EZRA 3
The “seventh month” speaks of recovery. The passover, the feast of unleavened bread and the feast of weeks stood in relation to the beginning of the year, but the holy convocations of the seventh month were “at the turn of the year”. They have typical reference to God’s future ways in recovering Israel after long centuries of departure. And they contain instruction for us in this day when God is graciously reviving His precious truth in many hearts. The seventh month began with “a memorial of blowing of trumpets” (Leviticus 23: 24), speaking of a special sounding forth of testimony for the calling together of God’s people in relation to Himself. And in the scripture before us we read that “the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem”, Ezra 3: 1. A sense of their unity as God’s people was brought into their hearts, and a sense, also, that Jerusalem was the place where Jehovah had set His name, and where He would be approached and served. Any really helpful testimony amongst the people of God today will engage them with what they have in common. They can only approach God in one way. There was but one “altar of the God of Israel”, and the first thought of the returned remnant was to build that altar. They desired to set up the offering service “as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God”. They thought first of what was due to God according to His original order. In the application of this to ourselves, the coming to Jerusalem signifies that we come to what is universal — to God’s great thoughts for all His saints. But we cannot have those wondrous thoughts before us without being concerned that our approach to God should correspond with them. The altar is “the altar of burnt-offering for Israel”, 1 Chronicles 22: 1.
They were only a small remnant returned from captivity, but the service of God was before them as it had been “written in the law of Moses”. Their minds reverted to the beginning of their dispensation, and to that which had divine authority, and in a day of general departure we have to return to what has been spoken by the Lord through our apostles.
It is evident that the altar must be built before there can be offering upon it. And Joshua and Zerubbabel represent the priestly and royal qualities in saints which are essential to the building of the altar. I understand this to speak of the setting up amongst the saints of a definite apprehension of Christ in His ability to sustain all that is sacrificial. What was “written in the law of Moses” showed the necessity for sacrifice, that God’s glory might be met, and His people set free to approach Him. But approach to God by sacrifice requires that Christ shall be known in altar character. The altar presents a very full thought of the kind of humanity seen in Christ which qualified Him to bear all that was before His spirit in Gethsemane, and all that He endured on the cross. He was able to drink the cup which the Father gave Him, to sustain the judgment of God, and to annul the power of death.
The building of the altar, in its application to us, would consist in the truth of Christ as “the holy one of God” being set up in spiritual power in our souls. Apart from this there can be no true offering, no real service of God. So that what John speaks of as “the doctrine of the Christ” (2 John) is of vital importance; he that abides not in it has not God. A divine Person — the eternal I AM come in flesh, and having resurrection power in Himself, could alone be the altar. So that when truth was being recovered, and the service of the house of God was in view, the first essential was a right thought of Christ. Every spiritual element in saints would lead them to put this first. The spiritual leaders of a hundred years ago were marked by an intense jealousy in regard to the perfection of Christ’s holy Person, and the blessedness of His relations as Man with God. The enemy sought to attack this, and hence a conflict arose about the middle of the last century the effect of which was to bring into prominence the true doctrine of [p. 213] Christ, and to establish the principle that it was unrighteous and unholy to have fellowship with those who held and taught what was contrary to it. It ought to have been obvious to all that uncompromising separation from error as to Christ was the only divine course, and none should have thought of evading the responsibility of taking this course. I believe the exercise as to Christian fellowship being absolutely exclusive of any unholy thought of Christ answered to the building of the altar in the day of assembly recovery. It was, indeed, an essential matter, for nothing will be right, or acceptable to God, that has not as its basis a true thought of Christ.
The returned remnant counted on the altar being a protection to them. I think they must have read what Ezekiel had written many years before as to the altar being the “mount of God” and the “lion of God”. (See notes to Ezekiel 43: 15, 16.) “And they set the altar on its base; for fear was upon them because of the people of the countries” (verse 3). They felt that to maintain their relations with Jehovah by His altar was the best security against every adverse power. In times of pressure, when there is much that might bring fear upon the people of God, our great concern should be to go on with the service of God. Christ magnified in our hearts as the altar, and presented continually to God in burnt-offering character, will be a defence for us whatever fears or foes assail us.
