How does Ezra 3:5 connect with other scriptures about sacrificial worship? Setting the Scene: A Freshly Lit Altar Ezra 3 describes the exiles returning to a ruined Jerusalem, clearing rubble, and rebuilding the altar before the temple walls ever rise. They know worship cannot wait for perfect surroundings. Verse 5 captures the moment the first full cycle of sacrifices begins anew: “Afterward they offered the regular burnt offerings, and the offerings for the New Moons and all the appointed feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, as well as the freewill offerings brought to the LORD.” Layers of Sacrifice Named in Ezra 3:5 • Regular (daily) burnt offerings • Offerings for the New Moons • Offerings for all the appointed feasts • Freewill offerings Each layer ties the restored community back to specific commands in the Torah and echoes earlier revivals of worship. Rooted in the Law of Moses Numbers 28–29 lays down the exact pattern Ezra follows: • Daily burnt offering: “Each day you are to offer two lambs a year old without blemish, one in the morning and the other at twilight.” (Numbers 28:3–4) • New Moon sacrifices: “At the beginning of each of your months you are to present a burnt offering to the LORD.” (Numbers 28:11) • Appointed feasts (Passover, Weeks, Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Tabernacles): spelled out in Numbers 28:16–29:40 • Freewill offerings: optional yet encouraged expressions of personal gratitude (Deuteronomy 12:6; Leviticus 22:17-19) By listing the same categories, Ezra 3:5 signals that the returned exiles place themselves under the unchanged Word of God. Echoes of Earlier Restorations • King Hezekiah’s revival: “So the service of the house of the LORD was reestablished.” (2 Chronicles 29:35) • King Josiah’s Passover: “No Passover like it had been kept in Israel since the days of Samuel.” (2 Chronicles 35:18) • Both moments, like Ezra 3, hinge on renewing the daily burnt offering first, then the calendar of feasts. Prophetic Glimpses Forward • Ezekiel’s temple vision assigns the prince to supply “burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings at the feasts, New Moons, and Sabbaths.” (Ezekiel 45:17) • Malachi foresees worldwide praise: “In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to My name.” (Malachi 1:11) Ezra 3:5 stands in the stream of these promises—God keeps His worship alive and will spread it. Completed in Christ, Continued by the Church • Hebrews 10:1-10—Animal sacrifices were “a shadow of the good things to come… by this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” • Romans 12:1—Believers now present themselves “as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual service of worship.” • 1 Peter 2:5—We are “a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Ezra’s rebuilt altar prepares the stage for Calvary, where the perfect, final sacrifice is offered. Takeaways for Today • God’s priorities have never shifted: regular, heartfelt devotion comes before impressive structures. • Scripture’s specific commands matter; obedience is worship. • Corporate rhythms (weekly, monthly, yearly) help God’s people remember His acts. • Christ’s once-for-all offering frees us to bring continual praise, generosity, and yielded lives as “freewill offerings” of the new covenant. Ezra 3:5 links the Law, the Prophets, the Gospel, and our own worship, showing one unbroken line of sacrificial devotion from the altar of Jerusalem to the throne of grace. |
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