Ch 6 v15 The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.
This reminded me of your comment after Ezra 3 about how dedicated they were taking 2 years before laying a stone of foundation and here we see they don't finish until the 6yr of King Darius.
The really had dedication and determination to follow through on this for God. In the face of much adversity and just plane hard work they were not willing to give up.
For me its also a message of slow and steady plodding wins the day, its not a sprint. Am I willing to be this kind of servant for God. Not just in the moment of excitement but in the day to day grind in the face of adversity and over the course of years not just a few days....?
knut
I have to keep reminding my myself of the scope of this project. When I hear the word "temple", I think of a small building....around OHC size. But, this temple was MASSIVE. The stone used in its construction are the kind you look at and say, "how the heck did they move that?" This was an undertaking that would have involved everyone in the region. They say that 30% of the Chinese living during its time, worked on the great wall. This must have been similar. They weren't just slapping boards together either. They really cared about what they were doing. They would have been concentrating on the craftmenship and the overall appearance of their work. That takes even more time.
ReplyDeleteYou are right when you say they had the kind of dedication to God that we should have. Its an amazing testament to their faith, and a good lesson for us today.
tp
21 So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the Lord, the God of Israel.
ReplyDeleteI like this verse too. It talks about making a choice to be different than the people that are around you. Just to make it better for you to seek the Lord. I noticed it didn't say, "so the Lord would find favor with you".....it says, "in order to seek the Lord". We must act differently than our society, just to properly seek him.......WHOA!!!!
I'm not living that way, I can tell you that!
i missed the in order to part, yikes.
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