Many times in life, I find that things change only because I made the decision that a change needed to happen and I needed to change. We usually come to that place when the pain of not changing becomes greater than the pain of making a change. There is always fear in change, the fear of the unknown. We fear that perhaps the change will be incorrect or the cost of the change will be too much. However, we make a decision to press on and change despite our fear because we believe the outcome of change will be good.
There is a story of Israel in exile. It was their sin, that caused to be exiled. They were permitted to return to Jerusalem by Cyrus who was king.
“When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled as one man in Jerusalem. Then Jeshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices. Then in accordance with what is written, they celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles with the required number of burnt offerings prescribed for each day. After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings, the New Moon sacrifices and the sacrifices for all the appointed sacred feasts of the Lord, as well as those brought as freewill offerings to the Lord. On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, though the foundation of the Lord’s temple had not yet been laid. ” (Ezra 3:1–6, NIV84)
One person inspired the other priests to make a decision to follow God and to rebuild the altar. They also began worship at the altar with sacrifices as God had commanded. They had made a decision to once again obey the Word of the Lord. It says that the priests did this “Despite their fear of the peoples around them”. The altar is the place of sacrifice. It is the place of confession and humility. In the humility of obeying the Word of God, they laid the foundation for the restoration of their people. The priests wanted God more than they wanted approval of the people. They cared about holiness more than the opinions of the people around them. They were willing to pay a price for change. The price was the decision to obey God regardless of the fear and the people around them.
The outcome was that after the altar was rebuilt and humility, obedience, and sacrifice was established by the leaders, the people began to rebuild the temple of the Lord.
“Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and gave food and drink and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they would bring cedar logs by sea from Lebanon to Joppa, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia. In the second month of the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak and the rest of their brothers (the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem) began the work, appointing Levites twenty years of age and older to supervise the building of the house of the Lord. Jeshua and his sons and brothers and Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Hodaviah) and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together in supervising those working on the house of God. When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the Lord, as prescribed by David king of Israel. With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: “He is good; his love to Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. ” (Ezra 3:7–11, NIV84)
It began with the offerings to God and ended with the people praising God. The people declared the goodness of God even in the midst of their exile.
It is time to rebuild the kingdom of God in our land and in our cities. It will start with leaders who will rebuild the altars. It will start with leaders who will confess sin and acknowledge the goodness of God. It will start with leaders who with humility will decide that their must be change. These leaders will begin to fully obey God’s Word in spite of their fear of the people around them. These leaders will inspire the people to begin rebuilding the house of God. These leaders will become the catalyst of change bringing a nation once again to worship and praise.
May God raise up humble leaders who will rebuild the altars.
It is time to live holy. It is time to begin to fully obey God in our own lives. It is time to sacrifice. It is time to embrace humility and find the power of God for change.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. ” (Hebrews 12:1–3, NIV84)
