LESSON X.—SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1899
NOTE.—It is well for the student to study in connection with this lesson both the geography and history of the lesson. Read carefully chapters 3 and 4. Review the previous lesson. This work, it will be seen, was still under Cyrus, and the time B.C. 535, the second year after the close of the Babylonian captivity. It will be seen by the first part of the chapter that the first thing done by Zerubbabel, the governor, and Joshua, the high priest, was to set up the altar of God, and to return fully to the Lord's worship. They feared their enemies in the land, and earnestly sought God for protection. They raised money for material, amounting to about $400,000, and proceeded to the beginning of the temple work in the second year of their coming from Babylon, the second month. Ezra 3:8. 10 "And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the 11 Lord, after the order of David king of Israel. And they sang one to another in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord, saying, For He is good, for His mercy endureth forever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of 12 the Lord was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, the old men that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy; 13 so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people; for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off. 1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded a temple unto the 2 Lord, the God of Israel; then they drew near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of fathers' houses, and said unto them, Let us build with you; for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto Him since the days of Esar-Haddon king of 3 Assyria, which brought us up hither. But Zerubbabel, and Joshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia 4 hath commanded us. Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in build- 5 ing, and hired counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia." Golden Text: "The temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." 1 Cor. 3:17. (1) When was the foundation of the temple laid? See note above. (2) What song-service was arranged? V. 10. (3) What is said of this service? and how did the people respond? V. 11. (4) What contrast of feeling was manifest among the people? Vs. 12, 13. Note 2. (5) Who else heard of this building? V. 1. Note 3. (6) What did they say to Zerubbabel? V. 2. (7) What reply was made to them? V. 3. (8) What did the people of the land then do? V. 4. (9) How long did their work continue? V. 5. (10) In the building of what temple should we be interested? Golden Text. Note 3. 1. Wept.—They remembered the glorious magnificence of the temple built by Solomon in a time of peace and of unparalleled wealth. About $150,000,000 was then lavished on the temple in gold and silver. Now they were poor; their sins had left weakness and scars despite their return; and the old men wept over Israel's decline. While we may weep over our sins, let us not hide from us present glorious opportunities. 2. Adversaries.—These were the descendants of men that were brought by Esar-Haddon (B.C. 678) from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, Sepharvaim, to replace the children of Israel, carried away captive. These had mixed themselves with the Israelites remaining, had classed Jehovah as one of their gods to worship, and had followed that mixed idolatry. These were known as Samaritans. Of the true Scriptures they had only the Pentateuch. See 2 Kings 17. Of course those who were returning to the true worship of God could not enter into such a partnership. 3. The temple of God.—Primarily the individual Christian is the temple and kingdom of God. God must purify the heart; must rule in the life. The aggregate of such individuals form the church of Christ. This temple in the beginning, before sin entered, was pure and perfect. It has been broken and marred by Satan. Christ has undertaken the task of rebuilding it. Zech. 6:12, 13. Christ alone is High Priest of that temple. He has bought us; to Him alone we belong. No law should be acknowledged by us save His. We should build on no other foundation than His. We should completely and forever submit to the great Master Builder. Then He will make of each individual and of His whole church beautiful living structures, far surpassing Solomon's temple, and enduring forever.