The offerings referred to here (verses 2 - 5) were burnt-offerings; that is, they were offerings for acceptance. “At the entrance of the tent of meeting shall he present it, for his acceptance before Jehovah ... and it shall be accepted for him — to make atonement for him ... an offering by fire to Jehovah of a sweet odour”, Leviticus 1:3,4; Leviticus 1:9. The burnt-offerings in Ezra 3 typify recovery to a sense of acceptance before God. This has been a striking feature of the work of God in these last days. For many centuries the grace of God was obscured by thoughts which were of men; Paul’s gospel was practically unknown; so that even converted persons were kept in darkness and bondage under law, and, as to their own consciousness, still in the flesh. Few knew what it was to be in the liberty of grace, as being permanently before God in the fragrance of Christ as the Burnt-offering. Consequently the public worship retained all — even true believers — on the ground of sinners needing forgiveness and looking to have it through the merits and sin-bearing of Christ. But this left souls on the ground of what [p. 214] they were as in the flesh. There was no thought of an entirely new place and acceptance before God according to Christ and in the sweet savour of His offering.
The Reformation brought in a measure of divine light, chiefly as to justification by faith, but all can see in the fixed services even of the reformed bodies how little place is given to the thought of acceptance. Sins are confessed, and forgiveness sought, and absolution is pronounced, but no utterances are provided for the worshippers which express the joy of conscious acceptance. Indeed, Paul’s doctrine of what the saints are in Christ Jesus does not enter into the service.
We know from what was “written in the law of Moses” that the burnt-offering might be a bullock, a sheep or goat, or a fowl (Leviticus 1). Of these, that “of the herd and of the flock” was the full, or normal, offering. It was a divine typical presentation of Christ in the vigour of His holy manhood, the altogether perfect and unblemished One, whose inward being could be laid bare, and each separate characteristic of His humanity could be searchingly examined without the discovery of anything that came short of absolute perfection under the eye of God. Each part of what He was inwardly, as well as each movement in His walk, answered perfectly to every requirement and delight of God. The offerer enters into every detail of that holy life which was offered up for him. He sees it all tested by the holy fire of God, and yet, as thus tested, nothing was yielded to God but “sweet odour”. And all is seen to be for the acceptance of the offerer. The thought of his sin being covered is not left out of the type, for it is said, “to make atonement for him”. It is clearly recognised that the offerer has no acceptance in himself; his offering is accepted for him. He identifies himself with the perfection of his offering, and the sweet odour that has gone up to God is for him, and, indeed, for all saints. It is a blessed reality that God would have every believer to know this in his own spiritual experience. As offering up burnt-offerings we identify ourselves before God with the perfection of Christ, and with the sweet odour which that perfection has yielded to God when searched by His holy fire. This wondrous thought of acceptance has been made good in the faith of many hearts during the last hundred years. And wherever it has been made good by the Spirit it has given approach to God an entirely different character from what is common in the christian profession. It corresponds [p. 215] with the burnt-offerings of the returned remnant in Ezra 3. It is a return, by divine grace, to the original thought of God in this present period.
Christ has “delivered himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour”, so that we can now present Him to God as the One who is accepted for us. What a shining of divine favour this is! We could not possibly have a better acceptance. He said at a most touching moment, “This is my body which is for you”, and that included in its wondrous meaning all that was set forth in the burnt-offering. His entire devotion to God is given for us. As being consciously before God in the value of what Christ has offered we can bring His holy worth to God as that in which we are accepted. This character of approach was well known to the apostles, and to those who learned from them; it glorifies God and magnifies the Lord Jesus Christ and fills the worshippers with profound spiritual joy. But the light and joy of all this are found with those who have returned to Jerusalem, and set up the altar; it will never be known in Babylon. It is a fact that acceptance is almost an unknown word in the religious world. But every believing soul should be filled with desire to approach God where the sweet odour of Christ as the Burnt-offering goes up from hearts united in the joy of conscious acceptance in Him. This characterises the worship of the returned remnant today.
