The Completion Of The Temple And Celebration Ezra 6:13-22 Teaching Aim: To see the relationship between the proper response to God s Word and the receiving of God s blessings. To realize the temple was completed right on time according to God s prophetic timetable, demonstrating that we can trust God and His Word. To understand the Passover celebration is a type (or foreshadow) of the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ for our sins! DIGGING DEEPER INTO GOD S WORD (BIBLE STUDY) Part I: Background to the last half of Ezra chapter 6 (Ezra 6:1-12) 1. Which Persian king ordered a search be done to find the decree in which the late King Cyrus had authorized the Jews to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem (vs. 1)? Where was a copy of this decree finally found (vs. 2)? Why was King Cyrus in this city? (See Commentaries) 2. What do verses 3-5 reveal about King Cyrus s decree? Were the Jews obeying Cyrus decree as he had written it or were they acting on their own initiative? What command did Darius issue to the provincial governor Tattenai and his associates in verses 6 & 7? 3. What unexpected command did King Darius issue to the residents of Trans-Euphrates in verses 8-10? How do you think the Gentile residents of Trans-Euphrates felt when they received this decree? Were the pagans better off or in worse shape after complaining about the Jews in Jerusalem? Why? 4. What did King Darius do to put some teeth into his decree (vv. 11 & 12)? In what way was the decree from King Darius I similar to the decree God issued in Rev. 22:18-19? What final warning was given by King Darius in verse 12 after he had made it a capital offense to hinder the work of the Jews? 1
Part II: The completion of the Second Temple and its dedication (Ezra 6:13-18) 1. According to verse 13, how quickly did Governor Tattenai and his associates follow the orders of King Darius decree? Why do you think they responded so quickly? Do people respond this quickly to our government s demands today? Why or why not? 2. What was the main reason the Jews resumed their construction of the temple in Jerusalem (vs. 14)? According to Haggai 1:1-6, had the Jews been more interested in building their own houses or in building God s house? Do you find the same attitude is true of you today? Why or why not? What are you doing to contribute to the building of God s house (the Church)? What happened as a direct result of the disobedience of the Jews (vs. 6)? Does God still discipline nations today with droughts? How should we respond once we realize our nation has sinned? (See 2 Chron. 7:14; 1 John 1:9) 3. Why do you think Ezra mentioned King Artaxerxes I in verse 14 when, in fact, he didn t begin reigning until some 55 years after the events of chapter 6 took place? (See Ezra 7:21-24 & Commentaries) 4. According to our modern calendar, when was the Second Temple completed (vs. 15)? (See Commentaries) How many years did this occur after the temple had been destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian army in 586 B.C.? Why is the 70 gap between the two events important? (See Jer. 29:11-12) Why had the Jews gone into the 70-year captivity in the first place? Have you ever had to pay the consequences for a sin that you ve committed? If so, what happened? 5. According to verse 16, how did the Jewish people react when the temple was completed? Why was the temple in Jerusalem especially important to the Jewish people? What are some of the differences between the purpose of the Jewish temple and the purpose of modern churches today? (See Rom. 6:10; Heb. 9:24-28; 1 Pet. 3:18; Eph. 4:11-13) 2
6. How many animals did the Jewish remnant offer to God when they rededicated the temple in 516 B.C. (vs. 17)? How did this compare to the number of animals offered during the dedication of Solomon s Temple around 953 B.C.? (See 1 Kings 8:4-5, 62-63) Why the huge difference in numbers? (See 2 Cor. 8:12) How do we see this principle beautifully played out with the widow s mite? (See Luke 21:1-4) What are some ways that you are contributing to the work of the LORD? 7. What special significance was there in the Jewish remnant offering twelve male goats at the dedication (vs. 17)? The ten northern tribes were dispersed throughout the world following the devastating defeat by the Assyrian army in 722 B.C. In the post-exilic era, only two tribes remained: Judah and Benjamin. Will Israel ever see all 12 tribes back together as one? (See Ezek. 37:15-24) 8. According to 1 Chron. 24:1-19, how many divisions of priests did King David assign? What famous event took place while a priest in one of these divisions was serving around 5 B.C.? (See Luke 1:1-13) When Ezra refers to the Books of Moses, which 5 books of the Bible might he have been referring to? (Hint: Google it!). Part III: The first celebration of the Passover in over 70 years (Ezra 6:19-22) 1. On what day was the temple completed? (See Ezra 6:15 & Commentaries) According to verse 19, when did this Passover celebration take place? How much time had elapsed between the completion of the temple and the celebration of the Passover? How many years had it been since the Jews had last been able to celebrate a Passover in Jerusalem? 2. What is the typological significance of the Passover lamb (vs. 19) What are the 7 Feasts of Israel and what is the special meaning of each? (Hint: Google it!) 3
3. What was required of the priests and Levites before they could slaughter the Passover lambs (vs. 20)? How were the priests and Levites to be cleansed? (See Num. 8:7) Who slaughtered the Passover lambs at the time of the exodus? (See Exod. 12:3-8) According to verse 20, what change had occurred by the time of the completion of the Second Temple? 4. What can we learn about the willingness of the Jews to allow others to celebrate the Passover with them from verse 21? Why was it important for these Jewish proselytes to separate themselves from the filth of the nations and seek the LORD God of Israel? What if any significance is there in the Jews and Gentile proselytes eating the Passover Seder together? (See Matt. 8:10-12) 5. Why is it important for Christians to be in the world but not of the world? (See John 17:14-19) What is the difference between the two? 6. What is the spiritual significance of the Jewish Feast of Unleavened Bread (vs. 22)? How is the removal of sin in our lives portrayed through this Jewish festival? (Hint: Google it!) What are some areas of sin in your life that need to be swept clean? What are you doing to sweep your house clean? 7. According to verse 22, how did the Jewish remnant respond when they were finally able to celebrate the Passover Feast and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for the first time in over 70 years? Have you ever experienced the joy of returning to Christian fellowship after being absent for a while? How did it feel? Why is it so important for Christians to gather in worship and not forsake the assembling together? (See Heb. 10:24-25) 4
8. How involved was the LORD in turning King Darius heart toward helping the Jews (vs. 22)? Examine the following statement from the Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter III (Section 1) God from all eternity did by the most and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby neither is God the author of sin; nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established. How does this statement relate to the situation in our country today? 9. Have you experienced the joy of worshiping the LORD and being in a right relationship with Him? If not, why not repent and receive Christ as Savior and Lord right now through prayer? MINER S CORNER ~ Manna to live by! The faithful teaching of God s Word and spiritual blessing go hand in hand! The proper response to God s Word will lead to blessing; disobedience will lead to cursing! When under attack remember, If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31) Being materially rich isn t everything, it isn t nearly as important as loving God and loving your neighbor! (Matt. 22:36-40) The Passover lamb is a foreshadow of the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins! It is important for each of us to cleanse ourselves and prepare our hearts for worship! God has been sovereign throughout history, He still raises leaders up and brings them down according to the spiritual climate of a nation! 5