Ezra 3:1-6

Ezra 3:1-6

[1] And when the seventh  month  was come,  and the children  of Israel  were in the cities,  the people  gathered themselves together  as one  man  to Jerusalem.  [2] Then stood up  Jeshua  the son  of Jozadak,  and his brethren  the priests,  and Zerubbabel  the son  of Shealtiel,  and his brethren,  and builded  the altar  of the God  of Israel,  to offer  burnt offerings  thereon, as it is written  in the law  of Moses  the man  of God.  [3] And they set  the altar  upon his bases;  for fear  was upon them because of the people  of those countries:  and they offered  burnt offerings  thereon unto the LORD,  even burnt offerings  morning  and evening.  [4] They kept  also the feast  of tabernacles,  as it is written,  and offered the daily  burnt offerings  by number,  according to the custom,  as the duty  of every day  [5] And afterward  offered the continual  burnt offering,  both of the new moons,  and of all the set feasts  of the LORD  that were consecrated,  and of every one that willingly offered  a freewill offering  unto the LORD.  [6] From the first  day  of the seventh  month  began  they to offer  burnt offerings  of the temple  was not yet laid. 

What does Ezra 3:1-6 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The text does not record exactly when the exiles arrived in Jerusalem, but it was probably sometime in537 B.C. since Cyrus issued his decree in538 B.C. The "seventh month" ( Ezra 3:1) of the Jew"s sacred calendar was Tishri (late September through early October). [1] The people assembled in Jerusalem then to erect the altar of burnt offerings, the centerpiece of their worship (cf. Genesis 12:7). The seventh month was especially important on the Jewish sacred calendar because in it the Jews celebrated three of their annual festivals. These were the Feast of Trumpets on Tishri1 , the Day of Atonement on Tishri10 , and the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles) on Tishri15-22 ( Leviticus 23:24-25; Leviticus 27:27-32; Leviticus 27:34-34). Tishri was the first month of the Jewish civil calendar, and the Feast of Trumpets was a kind of New Year celebration. It was on this day that the returned exiles began to offer sacrifices on their altar again ( Ezra 3:6).
In presenting burnt offerings to God even before the foundation of the temple was in place, the Jews showed their earnest desire to be living sacrifices to Him. That is what those sacrifices symbolized ( Leviticus 1; cf. Romans 12:1). [2] In Revelation -establishing their ancient worship, these Jews, under the leadership of Jeshua and Zerubbabel, were careful to follow the Law of Moses ( Ezra 3:2; cf. Exodus 27:1-8; Exodus 38:1-7; Deuteronomy 12:4-14). The absence of reference to Sheshbazzar suggests that he may have died. In any case he passed off the scene.
"From now on, Israel would be viewed (as in the theology of the Chronicler) as that remnant of Judah which had rallied around the law. He would be a member of Israel (i.e, a Jew) who assumed the burden of that law.
"The cult was regulated and supported by the law; to be moral and pious was to keep the law; the grounds of future hope lay in obedience to the law. It was this consistent stress on the law which imparted to Judaism its distinctive character." [3]
"Judaism" as a system of worship began during the Babylonian Captivity when the Israelites had no temple, functioning priesthood, or kings.
"Ezra"s work was to reorganize the Jewish community about the law." [4]
The "law" in view is the Mosaic Law. One reason the people began offering sacrifices again was their fear of their neighbors ( Ezra 3:2). They called on the Lord to protect them. Normally prayers for the Lord"s blessing on His people accompanied the daily morning and evening sacrifices (cf. Exodus 29:38-42; Numbers 28:3-8).
"Courage is not lack of fear; it is the will to act in spite of fear." [5]