The people were living in the cities and in the seventh month they all went to meet in Jerusalem (v1). The seventh month was important in their calendar. The Day of Atonement, feast of Trumpets and Feast of Tabernacles took place in that month. This seemed to be a good beginning.
Joshua, the priest and Zerubbabel built the altar of the God of Israel to offer the burnt offerings as laid down in the law of Moses (v2,3). They were in fear of the people who were living in these countries, but they continued to set up the altar and offered the burnt offerings, morning, and evening to the LORD.
They could have built the altar anywhere, but Jerusalem was the place first and foremost to build it. It was important to them that the altar was built, something they could do before the huge task of building the temple. Everyone could celebrate the offerings on the altar whereas there would have been parts of the temple which only the priests could enter. The altar was where the question of sin was dealt with, and we have all sinned. The offerings were the symbol of the atonement for sin.
Bible commentator F.B. Meyer said, “This is the first thing that must be done before our temple-building or other undertakings can be crowned with success… The new start that God Himself was giving would have been invalidated without the altar, which meant forgiveness for the past, and renewed consecration for the future.”
We read that they set the altar on its bases which probably indicates that it was built on the original foundations at the threshing-floor of Araunah (Ornan) as in 2 Samuel 24. Also being afraid of the people, it was to keep them from idolatrous practices.
To us who have no altar, the cross of Jesus Christ is our ‘altar.’ The one final, complete and sufficient sacrifice was made there for sin.
In verses 4-6 they kept the Feast of Tabernacles which celebrated God’s faithfulness in leading them through the wilderness on their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. The Israelites camped out in shelters during this feast to remind them how their forefathers lived during the journey. However, at this time of return they had no permanent dwellings so they were living this way until they could build.
They also offered daily offerings. In verse 7 we are told that they gave money to masons (not the ‘Free’ variety) and carpenters as well as provisions and oil to the people of Tyre and Sidon to bring logs from Lebanon to the sea and down to Joppa as they had permission from Cyrus.
Solomon had used cedars from Lebanon for the first temple recorded in 1 Kings 5. The work started almost immediately in the second month of the second year of their return. It was significant that Solomon’s temple started to be built in the second month (1 Kings 6).
Zerubbabel and Jeshua and all the people who returned from Babylon started work, and appointed Levites from twenty years old and upwards to oversee the work of the house of The LORD (v8-11). Under Moses’ law Levites began work at thirty (Numbers 4) but David changed it to twenty in 1 Chronicles 23. Jeshua and Kadmiel and their sons and brothers and the sons of Judah arose to oversee the work on the house of God. When the builders laid the foundation of the temple, the priests and Levites praised God and sang using musical instruments,
“For He is good, For His mercy endures forever toward Israel.” And all the people shouted in praise to The LORD.
It was a joyful occasion even though as yet there was no temple. This was obviously in the open air.
It wasn’t long before a damper was put on it – many of the priests and Levites and older men who had seen the first temple, wept loudly (v12,13). ‘It wasn’t like it was when we had the original temple’ was their lament. Of course, it wasn’t but it was still in obedience to The LORD. There’s always some who will compare things and say, ‘it is not like the good old days’ but were they really that good? The glory had departed from the first temple. Regrets over what was will often spoil the present work. We should not keep looking back. Live and work for God today!
God’s Shekinah glory was not there, it had departed but the younger men didn’t know much about the past, they wanted to praise God now.
There was the mixed sounds of regret and praise, and it was difficult to discern the difference, but the sound was heard afar off.
