Question 1

Why were the Levites appointed from twenty years old and up for the temple work?

Accepted Answer

The Levites were set apart to help direct and encourage the work on the Lord’s house. In this passage, the leaders appoint Levites from twenty years old and up to “set forward the work of the house of the Lord.” This means they were to oversee the workers, guide the building process, and stir people on in the task. Earlier in Israel’s history, Levites had begun service at an older age, but by this time twenty had become the normal starting point for their duties.

Question 2

What is the significance of laying the foundation of the temple in this passage?

Accepted Answer

Laying the foundation marks the real beginning of rebuilding God’s house after long years of ruin and exile. It is more than a building project. For the people, this means that public worship can be restored and that God’s presence among them is being honored again. That is why they bring out priests in their special clothes, trumpets, Levites with cymbals, and organized singing. Even though it is only the foundation, they treat it as a major moment and thank God for his mercy that brought them back and allowed them to start again.

Question 3

Why did the people praise the Lord saying his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel?

Accepted Answer

The people had been in captivity because of their sin, and now they were back in their land starting to rebuild the temple. As they saw the foundation laid, they sang that God is good and that his mercy lasts forever toward Israel. They knew they did not deserve this new start, yet God had kept them as a people and brought them home. By using this line of praise, they were admitting that their hope rested not in their own faithfulness but in God’s steady kindness and mercy that does not end.

Question 4

Why did some of the older priests and leaders weep when the foundation was laid?

Accepted Answer

Many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads had seen the first temple before it was destroyed. When they saw the new foundation, they remembered the former glory and realized this new building would not match it in splendor. That memory moved them to loud tears. There was some right sorrow over the sin that had led to such loss, but the passage also hints that their grief mixed with the general joy and could dampen it, because they focused on what was smaller now instead of fully thanking God for the mercy of a fresh beginning.

Question 5

Why could the people not discern the noise of joy from the noise of weeping?

Accepted Answer

On that day, both deep sorrow and loud joy were pouring out at the same time. Younger people and those who had only known exile shouted loudly because even a new foundation felt like life returning. Older people who remembered the first temple wept just as loudly because they saw how different things were now. The sounds blended together so much that an outside listener could not easily tell them apart. This shows how, in one and the same work of God, people can feel and express very different emotions without there being a fight between them.

Question 6

Who are Zerubbabel and Jeshua in this passage and what did they do?

Accepted Answer

Zerubbabel and Jeshua are the main leaders of the returned community. Zerubbabel is the civil leader, a descendant of the royal line, and Jeshua is the high priest. Together with the other priests, Levites, and people, they begin the work on the temple in the second year after the return. They organize the workforce and appoint Levites to direct the building. Under their lead, the community not only builds but also worships properly, setting priests with trumpets and Levites with cymbals in place when the foundation is laid.

Question 7

What does this passage teach about God’s character toward his people?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows God as good and full of long-lasting mercy toward his people. Even after their sin, exile, and the destruction of the first temple, he brings them back and allows them to rebuild. The people’s song, “for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel,” points out that their return and the new foundation are not earned by their goodness. They are gifts of mercy. God is also patient, working through small and humble new beginnings, and keeping his promise to stay with his people across generations.

Question 8

How can the mixed joy and sorrow in this passage help believers today?

Accepted Answer

The scene of shouting and weeping together reminds us that God’s work can stir different emotions in different people. Some rejoice over new beginnings, while others grieve what has been lost. Both responses can be honest. This passage encourages patience with one another’s feelings and calls us to thank God even for small starts. It warns against despising the “day of small things” and urges us to see any step toward restored worship or obedience as a mercy, even when it does not look as impressive as what came before.

Ezra 3:8

Temple Restoration Begins

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Ezra 3:8

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Temple Restoration Begins

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