All this was previous to the house being built, for we read, “But the foundation of the temple of Jehovah was not yet laid” (verse 6). Saints may be happy in conscious acceptance, and yet need the truth of the assembly as the house and temple of God to be built up in their souls to qualify them to take their place in it intelligently. But if we have a true thought of Christ as the Altar, and the consciousness of acceptance in the sweet odour of His delivering Himself up for us, we have liberty Godward, and we are free to receive instruction, and to take up exercise, as to assembly order and service. The material is there which can be built up.
The building of the house in Ezra is typical of what is accomplished by the responsible service of those who labour in the work of God. It is not the assembly viewed as built by Christ, but as the result of spiritual labour on the part of His servants. It lays stress on what may be accomplished by the service of those who have returned from captivity. The building may be [p. 216] furthered by diligence, or it may be hindered by selfish ease, or carried through to completion through the stimulus of the prophetic word. It rests with us to secure the material and to carry on the building; if we are not diligent in this matter the house will not be built. When I say ‘we’, I include all who are responsible to be builders, and no christian can decline responsibility in this matter. Paul says, “According to the grace of God which has been given to me, as a wise architect, I have laid the foundation, but another builds upon it. But let each see how he builds upon it”, 1 Corinthians 3: 10. The saints are “God’s building”, but He uses the labour of His servants to bring to pass what is in His mind. The building of God’s house, as seen in Ezra, is brought about by spiritual labour in a day of recovery. It typifies the building which is going on today. No labour can be too great to secure the divine thoughts. The work of the Lord today includes service in the gospel, for its object is to secure material for the house, and it includes feeding babes in Christ that they may grow up to spiritual manhood, and it includes bringing saints into separation from unrighteousness and leading them to call upon the Lord out of a pure heart. All this enters into responsible service, though we know well that it will only be effected by the grace and work of God. The house of God can be built with such material as that. It is the “cedar-trees from Lebanon”; it comes from a morally elevated region.
It is the first concern of all true builders to have suitable material, for the house of God cannot be built of natural material. Jesus Christ must be in the soul, or there is nothing to build on, but the builder must take heed that what he adds will correspond with that foundation. It is only as saints are available that any building can be done, for it is through their being built up and built together by spiritual ministry that the house where God is served according to His pleasure comes into being as a spiritual reality. It is only such as are consciously “in Christ” that are suitable material for that house, but even when the material is secured much spiritual labour is needed to complete the house, and to furnish its service according to God’s mind. The thought of a spiritual house where God dwells, and where He is served according to His pleasure, has to be built up in souls.
Those who had come out of the captivity “appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to superintend” (or ‘set forward’ as in the note) “the work of the house of Jehovah” (verse 8). The workmen also were superintended (verse 9). The whole thing was under priestly and spiritual direction, and carried out levitically. In such a matter human and natural thoughts could have no place; the house was “the house of God”, and therefore everything must be as He would have it. This is the great exercise for us today: that there shall be no innovations, no expedients, nothing that is of the devising, or the inadvertence of the human mind, but that God shall have a house which answers to His mind, and where He is served in a way that gives Him pleasure.
Our chapter does not carry us beyond the foundation of the temple of Jehovah being laid. A beginning was made, with the true thought in view. This may not appear to be much outwardly, but to make a beginning according to God is very great spiritually, for it is the evidence that God is with His people, and that His word and His Spirit are with them; Haggai 2: 4, 5. However small it is, it is infinitely better than to be going on with formalities, or even earnest services, which are according to men’s thoughts of how God should be served. Indeed, it is most interesting to see that laying the foundation of the house gave occasion for most blessed features of the divine service to appear, “according to the directions of David king of Israel” (verse 10). Those directions gave the full thought of God as to His service, so far as it is developed in the Old Testament, and when the foundation of the house was laid in a day of recovery the builders had nothing less than this before them. They did not wait until the house was completed. As soon as they began to labour for the house and service of God, they had the full thought in view, and He granted them a holy and happy experience of it.
