When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, they sang to the Lord: “He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.”

Ezra 3:1-13

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled together as one in Jerusalem. Then Joshua 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 Festival 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 festivals 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.

Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and gave food and drink and olive 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.

They appointed Levites twenty years old and older to supervise the building of the house of the Lord. Joshua and his sons and brothers and Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Hodaviah[a]) 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 toward Israel endures forever.”

But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.

Why?

After many Israel paid attention to rebuilding the Temple of the Lord, in the Seventh month, they laid the foundation of the Temple of the Lord. 

It seems impossible to Israel they may rebuild the Temple of the Lord, so many people weeping and shouting joy.

After loss people of Isreal learned much more to love the Lord, for the grace of the Lord comes upon them so they may return from exile.

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1)v1-7 照神的律法書建祭壇、獻祭：只要有祭壇就可以獻祭，不是一定要有聖殿。祭壇即我們服事的禾場。他們服事如同一人，合一是復興的記號，神就會同在。

原有的根基上築壇在那裏跌倒，就在那裏起來，現已經立好的根基就是耶穌基督。早晚獻燔祭、住棚節（紀念曠野的日子）、甘心祭（即平安祭，思想神的恩典充滿、感恩奉獻）

奉獻之後繼續往前走，準備買建殿的材料。

2)v8-13 建立聖殿的根基：祭司、利未人、族長。喜極而泣！曾經失去過再回來更感到寶貴。更體會到神沒有離開他們。被擄70年，在政府鼓勵下再回來重建聖殿。難道我們也要經歷這樣的苦難才認識神的恩典?

思想我們的祭壇有祭物嗎？有火嗎？求神再次降下火來在祭壇上。

How?

Keep following the word of the Lord and meditating meaning of God's word in my daily life and be a good witness to honor the Lord.