I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.
Today, I am reading and commenting on Ezra 3-5.
As soon as the returned Exiles got settled in they rebuilt the altar. They did this despite the fact that they expected opposition from those living in the land. Once the altar was rebuilt the priests among them began offering sacrifices on it. The following spring the returned Exiles began rebuilding the Temple. Once the foundation was completed the people who had been living in the area since the Exile found out that the Temple was being rebuilt and offered to help (well, actually they demanded to be allowed to help). The returned Exiles refused their help. This has always troubled me. It is my firm belief that we should accept the help of anyone who wishes to assist us in the Lord’s work.
A simple reading of this passage could lead one to reach the conclusion that the returned Exiles had made a mistake in refusing to accept help. After all, if the returned Exiles had accepted the help, those offering it would not have taken action to stop them from continuing with the building. However, a closer reading suggests that the offer of help was not as open ended as it appears. Those who had been living in the land who offered to help stated that they had been worshiping God just as the returned Exiles did since they were brought into the land. Yet, in all of that time, they had never rebuilt the Temple. More importantly, their phrasing suggests that they wished to have a say in the design of the Temple, or perhaps to build something which suited their worship practices along side of the Temple. Their offer of help came with conditions. In the same way in which the returned Exiles refused this help, we must be careful not to accept help in doing the Lord’s work from nonbelievers who will put conditions upon the project which will prevent it from being the Lord’s work. It would have done the returned Exiles no good to have completed rebuilding the Temple sooner if the rebuilt Temple had been dedicated to other gods in addition to God.