NextWeeksChurchSchoolLesson - New Mount Moriah A.M.E. Church

THE IMPROVED ADULT TEACHER QUARTERLY

Lesson 5                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  June 30, 2013

                                                                                          JOYFUL WORSHIP RESTORED
                                                                                         LESSON SCRIPTURE: EZRA 1:1-3:7
                                                                                                  PRINT: EZRA 3:1-7

Key Verses: When the seventh month came, and the Isrealites ... gathered together in Jerusalem . . Jeshua set out to build the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as prescribed in the law of Moses the man of God. Ezra3:l-2(NRSV)

EZRA 3:1-7 (NRSV)

1   When the seventh month came, and the Israelites were in the towns, the people gathered together in Jerusalem.

2   Then Jeshua son of Jozadak, with his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel with his kin set out to build the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as prescribed in the law of Moses the man of God.

3   They set up the altar on its foundation, because they were in dread of the neighboring peoples, and they offered burnt offerings upon it to the Lord, morning and evening.

4   And they kept the festival of booths, as prescribed, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the ordinance, as required for each day,

5   and after that the regular burnt offerings, the offerings at the new moon and at all the sacred festivals of the Lord, and the offerings of everyone who made a freewill offering to the Lord.

6   From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord. But the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid.

7   So they gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant that they had from King Cyrus of Persia.

EZRA 3:1-7   (KJV)

1   AND when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.

2   Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.

3   And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord, even burnt offerings morning and evening.

4   They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required;

5   And afterward offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the Lord that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the Lord.

6   From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the Lord. But the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid.

7   They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia.

HOME DAILY BIBLE READINGS
June 24-June 30

Monday - Matthew 23:29-39 (Jesus' Lament over Jerusalem)

Tuesday - Jeremiah 7:30-8:3 (The Coming Judgment)

Wednesday - 2 Kings 24:1-12 (Jerusalem Falls to the Babylonians)

Thursday - 2 Chronicles 36:15-21 (The Destruction of Jerusalem)

Friday - Ezra 1:1-8 (Rebuild a House for God)

Saturday - Ezra 2:64-70 (The People Respond)

Sunday - Ezra 3:1-7 (Restoring the Worship of God)

INTRODUCTION

There is Gospel hit song made popular years ago by "MercyMe" with the title "I Can Only Imagine." In this song, the author tried to picture what it would be like to see Jesus, and to be in his presence. This came to mind as I took a second look at what it must have been like in Jerusalem when joyful worship was restored during the Festival of Booths, as noted in the text.

What would it be like to see a city of believers so joined together in a single purpose of worship that they were described as being like "one man?" The singleness of purpose and the bonds of unity had to be astonishing. What would it be like to see people so bent on worshiping God that they forget their personal circumstances, ignored that their place of worship was not all it was supposed to be, and just pour their hearts out to God publicly in thanksgiving? Undoubtedly this would change the atmosphere of the city. What would it be like to see worshipers give lavishly their time, their money, and their adoration publicly to God, recognizing that all they have came from God and it was right to publicly acknowledge this fact? For many of us we can only imagine. But maybe that imagination is all that is needed for us to assess the quality of our public recognition of God, and God's faithfulness to us over the years. How freely do we celebrate God publicly? Is this an issue only for the imagination?

BIBLE STORY

Despite the note above it may still be difficult for persons in the Western culture to picture the worship and celebration associated with the Feast of Tabernacles. Most of our major religious celebrations like Christmas or Easter span a day, and even when it is a "season," the associated events are held quietly in our churches and our homes. There are no continuous public outpourings of worship and celebration activities. On the other hand, the Festival of Booths or Sukkoth is a weeklong harvest worship celebration involving the whole community and the temple.

As we examine the selected text we see it gives highlights of the rebuilding by the returning exiles. Please note the leadership. As any good management consultant will tell you, leadership is key to productivity. In this situation the Jews observed the traditional structure for worship with the High Priest, priests, and assistants. It is noteworthy that Jeshua took the leading role. He was a descendant of Jozadak, who had been the High Priest at the time Judah went into exile. Maybe this was God's way of signaling a connection between the old (pre-exile) and the post-exile worship.

This signal of continuity was also evident with regards to the site of the altar. The new altar was built on old foundations, underscoring the link with the First Temple. The returning Jews did not seek to innovate: they went back to the structures and practices which had served them well in the past. Maybe there is a lesson here for us. If for any reason we feel a break in our relationship with God, we should not seek to find a new form of worship. In such circumstances we should simply revert to the old practices which connected us to God in the first place.

We also want to note two points in relation to verse 3:4. The text notes that the reinstitution of sacrifices was not accompanied by the laying of the temple's foundations. Fear of reaction by neighboring people accounted for this delay. It is amazing how fear can arise in us to hinder celebration of thanksgiving of God's goodness, even during the times we set for worship. The Jews here made a powerful statement.

