (Ezra 1:1; 3:1). This followed the captivity in Babylon which many Bible Students calculate as seventy years. It must be presumed that the Levites who saw the first house in its glory were of sufficient age at that time to appreciate the extent of that glory, probably at least ten years of age. This would make them 82 at the laying of the new foundations. Their numbers appear to be roughly equal to the young rejoicers, for the sound of the one could not be distinguished from the sound of the other. Considering the five-hundred-mile distance of their trip across a vast desert expanse, it seems to strain the credibility of the account to imagine thousands of such aged ones making the journey. On the other hand, if the time spent in Babylon was fifty-one years, as most chronologists have it, the age of the older ones would be sixty- three and up. While lacking any authority as proof, it presents a fact that must be taken into consideration in determining whether the seventy years of Jeremiah refer to the desolation of Israel or to the duration of power to be exercised by the Babylonian empire.

–– The Herald of Christ’s Kingdom 2004/5