Title: Let's Worship First / Ezra 3:1-7
Let's worship first
Text: Ezra 3:1-7
The first feast the Israelites celebrated after returning to Jerusalem was the Feast of Tabernacles. As stated in verse 1, the Feast of Tabernacles is celebrated in the seventh month of the Jewish calendar. This July can be said to correspond to the beginning of October according to the solar calendar we currently use. The three major festivals in Israel are the Passover, the Harvest Festival, and the Feast of Tabernacles. At this time, all the Israelites gather in the temple in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, offer gifts, and eat and drink while listening to the word of God.
This Feast of Tabernacles is also called the Feast of Ingathering because it was a sacrifice offered after the harvest was over and the grain was brought into the barn. When the Feast of Tabernacles comes, all the Israelites leave their homes, build booths outside their houses, and live there for a week. This event is held to remember the grace that God has protected and cared for during the wilderness life after the Exodus, and to remind generations of the promise that He will keep it in the future.
It can be said that this Feast of Tabernacles was an event that made Israel realize its origins. It reminds us of our poor past and helps us to examine how we are now and how God led us at that time. We also need to look back sometimes. By looking back on the circumstances in which I have received God's grace to become who I am today, I must not let my life and faith become sloppy.
Also, the Feast of Tabernacles is an event that makes us realize that we are strangers on this earth. Whether rich or poor, he made people realize this by leaving the house where they lived, building a hut and living there for a week. It can be said that it is a season to show that we are not beings who build a house and live forever on this earth, but are holy travelers who live on this earth for a while and go to heaven.
This Feast of Tabernacles is celebrated for a week from the 15th of July in the Jewish calendar, but in reality it begins on the first day of July. That is what verse 6 says. The first day of the seventh month is especially called the Feast of Trumpets. The Feast of Trumpets begins with the blowing of the trumpets. At this time, everyone puts their hands at rest and offers burnt offerings to God.
The verses we read today can be said to be about the feasts of the Feast of Tabernacles, from the fifteenth day to the fifteenth day.
According to verse 2, this event is held under the leadership of Jeshua son of Jozadak and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel. Yeshua and Yeshua are the other words for Joshua. Joshua and Zerubbabel are the two leaders who rule over Israel. Jehoah was the religious leader in charge of the sacrifices, and Zerubbabel was the political leader. In the kingdom era, before the fall of Israel, all power was concentrated on the king, but after returning from captivity, power is dispersed into religion and politics. This pattern continues down to the time of Jesus.
Under the leadership of these two leaders, the Israelites built an altar to God and offered burnt offerings as recorded in the Law of Moses, the man of God. Building an altar means worshiping in today's language. The Israelites worshiped first before doing any work. Before the temple was built, worship was held. We also need faith to always put worship first. Before starting work, when you start a new business or move, it is necessary to pray first so that God can be glorified through the work and protect it.
When I tried to worship like this, the people living in the vicinity threatened and invaded the Israelites. The people of the nations around them constantly try to prevent the Israelites from worshiping. In ancient societies, religious events were not just religious events, but political activities. If the people of Israel were united through this worship service, they would become a threat to them, so the surrounding nations constantly tormented the Israelites and prevented them from building a temple.
The same is true of Satan's strategy today. They are trying to prevent us from worshiping at church, at work, or at home. Paradoxically, it is because Satan knows the power of worship better than anyone else. Through worship at church, our souls live, and through worship at work, we realize that our priority is in the glory of God and receive God's help. is to stand firmly on the rock of God's Word. We must always keep worship and put it first in spite of Satan's interference.
The people of Israel feared them because they actually faced such a threat. But nevertheless, we worship God. Verse 3 is the content, but the translation is strange and it is difficult to understand. Translated again, this means that the crowd built an altar and offered burnt offerings to the Lord, even though the people of the nations were afraid.
At this time, the walls of Jerusalem had not yet been built, and since they had just returned, the threat of the people of the nations must have been terrifying. However, the Israelites did not yield to such threats and worshiped in faith, relying on the great God and God who protects them. It was because they had the belief that, as the psalmist sings, "The Lord is my shepherd... He has set a table for me in the sight of my enemies, and has anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows." The enemy roars around us like a roaring lion to devour us, but before us we eat the bountiful table that Jehovah God has prepared for us. Why? It is because God, who is greater than our enemies and problems, is with us.
There are always problems and enemies in our religious life. We must not ignore or exaggerate this fact. To not turn away means to face the problem, accept it, and stay awake in the face of it. Still, don't exaggerate. Even though the problem is difficult, believe that there is a bigger God than the problem behind us. With God standing right behind us, Satan cannot kill or plunder us, though he may threaten us from afar. I hope that our members can have such bold faith.
The word burnt offering appears a lot in today's verse. A burnt offering is a sacrifice that is completely burnt and offered as an incense to God. We offer this burnt offering every day during the Feast of Tabernacles. The burnt offering means complete dedication. God is pleased with our total devotion above all else. Romans 12:1 tells us to present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. We must give our bodies wholly to God. How can we give our bodies? It means giving our hearts. It means not to imitate this generation, not to live according to the spirit of this generation, but to love and live only God according to the will and word of God.
I sincerely hope that today will also be a day to offer our bodies to God as a living, holy sacrifice.