Ezra 3: Restoration and Unity
Post 2 of 10 | Exploring Ezra: Return, Rebuild, Restore
For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. — 1 Corinthians 3:11
The exiles have returned to a land in ruins. The temple is rubble, and the walls of Jerusalem are ash. If there was ever a moment to assess the situation, make a plan, and ease into rebuilding, this was it.
Within their first year back, at the first major covenant moment, they reestablish worship. This priority of worship is instructional and not accidental. They will build their foundation on the worship of the Lord.
Ezra 3 is built around three movements that every believer recognizes: 1) surety of God’s Word, 2) overcoming the fear of man, and 3) setting the right priorities. The returning exiles accomplish all three, and Ezra 3 shows how.
They don’t turn to tradition, what felt right, or to what everyone else is doing. Instead, they first turn to the Scriptures because they know this is where they’ll find instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Word told them what to do and they did it. The seventh month called for the Feast of Tabernacles and the restoration of the altar and so that is precisely what they built. Before one stone of the temple was laid, the altar was standing and the offerings were going up.
Then there was the fear, and the text doesn’t hide it. They were afraid of the peoples around them (Ezra 3:3). Fear is not uncommon, and it’s not a sign of weak faith. What matters is what you do with it. These men stand firm on the word of God and they face their fear and build the altar anyway. Faith moves in spite of fear and not in the absence of it. Faith moved their feet when fear said don’t move. As the Psalmist wrote, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1). These men show us how to live by the word of God.
Lastly, they prioritized worship above everything else. Before the foundation of the temple was even laid, they were singing, praising, and weeping before the Lord. The work could wait. God could not. The fact that they forgo building the temple shows that worship doesn’t need a building, it needs hearts willing to worship regardless of circumstance.
They show us the precedent of living by the Scripture, the courage that follows, and worship through fear and trial. This is still the pattern for anyone serious about rebuilding what has been broken in their own life—Scripture, courage, worship.
What comes first tells you everything about what matters most. All too often people claim they are too busy to commit to Bible study. These men remind us that we make time for that which matters most to us.
Exploring Ezra: Return, Rebuild, Restore launches in April 28th. Ten lessons. Ten chapters. One God who keeps His word.