Peter tells us we are being built up, as living stones, into a spiritual house for God (I Pet. 2:5). The foundation of the house, as Paul tells us, consists of the apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone (Eph. 2:20). This symbol of the saints as a living dwelling place for God is not introduced in the New Testament, for in Isaiah we read:
“I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”
While those of Israel and Jerusalem may have thought Yahweh dwelt in Solomon’s temple, Isaiah proclaimed He dwells with any believer who is of a humble spirit. This is a wonderful picture, but there are certainly times when we feel, either individually or collectively, we have made a rather poor habitation for the God of heaven.
A people return
We are not the first servants of God to think our temple is inferior. In the early chapters of Ezra, we read of exiles returning from Babylon to Jerusalem. The king’s decree had gone forth to build a temple for Yahweh in Jerusalem. While the decree was joyously received, it still required devout and courageous people to go forth to do the work.
Under the leadership of Zerubbabel (Sheshbazzar was his Babylonian name) 50,000 exiles returned, taking with them the holy vessels of the temple from Babylon. This is a large number of people to move across the length of the fertile crescent, but a small number to set up a nation with the strength to build and maintain a temple. Solomon employed 150,000 workers on his project (I Kgs. 5:15).
Joyous worship
Zerubbabel settled the people into their places and called a great assembly. The first thing they did was to set up the altar for sacrifice. The regular worship of feasts and offerings was then re-established, even though the temple itself still lay in ruins. They clearly understood that, while the temple was to be the center point of worship, acceptable worship was possible before the temple was rebuilt – although this was no excuse for failing to complete the project.
In Ezra, we have the picture at the feast of tabernacles, the priests and the altar, the vessels and tools returned from Babylon, the people assembled, the smoke of the offerings and the voices of the choir ascending to the glory of God. It is a time of great joy as they set about to the work of rebuilding the foundation of the temple.
They worked in faith, fully expecting to restore their system of worship and service. The temple to these courageous and devout people was not simply a building, it was to be a place where God would be glorified.
Trouble stops the building
But the building was stopped. When the surrounding peoples opposed the work, eventually writing to reverse the king’s decree, it seemed that all their heroic efforts would come to nothing. Some began to say the time had not arrived to build the Lord’s house. They seemed to be right, because for 17 years no more progress was made and, at one point, the royal governor intervened to stop their work by force of arms (Ez. 4:23).
We’ve all seen similar discouragements, when all our efforts to build up a house for God meet with failure. Do we also conclude that God intends us to stop?
Encouragement to begin again
It was not long before God sent prophets telling the people to resume their work: “Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord” (Hag. 1:8).
Zerubbabel, Joshua the priest and all the people responded and began again the work of building a temple for the Lord. It is true that unless God builds the house, they labor in vain that build it: and equally true that if God builds the house, all their enemies will not prevail against them. They set boldly about the work, continuing when they were challenged and determined not to stop even though the king was again urged to stop them.
Zerubbabel would finish the job
All of this provides background for a really marvelous passage in Zechariah 4:8-10:
“Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and they shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.”
Why was it important that Zerubbabel himself would finish the temple? On one level, it was assurance to the people that, after all their long labors, the work would finally be finished within the life span of this one man. Yet more importantly, this is a pattern for those to come whose work would be led by one greater than Zerubbabel. This passage takes us beyond that day to our own, and to the temple we are now building and will build in the resurrection, under the direction of the Lord Jesus Christ.
As Hanani the seer said, “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him” (II Chr. 16:9). God can use our efforts for His glory, even if we ourselves think them unworthy.
Take courage and don’t quit
Many of those early saints found their own efforts disappointing. Haggai encouraged them:
Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts: According to the word that 1 covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.”
Here we can find comfort for those who, seeing the foundation, cannot see the finished building in its glory. But the foundation is well laid indeed, and the master builder is still on the job. He who has laid the foundation will also finish the work; it is not up to us alone to finish; he will bring it to a successful conclusion. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).
Not only is this prophecy an encouragement for the workers; it is also a warning for those who do not earnestly pursue the work of building a temple for God. The plummet is in his hand: he will direct the work, correcting what is out of line and judging what is good in our work.
It is all too easy to look at the temple in its current unfinished state and think “Is this a temple?” or, “Is this the best we can do?” But such a thought is wrong in assuming that we are alone in the work. Christ who began the building will also finish it; and he will build it right.
Before us on the table lie the emblems of an immovable foundation of a perfect life, given perfectly in love, to God and His people. As we share this memorial, let us consider how we should build on that foundation.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One