Saturday 16th May
Read Ezra 6:13-18
“Then, because of the decree King Darius had sent, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates carried it out with diligence. 14 So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia. 15 The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.
16 Then the people of Israel – the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles – celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy. 17 For the dedication of this house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred male lambs and, as a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, one for each of the tribes of Israel. 18 And they installed the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their groups for the service of God at Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.” (NIVUK)
After being kick-started by two prophets, the temple building was completed in the same amount of time as the much larger Solomonic temple and the author tells us the dates to make this clear. Similarly, the sacrifices offered reflect the original temple dedication (but at a fraction of the size).
What is emphasised is the sin offering for the twelve tribes and adherence to the covenant passed down through Moses. There is a deliberate attempt to create continuity with the traditions of the past and link the new returned community to the covenant.
How much of our decision-making is guided by tradition? How are our decisions affected by being relevant to our current community and are there costs associated with shifting from traditional positions? Is there an appropriate balance and what principles should guide that?
