Timeless Truth: God’s grace provides a fresh start.
After generations
of idolatry, God’s people had been defeated by the empires that controlled the
ancient world. The Assyrians had
conquered the Northern kingdom, deported the people, and re-populated the land
with exiles from other countries. Their
practice was to redistribute people from conquered nations throughout their
vast empire. The foreigners who were
resettled in northern Israel intermarried with the few remaining Jews and
became the mixed-race Samaritans.
The Babylonians
were next on the world scene. After each
of their three conquests of the Southern Kingdom, the Babylonians deported
Jewish captives to enclaves in Babylon and sought to assimilate them into their
culture. Now, 70 years of captivity had elapsed. Kings and kingdoms rise and
fall; world empires come and go.
The next world power, Persia, was more benevolent. They preferred the benefits of high taxation
and the favor of the various gods. So
King Cyrus issued a decree to repatriate all aliens to their homelands while
allowing them some degree of self-rule.
And thus the people of Israel began their journey home.
Under the guidance of the Hebrew leader, Zerubbabel, nearly
50,000 Jews returned to Jerusalem. They were intent on rebuilding, and the
temple was the first priority. They
rebuilt the altar and prepared sacrifices in accordance with the Law of
Moses. Fifty years had passed since the
temple had been torn down by the Babylonians, and at last God’s people were
again able to worship as God had instructed. The foundation of this humble
temple could not compare to the magnificence of its predecessor, but the
process had begun, and God was leading the way.
The locals didn’t
necessarily roll out the welcome wagon for the repatriated Judeans. They made a backhanded offer of help as an
attempt to sabotage the temple rebuilding project. Zerubbabel didn’t fall for their scheme, but
the Jews were intimidated and construction halted.
Sixteen years later
the prophet, Haggai, spoke on God’s behalf. He twice urged his people, “Give
careful thought to your ways.” He
reminded them that the temple had to be built as a place of honor and glory for
God. The LORD encouraged His people and
they returned to their work. Though the
new temple would not have the splendor of the old one, God promised that His
unsurpassed glory would return.
Zechariah agreed; Jerusalem would again teem with life and prosperity
because the people would live righteously.
God promised to shower Jerusalem and Judah with His goodness and make
Israel a blessing to the world.
When the building
resumed, a new antagonist, Tattenai, wrote to King Darius hoping to obstruct
progress. Darius searched the royal
archives and discovered that his predecessor, King Cyrus, had given his royal
thumbs up to the rebuilding of God’s temple.
In a fitting twist of events, Darius penned a letter back to Tattenai
charging him with responsibility for funding the temple reconstruction. The plot backfired, and in 516 B.C., the
temple was completed.
It had been 70
years since the people were first taken captive. This long and painful season of discipline
brought much needed change to the hearts of God’s people. In the Lower Story, God brought them out of
captivity again. He returned them to the
Land of Promise where they rebuilt His temple and their lives.
But the Upper Story
once again rings with echoes of delivery from bondage. The LORD had redeemed His people from foreign
captivity as God’s great, over-arching plan continued unabated. This story of liberation and restoration is
a poignant reminder that this world is not our home. Like Israel, we wait in
joyful anticipation of our journey to a land of eternal promise (Heb. 11:16)
where all things are new and home will be forever.
Questions
- How did the LORD fulfill His word spoken by Jeremiah? Look up Jer. 25:12 and 29:10. What happened to the king of Babylon? (See p. 211 for further insight.)
- Look up Isa. 44:28 - 45:1. About how many years had passed between Isaiah’s prophecy and Cyrus’ edict? What does this teach you about God?
- Why do you think many of the exiles chose to stay in Babylon instead of returning home to the Promised Land? How do you suppose God viewed that choice?
- How did the temple builders and worshipers regard their covenant, the Law of Moses (p. 218)? Compare their view of the Law to the Israelites’ attitude before the exile.
- When the temple was re-established, some were overjoyed, and some were heart-broken. Many churches go through periods of growth, reconstruction and challenge. How should we respond when mixed feelings pull us in opposite directions?
- What difficulties did the Jews experience in their rebuilding efforts? How did they respond to adversity? How can you use this story when facing adversity?
- Zechariah’s message claimed that people from other nations would be attracted to the religion and the God of the Jews. (p. 222). What was to be the basis for this attraction? In what ways should our church be attractive to outsiders?
- Once they resumed work on the temple, opposition resumed from Tattenai and others (p. 223-225). What examples of irony can you find in the correspondence between Tattenai and King Darius? What support do you find that “the eye of their God was watching over” them?
- With Zechariah’s encouragement, the people completed the task God gave them. Who in your group needs encouragement? Make a list of specific needs to pray for, and check on them next week.
