• The Explore the Bible lesson for Dec. 28 focuses on Ezra 3:1-7, 10-11; 6:19-22.
Growing up on the Gulf Coast, hurricanes were a regular and realistic threat. I have many memories of watching the evening news with a hurricane tracking chart in hand, marking the hurricane’s progress to determine if it was coming for us or any of our other family members. And I recall packing our most treasured belongings and joining the throngs of other Gulf Coast residents on the highway as we headed north to evacuate.
As an adult, I have been part of many mission trips to help restore homes and communities in the wake of a hurricane’s devastation. The destruction is horrific, and the residents’ grief is palpable, but as cleanup and restoration commence, we begin to see sparks of hope.
Glimmers of hope
On a much greater scale, I imagine the exiles had a similar range of emotions. Grief swelled as they mourned the devastation and loss of their homeland and all the physical trappings of their religion—not once, but twice—upon their deportation and again upon their return. But with Cyrus’ decree and sponsorship of their return and rebuilding the temple, glimmers of hope began to return once more.
The seventh month, Tishri, was packed densely with religious observances. Corresponding with our September-October, the first day of Tishri is Rosh Hashanah, or New Year’s Day, which was celebrated with trumpets and a sacred assembly (Leviticus 23:24). The tenth day is Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, which is a day of Sabbath rest and of denying oneself (Leviticus 23:27-32).
The Festival of Tabernacles (Succoth) begins on the 15th and lasts one week (Leviticus 23:34-36). It originally was a joyous harvest celebration (Exodus 23:14-16; 34:22-23; Leviticus 23:33-43; Numbers 29:12-40; Deuteronomy 16:13-16), and was to be observed while living in tents or huts during that week as a remembrance of the Israelites’ temporary shelters during their exodus from Egypt (Leviticus 23:42-43).
The Law of Moses commanded the Israelites burn sacrifices on the altar of the temple in Jerusalem. They had not been able to offer sacrifices during their deportation and exile from Jerusalem. This became an immediate priority for Jews returning to Jerusalem—to rebuild the altar so they could resume offering sacrifices.
Restoring God’s presence
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Their desire to reestablish their relationship with God may have been linked with their “fear of the peoples around them” (Ezra 3:3), in hope that restoring God’s presence would protect God’s people. Regardless, their act of worship preceded their place of worship. It was an act of obedience that laid the spiritual foundation of worship even before the temple’s foundation had been built.
After the altar was built and sacrifices resumed, the priests and Levites established the foundation of the temple and commenced with a joyous celebration. With trumpets and cymbals, they sang responsively in turn a refrain that had been sung many times by their ancestors to celebrate God’s faithfulness (1 Chronicles 16:34; 2 Chronicles 7:3; Psalm 106:1; 136:1; Jeremiah 33:10-11).
The text tells us although most rejoiced as they worshiped God at the completion of this first step, some mourned (vv. 11-12). It was not a discreet mourning; their weeping rivaled the shouts of joy from the congregation (v. 13). Although sacred traditions and space can catalyze worship, we often can become so mired in them we lose sight of the true object of our worship. Many church people can become so attached to the way things used to be that they miss the activity of God happening anew before their eyes.
But it is important to note the priority of worship, both in first establishing the altar and then in celebrating the foundation. Plenty of work remained to finish the temple, but the people of God took the time for a joyously loud time of worship as they celebrated what God was doing in their midst.
The joy of celebration
This, too, can be a weakness of the church—we get so bogged down in the business of the church, or the busyness of the church, that we lose the spiritual discipline of celebration. We must remember the God of history is active in our midst, and this is a cause for joy-filled worship.
After the returned exiles had completed the temple, they turned their attention to celebrating Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Ezra 6:19-22), both of which occurred in Nisan, the first month of the year. The Passover was a celebration of deliverance from Egypt, and now this was mirrored in their deliverance from the Babylonians, who had destroyed the temple in 587 B.C.
Where once the community excluded those who could not prove their ancestry (Ezra 2:59-63), now they “ate [the Passover lamb], together with all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the Lord, the God of Israel” (3:21). As people who had been on the receiving end of God’s grace and mercy, they now were able to extend it to others who seek God.
Kill-joys or party people?
Christians today typically are not known for their partying. In fact, most are better known as the “party police,” or as a “kill-joy.” Our emphasis on faithfulness and obedience, while good, if taken to the extreme can be perceived as austerity. Children can teach us a lot about celebrations. One of a baby’s first-learned gestures is gleeful applause. Toddlers rejoice over the smallest accomplishments. And my preschool daughter can plan an elaborate celebration that would rival a queen’s coronation. Children excel in delight. We have a lot to learn from them.
Like the returnees who had suffered the destruction of the temple, deportation and decades of exile, we also have known suffering and pain to some degree. Yet as we experience the presence of God in our lives, we know the ultimate source of true joy.
Our God is a God of restoration. As we prepare for God to rebuild the broken places in our lives, it is important to pause and reflect, to observe the Sabbath, to remember the activity and provision of God in our lives, and to celebrate. Not just the kind of celebration that turns up the corners of your mouth a little bit, but may we pull out the instruments (v.10) and ring out the praises in responsive chorus (v. 11).
May it be said of us the shouts of joy could be heard from far away (v. 13).
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