“Built and Re-Built”

Scripture: Ezra 3: 1-13

Judah had been in exile for 70 years, and for many, exile had become their new home. Weddings were conducted, families were raised, careers were created, and lives were lived. For most of the people of Judah, Babylon and Medo-Persia were all they had ever known. But the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had other plans. He had declared to Abraham many years before, that the Promised Land would be home for his descendents, and when God declares something, it is.
And so, he moved the heart of Cyrus, King of Persia, to allow the people to return to Judah, to rebuild the temple, to rebuild their lives. Two weeks ago, we saw that about 50,000 returned in the first wave and they took with them gifts of gold and silver from their neighbors, as well as most of the treasures that had been looted from the temple by Nebuchadnezzar.

Today, we rejoin the people after they had been back in Judah for 7 months.

Read Ezra 3:1-6

What was the first thing the people did? They resettled in their towns. They got their lives back on track, and that was no mean feat. The people who had been left behind on the land during the exile were, in all likelihood, not all that happy to see the returning masses. They had continued to work the land, and many had assumed ownership of abandoned land. But those who came back from Persia wanted their homes back!
If your family had been forcibly removed from their home 70 years before, wouldn’t you want to take possession of what would have been rightfully yours? Well, so did they! And if the internal strife wasn’t bad enough, other conquered people had been relocated to Judah and Israel by Babylon and Assyria, and they didn’t want to give up their land either. These other nationalities had made a new home for themselves, and had intermarried with the Jews, and had no intention of leaving. And as a side note, these folks would be known as Samaritans, and would be seen as half breed sinners by those who had now returned. And we haven’t even mentioned the nations that surrounded this land, who never did trust Israel and Judah, and who weren’t very happy that the nation was about to regain a sense of renewed purpose and presence.

But they would get settled in, and life would return to some semblance of normalcy. And now the time had come to begin to rebuild their center and focus for worship. Verse 3 tells us that the people were afraid. Resettling the land was bad enough, but now they would be creating a permanent presence by reestablishing the temple. And their first task was to rebuild the altar on its original foundation.

Now we have to understand that the city’s walls were still a shambles. There was no defensive fortress, no protective walls, no means to shield themselves from attack. But in faith, they knew that they had to return to their religious routines as quickly as possible, and trust that the great Jehovah would be pleased and that he would see that they were all safe and secure.
Think about this for a moment. They were putting faith ahead of self. First, they began the work “as one” (v.1), in unity. There was no power struggle, no extensive discussion as to where and how they should start, no building committee meetings, no delays until they could finish their fund raising - nothing would divide them or interrupt their commitment to the rebuilding of God’s House. They were making a statement that even though they were vulnerable by worldly standards, they knew that their God would honor them, and see them through to completion, and that he would never leave them.

Read Ezra 3:7-13

Seven months later, the altar was complete and they were ready to begin rebuilding the temple itself. And as soon as the foundation was set, they began worshipping and praising their God. But some didn’t shout their songs of praise – they cried! Were they tears of joy? Were they tears of fear? Tears of sorrow? What brought this unexpected response from their eyes and lips? It’s very possible that the elders who had witnessed the splendor of the first temple were disappointed that this one would be far less glorious. But the praises continued none the less, and the crying seemed to merge and blend with the expressions of joy.

And we may very well have that same experience in a few minutes when we celebrate the dedication of our new church sign. We will rejoice over our new addition, but there may also be a few tears shed as loved ones are remembered. But as with Israel, the two sounds will blend, and will become one praise to Almighty God.

But isn’t this experience of Israel’s exactly what the church should be about? They were in the middle of a real strange situation. Cyrus had given them permission to return and rebuild the temple, but he never promised them a peaceful and pleasant time. There would be opposition from the outside, and they were never quite sure that an attack would never develop. Their resources were far more limited than those in the hand of Solomon, and the building wouldn’t even come close to replicating the former. There would have to be compromises on the construction, but would they compromise in faith, too?
The answer is no – no backing down from celebrating the Lord in ways that they always used before - in those times when they were strong and respected, in those times when they had wealth and victories, in those times when they believed that God was with them all the way. But now, they were weak and hated, they had little wealth and no victories to speak of, and they were just coming off of 70 years of separation and servitude. The nation had once been a powerhouse in the region, but after falling away from the way of God, and after encountering defeat upon defeat, and after having their best and brightest stripped from the tribes, they were beginning to rebuild their faith and their worship.

The church in the United States has also been in decline for a number of years. Not exactly in exile, but not exactly prospering, either. Some churches have grown, but for the most part, the once large and successful mainline churches seem to be falling short. Why has this happened? There seems to be very little agreement on causes, but it may very well be the same reason that Israel failed – too much dependence on our own abilities and gifts and understanding, and no where enough confidence and trust in where the Lord might be leading us. Some will throw up a great protest against this thought, but personally, I will always believe that any decline in the church must always be attributed to our failures and never to God’s.

Think about it. If the church is always walking and serving in Christ’s way, how could we possibly fail? If our faith if focused in praise of our Living Lord, regardless of what is going on around us, how could we possibly fail? If our lives are always about Jesus, if we constantly prepare ourselves to receive and respond to the Holy Spirit, if it is never about gaining glory for ourselves and always about winning it for the Father, how can we ever fail?

The church of the 21st century AD has a lesson to learn from Israel of the 5th century BC. Galatians 5:19-21 has quite a list of attitudes and actions that need to be rejected in our lives, and right in the middle of the list are 4 that were predominate in Israel & Judah’s downfall – idolatry, hatred, discord, and jealousy. And when the people began to return, they started to pull together and turn back to the Almighty. Those 4 were gone – at least for a while.
And the church of today might do well to consider where our focus is. Is it on ourselves, our agenda, our personal desires, is it on doing the minimum that we think we can get away with, the most that will bring us praise? Or are we looking to give as much of ourselves as we can? Do we put the glory and the victory on Jesus, do we speak and serve with one voice and one heart, do we praise his holy name in all circumstances and not just when things are going our way?

The following is attributed to an anonymous Zimbabwean pastor.

I am a disciple of Christ. I will not let up, look back or slow down.
My past is redeemed, my future is secure. I am done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, mundane talking, chintzy giving and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotion or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised or rewarded.
My face is set; my goal is sure. My road is narrow; my way is rough, my companions few. My God is reliable; my mission is clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, delayed or deluded. I will not flinch in the face of adversity, or negotiate at the table of the enemy, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I am a disciple of Christ. I must go until he comes, speak of all I know of him and work until he stops me. And when he comes for his own, by the grace of God, he will have no problem recognizing me, because my colors are clear.

If Israel had known these words - they would never have had to suffer so at the hands of Assyria and Babylon; they would never have had to spend 70 years away from home; they would never have had to rebuild the altar and the temple and their city and their nation. The one original building project, the one that God had planned and guided for their lives, would have been enough.

Should the Church of today desire any less?