Zerubbabel And Joshua

by NEELY, G. | Category: Builders For God | Mar 2008

The magnificence of Solomon's temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in three sieges from 605 to 586 BC. The foundation of costly stones, planks and beams of Lebanese cedars overlaid with gold, quarried mountain stone, artistically framed windows, pillars of bronze, bronze utensils of immeasurable weight, gold and silver filling the treasuries – all of it was desecrated and burned. God's people went into captivity for seventy years – until Cyrus, king of Persia, issued his decree that the temple should be rebuilt in Jerusalem! Forty-nine thousand eight hundred and ninety-seven people responded to the stirring of the Holy Spirit to rebuild the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. Laden with gifts and 5,400 recovered stolen articles from Solomon's temple, they set out on the journey home to build.

Useful to the Master

This was not renovation; this was starting from scratch. In 535 BC, exactly 70 years after the first of the Jews were taken captive, the foundation was laid, under the leadership of Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel the governor of Judah, to great praise and thanksgiving to the Lord: ‘For He is good, for His lovingkindness is upon Israel forever’ (Ezra 3:11, NASB). Since God has made men and women to be His builders and has supplied them adequately with the tools necessary to do the job, there is nothing as satisfying and exhilarating as being useful to Him right in the middle of His will. True 2,500 years ago; true today as well! There is none who is able to excuse himself from the work of the Lord due to inadequate tools or lack of opportunity. God has provided us at least one spiritual gift, quite apart from our temperament and natural abilities. And with these God-given abilities and spiritual gifts, He has provided a ministry or service into which we can throw ourselves wholeheartedly so that His building work can be accomplished (1 Cor. 12:4-6). In as much as we engage in such construction, we, too, will be able to sing, praising and giving thanks to the Lord! If there is too little of the one, there will certainly be a dearth of the other. If you see a joyful, inspired Christian, he is likely to be actively engaged in the work to which the Lord has appointed him. If we miss this in our lives, we miss a tremendous amount.

The good old days

Of course, along with tremendous joy from the youthful at heart (whether chronologically young or not) came a dampening effect from some of the old men who had seen the first temple (Ezra 3:12). We could imagine them saying, "It wasn't like this when I was a kid!" "We never did it that way before!" "This temple isn't a patch on the first one!" The lamenting was so loud and continuous that the sound of the shouts of joy could not be distinguished from the sound of weeping (v.13). We sometimes face similar challenges today in our churches. And the joy, it seems, can sometimes scarcely be heard for the weeping. But looks can be deceiving! For in the courts of heaven, God leans forward in rapt attention and deep appreciation of His people's desire to please Him, their attention to obedience and the spirit of gentleness, forgiveness and holiness that reflects His character. Our churches today may not look quite like the magnificence of what Peter and Paul saw in New Testament churches either. Should we weep? Or should we be thrilled to be a part of the building work of God in the day in which He has placed us? Let's learn from the past, not only so that we do not repeat its mistakes, but so that we can continue to bring tremendous pleasure to the Lord in our day as we build for Him.

So much to do, so little time

Fifteen years later, the foundation lay finished, but the superstructure was not even started. Sadly, neither the old men nor the young men were weeping about that! They were too busy! Life had crowded in on them and time was their enemy. They'd faced opposition and hard times and had abandoned the work of the temple so that they could get ahead, as it were, to get the extra car, the big screen TV, the addition on the house, the promotion at work, all of which were good in themselves, but had become the obstacle to building the house of God (Hag. 1:2,4,9). Sometimes 'good becomes the enemy of better, and better becomes the enemy of best'. They weren't engaged in serious sin; they weren't going after other gods; but they also were not going after the work of Almighty God; they were not doing what they had been chosen and equipped to do. We're not so different today, perhaps!

The secret (discovered in 520 BC)

‘"Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Consider your ways!'"’‘(Hag. 1:5) Literally, the words mean 'set the heart'. Adjust your priorities; arrange your heart; prepare your being for the things that have divine importance. It must be important because God says "consider" five times in Haggai. Even though the people put in overtime on their own priorities, because they neglected the work of the Lord, they received less. God made sure of it. ‘Because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house’ (Hag. 1:9). The building had ceased, and even though the structure was not going to be as physically magnificent as the temple Solomon constructed, it was going to be of immense spiritual importance to God, as had been the Tabernacle and Solomon's Temple. And if important to God, surely it must be important to His people – then and now! So with God's word ringing in their ears, they began to build. The work began in just twenty-three days because the people responded to the stirring of the Spirit. That's the secret: the word of God as directed by the Holy Spirit stirring our hearts, followed by our wholehearted response. Two-and-a-half millennia later it is still the formula for building in God's house!

But ...

Sometimes that little word 'but' carries so much weight. It does so in Haggai 2:3,4: ‘'Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Does it not seem to you like nothing in comparison? But …'’ Discouragement because things are not what they used to be is not a new feeling. The Lord recognized that some were discouraged and were perhaps wondering if there was any point in this building project. After all, it would not be the same as the good old days under Solomon. But! But what? ‘"'But now take courage … take courage ... and work; for I am with you,' says the LORD of hosts"’ (2:4). He is just as magnificent as He was in times past no matter what the structure looks like! He is just as majestic, just as awesome, just as impressive! He is also just as much with us as He was with Solomon or the old men who wept or the younger men who built! ‘'My Spirit is abiding in your midst; do not fear!'’ (v.5). That gives courage. We just need to take hold of it. And with courage goes the responsibility of work! Building work for the God of the house!

The glory of the House

The glory of the house of God is always Christ. In the future, ‘'The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former'’ (2:9). Greater even than the gold and costly stones of Solomon's temple? Infinitely so! For Christ will be the focus. In our day, too, the glory of the house is Christ. Let's ensure that we are becoming everything God wants us to be so that we can be doing everything God wants us to do to look like Christ.

For further study:

1. How can we know if what is important to us is the same as what is important to God?

2. How should we expect to be aware of the stirring of the Spirit?

NEELY, G. | Mar 2008
Builders For God