Listen to our bonus season

the study of EZRA

OLD TESTAMENT

IN THIS EPISODE

• Ezra 3:1-6 | Joshua and Zerubbabel restart the sacrifices and celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles | 4:40
• Ezra 3:7-10 | The rebuilding of the Temple begins and the people imagine the glory of the first Temple | 17:10
• Ezra 3:11-13 | Some rejoice, while others weep | 22:50
• Takeaways | 29:00

INSTANT TAKEAWAYS

1 | We are going to experience fear and opposition

“Despite the fear of the peoples around them” (v. 3). The people surrounding the Israelites were hostile. The Israelites were afraid, but they knew God called them to rebuild the Temple, so they do it anyway. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the boldness to trust God in the midst of fear. Jesus said we will have “trouble” in this life, but we can take heart and have peace because Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33).

2 | What has God promised you?

The Israelites rebuild the Temple based on their confidence in God’s promises. Stop and look at all of the things that God has promised you. Look up a few of the following passages to see some of God’s promises to us: 1 Chronicles 16:34; Romans 8:28; 1 Corinthians 1:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 1:3; Philippians 4:6-7; Matthew 6:33; John 4:10; 10:10.

3 | The true glory of the Temple is God’s presence

While the older generation is right that the second temple is not as magnificent as the first, the younger generation is also right to rejoice at its rebuilding. The true glory of the temple is not the building itself, it’s the presence of God that resides in the temple. Today we live in the time after Jesus walked the earth. When he left he gave us the Holy Spirt—the very presence of God—to dwell within us. God’s presence, which made the Temple so magnificent, now resides in you if you have put your faith in Jesus Christ. You are now a part of the Temple of God.

4 | Grieving and celebrating

The older generation grieves because they know the new Temple doesn’t compare to the old Temple, but the younger generation rejoices because the Temple is being rebuilt. There is both lament and rejoicing happening at the same time. Sometimes that is true in our lives as well. Are there places where you need to both grieve and celebrate the same event? Right now we are celebrating the fact that the world is opening up again after the COVID-19 pandemic, but even as we gather together, there are those who are not with us because they were lost to the virus in the last year. At the same time, we can both mourn our losses over the last year and celebrate our ability to gather together again.

SHOW NOTES

In this episode, Matt and Neil dive into chapter 3 of Ezra. The Temple foundation is finally laid, but the older generation starts weeping while the younger generation cheers. What is happening? Has God’s promise failed? Or is this merely a step toward something greater? Find out in this episode of the Mission Hills Men’s Bible Study Podcast.