“And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.” — Ezra 3:1-2

British author and theologian C. S. Lewis once said, “Put first things first and second things are thrown in. Put second things first and you lose both first and second things.” Several decades later, the phrase “first things first” was popularized as the title of a best-selling book. Stephen Covey, the author, made that phrase the core principle of his time-management philosophy and explained that putting first things first meant organizing and implementing around your most important priorities. He stated, “It is living and being driven by the principles you value most, not by the agendas and forces surrounding you.”¹ In other words, it means doing what is most important before busying ourselves with other things! 

The people of Judah certainly did that in today’s text. Our focus verses indicate that the former exiles gathered “as one man” in Jerusalem and, as one of their first official acts, set up the altar of God—even before they erected the Temple itself! Rebuilding the altar was their first priority because daily burnt offerings were required by the Law of Moses. God had expressly commanded that sacrifices should be offered daily in the place that He appointed, so the people built the new altar upon the foundations of the old one. 

An online bookseller’s description of Covey’s book First Things First states that the author encouraged his readers to “make the changes and sacrifices needed to obtain happiness and retain a feeling of security.” The people of Jerusalem had made changes and sacrifices—they had left the developed culture of Babylon and undertaken an arduous, 900-mile-long journey to rebuild their native land and reinstitute the forms of worship God had ordained for them. No doubt they understood that to obtain happiness and retain a feeling of security, they would need to carefully follow God’s instructions. After all, their disobedience in the past had brought about seventy years of exile in Babylon! Their unified efforts to quickly reestablish true worship indicated that they had a purpose to live as God had commanded. 

There is a lesson for us in their example. While the phrase “first things first” may roll easily off the tongue, implementing it in daily life is more challenging. There are many rightfully important aspects of life that need our attention and devotion. When we add to these the demands, duties, and details of life, it is easy to become so preoccupied that we drift away from keeping God as our top priority. We must continually guard against being distracted by other matters and failing to ensure that our relationship with God is our focus. 

To accomplish this, changes and sacrifices may be required of us, just as they were of the people of Judah. When we put God first, we live with a purpose to obey His commands and the Holy Spirit’s direction. Setting aside daily time to spend in His presence is vitally important. As we begin each day asking God for guidance and the power to live in a manner pleasing to Him, He will help us keep our connection to Him the supreme priority of our lives. The result will be the happiness and feeling of security that comes to those who put God first!

^1. Franklin Covey, “Habit 3: Put First Things First,” FranklinCovey, February 26, 2024, https://www.franklincovey-benelux.com/en/resources/ habit-3-put-first-things-first/

BACKGROUND

Chapter 3 begins a description of the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem and the restoration of worship for the Jewish people. This description continues through Ezra 6:15. In this portion of the account, the returned exiles rebuilt the altar of sacrifice on its ancient foundation, observed the Feast of Tabernacles, and laid the foundation for the Temple. 

Although no year is specified in verse 1, “the seventh month” referred to the seventh month of the exiles’ first year in Jerusalem because verse 8, which gives a date for the laying of the Temple foundation, includes the phrase “of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem.” The seventh month was important on the spiritual calendar of Israel, because in that month the people traditionally celebrated the Day of Atonement, the Day of Trumpets, and the Feast of Tabernacles. The fact that the “people gathered themselves together as one man” was a sign of spiritual commitment and unity among the returned exiles. In a time of limited resources and with much work to be done as they resettled the land, they took time to observe the command to gather in Jerusalem for these feasts. 

Alexander Maclaren, a well-known Bible expositor of the late 1800s, commented, “There was barely interval enough for the returning exiles to take possession of their ancestral fields before they were called to leave them unguarded and returned to the desolate city. Surely their glad and unanimous obedience to the summons, or, as it may even have been, their spontaneous assemblage unsummoned, is no small token of their ardour of devotion… It would take a good deal to draw a band of new settlers in our days to leave their lots and to set to putting up a church before they had built themselves houses.”² 

During their seventy years in Babylon, the Jews had not been able to offer any sacrifices, as this could only be done in Jerusalem (see Deuteronomy 12:5-6). Verse 2 records that one of the first official acts of the returned exiles was to rebuild the altar for burnt offerings and other sacrifices, even before the foundation of the Temple was laid. While verse 3 suggests that the immediate construction of the altar was due to fear of the surrounding neighbors, Jeshua and Zerubbabel and the other leaders understood the people’s need to perform acts of dedication to God. They were aware that the neglect of the altar of God in the past had caused the people to become contaminated by the idolatrous practices of the nations around them. To prevent a repetition of that failure, the leaders immediately set up the true altar according to the instruction given in Exodus 20:25. 

Verse 4 indicates that the people kept the Feast of Tabernacles, a seven-day festival that was a reminder of God’s guidance and protection during their wandering in the wilderness. (Leviticus 23:33-36 gives a description of this Feast.) In this first observance since their return, the people also brought freewill offerings to the Lord.

Once the Feast was completed, verse 7 indicates that the people gathered the materials required to begin the building of the Temple and hired the needed workers. Cedar trees of Lebanon were legendary for their excellent timber. Procuring them was an indication that the leaders of the exiles not only wanted to use the best possible materials in construction, but also the same types of materials that were used in the previous Temple (see 1 Kings 5:6). The “grant that they had of Cyrus” was not only financial support from the royal treasury but was also legal permission to build the Temple. 

Verses 8-13 describe the laying of the foundation of the Temple, which took place in the second month of the second year after their arrival in Jerusalem. Significantly, the site was called “the house of God at Jerusalem” even before the Temple was built. Setting the foundation in place was a memorable occasion. The priests were dressed in their ceremonial apparel, and musicians were present to praise God with instruments and song. Spontaneously expressing their joy that an important step was being made, the people “shouted with a great shout” (verse 11). However, there were some present who had seen the former Temple and remembered its splendor. The contrast between the former glories and the present humble surroundings brought tears, and the weeping of the aged ones mingled with the sounds of rejoicing.

^2. Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture, Vol. III (Grand Rapids: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1944), 284.

AMPLIFIED OUTLINE

I. The reconstruction under Zerubbabel
    B. The rebuilding under Zerubbabel
         1. The rebuilding of the Temple
             a. The work started (3:1-13)
                 (1) The erection of the altar (3:1-3)
                 (2) The observance of the feasts (3:4-7)
                 (3) The laying of the Temple foundation (3:8-13)

A CLOSER LOOK

1. Verse 1 states that when the seventh month was come, the people gathered themselves together as one man in Jerusalem. According to verses 2-4, what did they do there at that time?
2. The Israelites procured masons, carpenters, and materials needed for construction from Zidon, Tyre, and Lebanon to the sea of Joppa (see verse 7). What might have been their purpose in doing that?
3. What steps can we take to ensure our spiritual foundation is solid and we are building our lives as God would have us?

CONCLUSION

When we purpose to serve God wholeheartedly and make Him first in our lives, our souls will prosper, and God’s blessing will be upon us.