Ezra Chapter 3
Showing all 13 verses for Ezra Chapter 3.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"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. "
"When the seventh month came round, the Israelites who were now living in towns all over the region gathered together in Jerusalem, united as one."
I gathered my closest friends before I ever sent them out to do anything. If you're rebuilding something in your own life - trust, purpose, a fresh start - begin by bringing the right people into the same room. Community always comes before the task.
"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. "
"Jeshua the priest and his fellow priests, along with Zerubbabel and his relatives, got up and built the altar of the God of Israel, so they could offer burnt offerings on it, exactly as written in the Law of Moses."
I never cared about temples of stone as much as I cared about hearts turned towards God. When you're starting to rebuild your life, don't wait until everything looks impressive - do the small, real, honest thing first. Substance before spectacle, every time.
"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. "
"They set the altar on its foundation, even though they were afraid of the local peoples around them, and they began offering burnt offerings on it to the LORD every morning and evening."
Courage was never about the absence of fear in my own life - it was about moving forward anyway, trusting what's true. If you're waiting to feel fearless before you start rebuilding something important, you'll wait forever. Start while afraid; that's what real courage looks like.
"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 required; "
"They also kept the Festival of Tabernacles as prescribed, offering the correct number of daily burnt offerings according to the regulations for each day."
Remembering where you've come from isn't dwelling on the past - it's how you make sense of where you are now. Don't rush past your own wilderness years. Tell the story of your hard road; it will steady you for what's ahead.
"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. "
"After that, they kept up the regular daily burnt offering, plus offerings for the New Moon festivals and all the LORD's appointed feasts, along with whatever freewill offerings people chose to bring."
I always noticed the difference between duty and love - the widow's small coin given freely meant more to me than large required gifts. Look for the places in your life where you can give something extra, not because you have to, but because you actually want to.
"From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid. "
"From the very first day of the seventh month they began offering burnt offerings to the LORD, even though the temple's foundation hadn't been laid yet."
You don't need the whole plan finished to start doing what's right today. I told people the kingdom starts small, like a seed - begin where you are, with what little you have, and let the rest be built around that beginning.
"They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia. "
"They paid the stonemasons and carpenters with money, and gave food, drink, and olive oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that cedar logs could be shipped from Lebanon to the port at Joppa - all according to the permission granted by King Cyrus of Persia."
Big, meaningful things get built through small, practical steps - paying the right people, arranging the right materials, working with whoever can help you, even outsiders. Don't be too proud to accept help from unexpected places when you're building something good.
"Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the LORD. "
"In the second year after they had arrived at God's house in Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel, Jeshua, the rest of their fellow priests and Levites, and everyone who had returned from exile began the work; and they appointed the Levites aged twenty and up to oversee the building of the LORD's house."
I never let rigid rules override real human need - the Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath. When your circumstances are hard, it's wise, not unfaithful, to adapt old structures to what you actually have and need right now.
"Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites. "
"Jeshua, together with his sons and relatives, and Kadmiel with his sons - descendants of Judah - joined forces to supervise the workers building God's house; the sons of Henadad, along with their sons and fellow Levites, did the same."
What you pass down to your children and your close circle outlasts almost everything else you own. Invest in relationships and shared responsibility now, because it's often family and trusted companions, not wealth or status, that carry a good work forward through hard times.
"And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel. "
"When the builders laid the temple's foundation, the priests stood there in their special clothing with trumpets, and the Levites descended from Asaph stood with cymbals, to praise the LORD, following the pattern King David had set up."
Celebrate the foundations, not just the finished house. I rejoiced over one lost sheep found, one small act of faith, long before anything was complete. Notice and honour the early, unfinished steps in your own life - they matter as much as the final result.
"And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. "
"They sang responsively, praising and thanking the LORD, because he is good and his faithful love for Israel lasts forever. And all the people gave a huge shout of praise when the temple's foundation was laid."
Gratitude out loud, shared with others, changes how a hard season feels. When something good finally happens after a long struggle, don't just feel it quietly - say it, shout it, share it with the people who went through it with you.
"But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: "
"But many of the older priests, Levites, and family leaders - those who had actually seen the first temple - wept loudly when they saw this new foundation being laid, even while many others were shouting for joy."
I wept at a tomb even knowing I could bring life out of death. Don't let anyone tell you that having faith means you can't grieve. It's fully human, and fully honest, to cry over what's lost even as you celebrate what's being restored.
"So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off. "
"The noise was so loud that people couldn't tell the difference between the shouts of joy and the sound of weeping - the people were shouting so loudly that the noise could be heard far away."
You don't have to sort your feelings into neat, single categories before you're allowed to feel them. Life's biggest moments are usually loud and mixed - relief tangled with loss, joy tangled with fear. Let all of it be heard; I never asked anyone to feel only one thing at a time.