Victory!
The first group of Jews who returned from Babylon worked and worked to complete the building of the Temple, in some ways the task was a rebuilding of the Temple of Solomon, but on a less grand scale.
This Story (though still, a factual account) has been told for six chapters now, from the Old Testament (history) Book of Ezra.
In fact, this Text (Ezra chapters 1 through 6) has already taken us 30 Lessons to discuss! Here on our Bible Study Website I mean. By the way, this Website now has 2 addresses, drmikebagwell.org and drmikebagwell.com, both with the same material of course.
Now today, we finally come to the completion of the Temple. (Sometimes called Zerubbabel’s Temple, as opposed to Solomon’s Temple.)
Here’s the Account in King James Version: “And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. AND THEY BUILDED, AND FINISHED IT, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. AND THIS HOUSE WAS FINISHED on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy, and offered at the dedication of this house of God an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve he goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.” Ezra 6:14-17
After calculating the time this great Building was under construction, I think it took 21 years (though there was a 14 year delay during that time) from start to finish, just over two decades!
A little Jewish boy seven years of age when the Project began, would have been twenty-eight when the Temple was dedicated! A long time for a building endeavor!
Then watch this great summary sentence, written by the Holy Spirit. “According to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.” Part of verse 14 of our Text, of Ezra 6.
Here are God’s inspiration, authorization and man’s cooperation, provision combining to reach a Goal as determined by the Lord! Both … God and man, and the human side being royalty at that! (Again … “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.” Proverbs 21:1)
Wow!
Wow, they didn’t quit!
Wow, they heeded the encouragement of God’s Prophets to “keep on building!”
Wow, God gave them success!
“Greater was He Who was in them than he who was in the world!”
Victory!
First John 5:4 must be quoted here: “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”
Amen!
Am I writing someone today who is in a battle?
“If God be for you, who can be against you?”
Please, don’t quit!
Proverbs 24:16 comes to mind: “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again.” You can’t keep a just man (or woman) down! (He clearly fell 7 times … but he got back up 8 times! Hallelujah!)
Yes, praise the Lord!
— Dr. Mike Bagwell
After the completion of the Temple … the people rejoiced, celebrated. And worshipped God! “And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with JOY, and offered at the dedication of this house of God an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve he goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.”
Blood was shed, lots of it. Look at those numbers!
God was honored!
Israel’s national life has now been resumed … in their Homeland, the Holy Land, the Promised Land!
Tomorrow, Passover!