Ezra 6:13-18
Verse 16 Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy.
When the people of Israel were taken into exile their captors raided the Temple and did damage to it in the process. The Temple was being rebuilt under the direction of the Babylonian king. It wasn’t just the building which needed putting back in order. Since they had been in exile the nation of God had once again been living in a place where it was difficult to observe the various things God had told His people to do.
As they came back to their home nation there would be various emotions. They had been living through a punishment for not obeying God. Years spent away from the land God had promised them and living among those who despised the God of Heaven would have affected their thinking. God knew they needed more than just a rebuilt temple, they needed a rebuilt spiritual foundation.
While they were rebuilding the Temple God sent a couple of men to help them prepare their hearts for the true work of rebuilding He was wanting for His people. Just as any loving parent, God’s point in disciplining His people was so they could come to see the truth of their choices and turn from making bad choices and learn to obey.
Under the preaching and teaching of Haggai and Zechariah, the priests were learning what God wanted from them. With past generations allowing the sacrifices to the gods of the nations around them, there were things which hadn’t been not been passed on as they should have. The priests had been willing to teach more than what God had commanded of them and that made it easy to try things in the worship of God which were sinful.
God was preparing them to get back to the heart of worshiping God and so by the time it came to dedicate the newly restored Temple the priests, Levites and the rest of the returning exiles found joy in being where God had called them. They sacrificed and installed the priests in their various divisions as set by David. This was all leading up to a very special Passover.
Making It Personal
When have you needed a rebuild in your spiritual life? How did you go about doing the rebuild? How often should you reset spiritually?
Making It Personal Kids
Why is it important to remember what Jesus means to you? Why is He important to you? Do you get happy about what He is changing in your life?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for reminding us the importance of taking our spiritual temperature and refocusing our lives on You and Your desires for us. Help us be honest with ourselves of where were are in relationship with You so we can find joy in following You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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