“Let the house be rebuilt” (Ezra 6:3). It was a long time before those words became reality—when the returned Israelites finally stood in the finished rebuilt temple.
Seventy years after Solomon’s temple was destroyed.
Twenty-three years after Cyrus decreed and funded the rebuild.
About twenty years after the foundation was laid.
And about four years after the building began again after being interrupted.
With many doubts, discouragements, and outright opposition along the way, the people were finally able to dedicate this new house of God. At last, there would once again be a place for God’s people to remember and relearn what it is to worship Him alone.
I’m sure many of the Israelites wondered if the day would ever come. Would they ever stand in the place that God had ordained for His presence to dwell? Few people would have still been alive who had seen the first temple since seventy years had passed since its destruction. So for most, it was a completely new experience to stand in the house of God.
Of course, as I read about this dedication of the second temple in the book of Ezra, I can’t help but look back to the first temple dedication that we read in the 1 Kings account. To be sure, much was different about the dedication in Ezra’s account than Solomon’s earlier temple and ceremony. There were fewer sacrifices, and the building was certainly smaller. Overall the festivities were not quite as grand.. A divided kingdom, exile, and a long-awaited return separated these two celebrations. But one thing remained the same: This was an occasion marked with great joy.
The Israelites, including the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the exiles, celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy.
—Ezra 6:16
After everything the exiles had been through—joy! Perhaps even more joy because of the journey it had taken to stand where they stood. And even for all the differences of this second temple, it was a representation of God’s presence among His people. And for that, they could celebrate with deep, sincere joy.
The joy of the returned exiles was echoing the joy of Solomon, celebrating because not one of God’s promises had failed (1Kings 8:56). It’s why Solomon stood and dedicated a house to God. And generations later, after that temple had been destroyed and God’s people exiled, they stood on a new foundation and dedicated a new temple to the same God of the same promises. He still had not failed. His promises were still true. And because God was still faithful, the people stood and offered back to Him what He alone had promised and provided. And they did so with great joy.
“Blessed be the LORD! He has given rest to His people…” May the LORD our God be with us..May He not abandon us nor leave us..May He uphold His servant’s cause & the cause of His people…This house was completed on the Third Day! So much I get to pounder on… Love Him & His Word. ❤️
@Collen Deveau – praying for you, your dad and your family as your dad navigates some health issues. My heart aches for everyone who has to go through scary stuff like that. And I work in a hospital LOL. Praying you all feel Gods present with you. @MERCY – praying tomorrow is an easier day at work! Those work hiccups sure can be frustrating. Praying tomorrow is better! Happy Monday ladies. I’m coming on here late again as it’s been a busy day! So grateful for all you guys and always lifting you all up in prayer. This little corner of the internet sure is special.
Coleen Deveau praying for you , your dad and your family. CeeGee praying for your test. Mercy, praying for your work and peace of mind.
COLLEEN DEVEAU – Prayers
TINA – Beautiful!
Thank you LYNN FROM ALABAMA for your prayers. I went back and saw your comment.❤️
“He still had not failed. His promises were still true.”
What a beautiful reminder full of hope!
Thank you so much ladies for your prayers about my work (SHARON JERSEY GIRL, SEARCHING, KELLY, KIMBERLY Z and other she’s who prayed). THANK YOU SO MUCH! Thank you Kimberly Z for encouraging me knowing that my trouble is also shared by you and other sisters. This morning, the technical issue happened again (crying), my work laptop died and many work projects were in progress. I spent 4 hours trying all possible things, googling solutions, and my team mates did not understand why my laptop battery did not take the charge cable, we all had similar laptops and they did not have this happen before. Very odd. IT support was notified. On another positive note, my team mates were sympathetic and patient -which lifted my spirit. I was discouraged, and I sat and prayed, tapping the power button, did not work the whole morning, my husband came to help after a few hours of me trying, then it worked. Praise God. We still don’t understand! Please pray for me and this laptop, it’s new and should be working perfectly. I could not explain why these issues kept popping up, either with softwares not functioning, and today the whole laptop went on strike. Anywho, working remotely from home makes it harder to troubleshoot. Sorry for my venting. I would appreciate your prayers that I won’t grow weary dreading unexpected hours could be wasted should this happen again. Thank you for being my emotional support.
Lifting our sisters in prayers for your urgent needs (COLLEEN D-miracle for your daddy & his recovery, so sorry, grace for you and brothers coming to his aid, GWINETH52-healing for your friends & brother, RHONDA-safe travels, KRISTEN- friend’s divorce today and Blaze’s brain cancer surgery, KATE K- dear son to have easy grace submitting to parents/authority/God, and other shes needs).
@TINA: what a special & personal way God communicated through the bigger JOY.
After the reading today, I also felt convicted that my faith could be wavering if the promise was not fulfilled within my expected time frame. I tend to think God is sovereign, all knowing, what can’t He perform? 23 years after an approved king’s decree is a very long time to wait in a person’s life. King David when he was anointed to be king, he still had to wait years and fought many relentless resistance of Saul. Or even Moses and other patriarchs who passed away without seeing the promise yet in their lifetime (Hebrews 11:13). It is a challenging pursuit they all had to face. What an example for us. Father Lord God, give us supernatural grace to keep going, and not dismissing our waiting as a waste of time, or judging you unfaithful in our waiting when yet to see the promise come to pass (which is a sin), let us declare that there fail not a word or a promise God has spoken, all shall come to pass in God’s perfect timing. Give us grace to accept. Cleanse us of any misunderstanding, wrong expectations, and impatience. In Jesus’s Name. We give you praise, glory and honor. Amen.
Be blessed dear sisters.
May God bless you all for keeping my family in your prayers and for encouraging me in the midst of all of this.
It’ll take my brothers and me a bit to get to the hospital via public transit (we are on the tri-rail now), but we’re getting along. As per the nurse attending to my daddy, Daddy is taking small strides in the right direction. His blood pressure levels are rising slowly. His kidney function is gradually improving. He is not able to talk or communicate much, but he is letting the medical staff know what he needs.
Praise God! Please keep the prayers coming!