“And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of Jehovah, they set the priests in their apparel, with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise Jehovah according to the directions of David king of Israel. And they sang alternately together in praising and giving thanks to Jehovah. For he is good, for his loving-kindness endureth for ever toward Israel” (verses 10, 11). There is precious instruction for us, and great encouragement, in this. For it shows that when we move practically in the direction of securing a place for the service of God, the Spirit of God at once leads us to think of Christ in relation to that service. He comes before [p. 218] us as the true David, the One under whose hand the whole service of song is ordered. We read in 1 Chronicles 25: 2 of “the sons of Asaph under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied at the direction of the king”, and in verse 6 it is said that “All these were under the direction of their fathers Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman, for song in the house of Jehovah, with cymbals, lutes and harps, for the service of the house of God, under the direction of the king”. This corresponds with the last clause of Ezra 3: 10 which reads “according to the directions of David king of Israel”. It suggests that they were near to David, under his direction, literally ‘at his hand’, and thus available for the holy service. It is our privilege to stand thus in relation to Christ as Head — not, in this connection, under His authority as Lord, but at His hand so as to be with Him in the service of praise Godward.
David was “the sweet psalmist of Israel”; he struck the key note for all the praises of Israel; every pious Israelite would feel that what David voiced in praise was suitable for him to sing. Now the Spirit of God would lead us to give Christ that place, for His own utterance by the prophetic Spirit was, “in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee”, Psalm 22: 22. It is wonderful that He should take such a place, as having glorified God in bearing the judgment due to sin, and being able to declare God’s name to His brethren. He voices the praise that is suitable in God’s house, and His praise is the true and full measure of what is proper there. Anything out of harmony with His praise is unsuitable for the assembly in the midst of which He sings. Only those who are at His hand can sing suitably now.
“The priests in their apparel” represent the saints as set before God in the value of what Christ has accomplished, standing consciously in His worth and favour, and exercised to worship in the beauty of holiness. This is essential to any true service in the house of God, and the “trumpets” which the priests have would indicate that the service may be furthered by spiritual ministry. The precious thoughts of God being brought freshly to us may have a most stimulating effect on the service. And the levites with cymbals indicate a ready response to what is ministered. It could not be the divine thought that any spiritual ministry in the assembly should fall flat, without calling forth a glad response. The saints, as spiritually formed, answer to every divine thought that is presented to them.
[p. 219] There is a counterpart in their affections to what sounds forth from the trumpets. How delightful it is when some precious thought of God is set before the saints, and it finds a ready response in suitable praise and worship! “And they sang alternately together in praising and giving thanks to Jehovah”. This is imitated in the formal services of christendom, but it is only found in reality where suitable conditions obtain, and the headship of Christ is known. Heart answering to heart, and voice to voice, so that what is expressed by one is answered to, and added to, by another! So that, without any formally ordered service, there is delightful order and harmony in the service of praise. And all blends to celebrate what God is in His goodness and loving-kindness, and in the whole counsel of His love with regard to those whom He has blessed in Christ.
In our day where there has been a true desire to serve God according to His pleasure in His assembly He has given His saints much enlargement of heart in His great thoughts of love, and notes of praise have been sounded such as were not heard during long centuries of the church’s history. Something of the true character of assembly service and worship has come into evidence, even though in limited and feeble conditions. There is opportunity now to praise the Lord according to the excellencies in which He would have the assembly to know Him. And we may be sure that it is a very great joy to Him still to find a few hearts in the midst of whom He can sing praise to God. And saints can still, as the brethren of Christ, know that His Father is our Father, and His God our God. They can unitedly cry, Abba, Father, in conscious worship. Where such precious realities are known and enjoyed there is a revival of true assembly service, and it is a marvellous contrast to what is known in the christian profession generally. It is well to recognise that the Spirit of God in Ezra had in mind the very conditions and spiritual privileges that are present now even in a day of much outward weakness.