Fear is acknowledged, but the people still built the altar anyway. They were bold enough to trust God as the prescribed sacrifices were offered. Perhaps, they perceived chilly relationships or even rejection replacing old bonds of friendship from their Gentile neighbors. Perhaps the fear came from their desire to please Gentile benefactors as their God began returning prosperity, military strength, and renewed confidence in their personal lives and nation. Would these benefactors now consider Judah a future threat in the political arena? Would financial under-pinnings for restoring Jerusalem, their worship center, be withdrawn just when a new day was dawning for them?

The enemy of our souls will use fear as a device to hinder our worship or our work in the Kingdom, but we must not allow this device to succeed. Like the people under Nehemiah who rebuilt the wall, we must commit to our worship and work even if it means having the trowel in one hand and the sword in the other. God did not guarantee that our work would be without threat; the guarantee is that we will prevail if we don't crumble under the threats.

LIFE APPLICATION

This passage underscored the importance the Jews attached to public worship and the traditional celebrations. Of course we are in a new dispensation where temple worship and the practices associated with such are no longer mandatory. Yet public worship and expressions of thanksgiving to God have their place. Corporate public expressions of thanksgiving remind us of the source of our blessings. It also is a powerful witness to non-believers. We should therefore make it a point to participate in corporate public worship and thanksgiving when there is opportunity. Maybe it is appropriate to remind ourselves of Jesus' words at Luke 9:26, "Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." A great way to practice not being ashamed of Jesus is to engage in corporate public worship as we have opportunity.

This passage also points us to having a healthy respect for the history and traditions of the faith community. It is those traditions that have made us what we are today, and those same traditions will serve the next generations equally well if we pass them on properly. This put us under obligation to be part of celebrations which focus on our history and traditions. In our A.M.E. Church context, this means participating fully in events associated with Founder's Day, Black Heritage, Black History Month, and the like. Not only must we participate, we must encourage and assist others to do so also. For example we can plan to sponsor or part-sponsor at least one teenager's participation in the Black Heritage and in particular Founders' Day celebrations. This is the tangible way to assist in the passing on of our history and traditions.

When we look at the traditional Jewish liturgical calendar we see a clear pattern. There is a progression through the year with a powerful culmination. It makes good sense to have such a pattern to our worship life. First it ensures that all the important religious events are given the spotlight at least once each year. Also such a pattern fosters growth for both the individual and the community of believers. We must therefore make it a point to know our calendar of worship and deliberately plan to be a part of the various events. Often this will mean setting vacation and travel times to suit the calendar. It may also mean controlling our finances to ensure we have the means to attend/participate in events as and when required.

The Jews who renewed their relationships with God through regular attendance to spiritual disciples of worship, to prayer, sacrificial offerings for their sins, giving of tithes and other offerings did so at some personal sacrifice and risk. At the time of the feast, of special sacrifices and offerings, the people gave more. We must likewise be prepared to do all that is needed for our time of special worship and celebration. The cost we pay may be in personal comforts, foregoing of vacations elsewhere, other adjustments to schedules, and of course finance. These however are but small things when we consider the benefits that accrue to us by participating in free, genuine, and regular worship

SUMMARY

The Festival of Tabernacles (Booths) was a major worship and thanksgiving event on the Jewish calendar. It highlighted the people's gratitude for how well God had served them in the past. The Festival of Booths or Sukkoth signaled the return to making worship of God, to showing God thankfulness and gratitude for daily provision. It signaled the importance to worship God on occasions other than the Sabbath in a grand way through the sacrifice of time, financial abundance, and service. We can live out our total trust in God by being ever-ready to participate in corporate public worship and thanksgiving on days set aside to remember faith milestones that have occurred in our personal and corporate lives as the body of Christ.

We must do this even though at times it will require us to make big sacrifices in time, schedules, and resources.

QUESTIONS

1. Do you think that Christians do a good job of public thanksgiving to God?

2. Do you think that Christianity today is a religion of convenience, allowing believers the freedom to participate in religious events as and when it is convenient?

3. Which Christian celebration brings you the most joy and why?

PRAYER

Dear Lord, like the Psalmist we know we must give you thanks with our whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation, for indeed great are your works towards us. You have been gracious and merciful to us by providing jobs, families, friends, food, drink, clothing, shelter, and victory over the seemingly insurmountable barriers in our lives. I thank you, gracious God, through your Son Jesus. Amen.

APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried; the third day He arose from the dead, He ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Church Universal, the communion of the saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

D E C A L 0 G U E

Superintendent-And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

School-Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law

Superintendent-Thou shalt not make unto thyself any graven image, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.

School-Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law

Superintendent-Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.