172 – Rebuilding the Temple
Ezra 1:1-6:22 & Haggai 1:1-2:23
Jeremiah had said Judah would be in captivity for 70 years. At the end of that time, the king of Persia said, “The Lord has told me to send his people back to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple. Therefore, they’re free to go and build the house of God.”
The king gave gold and silver for the project, and he gave back the temple vessels taken when Jerusalem was destroyed. He donated money to buy cedar from Lebanon to panel the inside of the temple. He even provided livestock so the people could make sacrifices to God. The Lord stirred the hearts of his people. Many accepted the challenge to go back to Judah to do the work of God. Some, who couldn’t go themselves, gave money and supplies.
When the people arrived, they made sacrifices to God on the temple site. The people shouted for joy, and then began building the temple.
The people living there were upset that the Jews had come back. They tried to stop the project, but nothing worked. Finally, a new king ruled over Persia. They sent him a message, and slanted the news about the new temple. They convinced him to stop the construction.
The Jewish builders had no choice but to stop and wait for the situation to change. This gave them a chance to build their own houses. Before long, one family after another had cedar paneling in their homes. Eventually the stockpile of cedar from Lebanon was gone! They knew that it couldn’t be replaced. So, whenever someone talked about building the temple, the people said, “This isn’t a good time to build.”
The prophet Haggai said to the people, “I have a message from the Lord! ‘Consider your ways! You say it isn’t time to build the house of God. Yet you live in paneled houses while my house lies in ruins. Consider your ways!’ ”
Haggai told them that God had removed his blessing from their lives. “You plant a large amount of grain, yet you harvest very little. You eat, but you’re still hungry. You drink, but you’re still thirsty. You wear clothes, yet you’re not warm. You earn money and put it into bags, not knowing that the bags have holes. Consider your ways!”
The people listened, but they knew there was no cedar to finish the temple. Haggai said, “God says go into the hills and get common wood and use that in the temple. He says he’ll be pleased with what you build, and he’ll be glorified.” So the people obeyed and went into the hills and got wood to replace the missing cedar. Then they made preparations to restart the project.
In time, another king came to power in Persia. This one gave the order, “Anyone who opposes the building of the temple will be put to death!” With this decree, the people living around Jerusalem weren’t allowed to hinder the construction of the temple. Instead, they were commanded to give supplies for its completion.
The people worked with enthusiasm. Haggai came with another message from the Lord. “I’m pleased you’re obeying me! Look, I’m providing for you. You haven’t planted your seed, your vines haven’t yet brought forth grapes, and your trees haven’t bloomed. Yet you’re harvesting my blessings and provisions.”
Most of the people were happy when they saw that the building was nearly done, but some of the older men said, “We remember Solomon’s temple. It was beautiful! This temple is small and not beautiful at all.” The builders became discouraged.
Haggai came with another message from God. “Who remembers the temple built by Solomon? How does this one compare? Don’t be discouraged. The glory of this temple is going to be greater than you can imagine. I’m going to shake the nations and the whole world will focus on this very spot. The ‘Desire of all Nations’ will come and I’ll fill this temple with glory. Be strong and keep your eyes focused on the present work. I’m with you as I’ve always been.”
So the people were encouraged … and they worked … and they finished the temple.