“And all the people shouted with a great shout to the praise of Jehovah, because the foundation of the house of Jehovah was laid”. This was the true note for the occasion, for it was a day of revival and of divine favour. The weeping with a loud voice on the part of the ancient men that had seen the first house (verse 12) was not in the current of the mind of God at that moment any more than the weeping in Nehemiah 8: 9. There was, indeed, much to make them conscious of weakness [p. 220] in themselves, and outwardly it was a “day of small things”. But, notwithstanding this, a beginning had been made of something for God, and the service of praise was going on according to David’s direction. It was not a time, according to faith, for weeping, but for praising God. The weepers may not have intended to discourage the builders, but their weeping was the result of their feeling that the work then going on was “as nothing”. God, addressing these very people, said, “Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? and how do ye see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes?” Haggai 2: 3. They could not see the spiritual greatness of what was going on; they could only see a “day of small things” and they despised it. They were not occupied with the loving-kindness which the singers were celebrating. They seemed to have pious regard for the past, and commendable feelings, but the result of their weeping was that a mixed impression was conveyed, in which nothing could be clearly discerned. This is always a mark of Satan’s work, even when true saints become instrumental in furthering it. In this case an element was introduced which formed no part of the service as instituted “according to the directions of David king of Israel”. And it tended to discourage the builders by making it appear that what they were doing was “as nothing”. This is just what Satan would have had them to think. It was a most effective way of weakening their hands. It was the first manifestation of unbelief in the returned remnant.
God met this discouraging influence by a thrice-repeated call to “be strong”. “But now be strong, Zerubbabel, saith Jehovah; and be strong, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith Jehovah, and work: for I am with you, saith Jehovah of hosts. The word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, and my Spirit, remain among you: fear ye not ... I will fill this house with glory, saith Jehovah of hosts ... . The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, saith Jehovah of hosts”, Haggai 2: 4 - 9. God cheered the builders of that day with the thought of the house being finished and filled with glory, and that “the latter glory” of the house should be greater than the former. He would have His people to work in view of His thought as to the house being brought to completion. This is what God would have before us. He would have us to regard the building of His house as a progressive matter [p. 221] going on to completion. He spoke to the returned remnant through Zechariah of the headstone being brought forth “with shoutings: Grace, grace unto it!” The headstone is the completion of the building. He said, “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; and his hands shall finish it”, Zechariah 4: 7 - 9. This, of course, has reference to Christ, but it suggests, in principle, that every one who begins to build in connection with God’s house is to have in view the completion of what he has begun. Whenever there is a beginning made to secure what is for the glory and pleasure of God it brings before Him the thought of it being brought to completion. As we think of this we are encouraged to go on with the building. It is a progressive work all the time; there is always something being added. We look for this every week; something added that is of God, and of Christ, and of the Holy Spirit. As this proceeds, we move on constructively; we do not look back with regret; we look forward to continual increase. This is how spiritual energy is stimulated.
Scriptures in the New Testament present this very clearly “in whom all the building fitted together increases to a holy temple in the Lord”, Ephesians 2: 21. The complete temple is in view, and the thought of increase leading up to that great result. “Yourselves also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ”, 1 Peter 2: 5. The building is not looked at either by Paul or Peter as completed, but the work is going on with a view to completion according to what God has in mind. He would have this to be ever before us as a present stimulus. He encouraged and strengthened His builders in Haggai’s day by setting before them the thought of His house being filled with glory, and He would have nothing less before us now. It may be that there is, as yet, only a small beginning. But the thought has been revived in many hearts of the assembly as God’s temple and house, where His mind is known and answered to. Now we are to labour incessantly that the full thought of God shall be reached in grace and in spiritual power. He would have the assembly as His house to be filled with glory. That is, with moral and spiritual glory, so that, as it was said, “in his temple doth every one” (or, everything) “say, Glory”, Psalm 29: 9. We realise that much work remains to be done if such a result as that is to be brought about, but if we have anything less than this in view we are not really working with God.
[p. 222] If we only look at things externally we shall be like the “ancient men”. The present great spiritual revival will be “as nothing” in our eyes. But if we think of what is of God, and for God’s pleasure, as being the only thing that has true glory, we shall find that spiritual building is going on today. The precious thoughts of God are being set up in the faith and affections of saints, and as those thoughts take form in our souls by divine grace we shall see more and more the incoming of that glory with which God intends to fill His house. If we have a true thought of ‘glory’ we shall not fail to discern it when it is present. Christ being magnified as the altar and as the burnt-offering is ‘glory’; God getting an increasing place in the hearts of His saints is ‘glory’; saints being “under the direction of” Christ for the service of praise Godward is ‘glory’. God intends that His house shall be filled with glory. For those who really have God’s house before them the glory is coming in all the time. Spiritually it is a day of great things.