This Ezra 3 Bible study contains outlines, cross-references, Bible study discussion questions, verse by verse commentary, and applications. Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group.
Ezra 3 Bible Study Commentary With Discussion Questions
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Outline
I. Sacrifices renewed (3:1-7)
II. Foundations of the temple are laid (3:8-13)
I. Sacrifices renewed (3:1-7)
Discussion Questions
- What can we learn from verse 1 about the spirit of the people?
- Why was it important for them to be unified in the work (gathered together as one man)?
- Are you on any team in which unity is important? Why?
- What are some of the most common causes of disunity then and now?
- What is the first thing they did after gathering at Jerusalem?
- Why do you think they set up the altar so soon after returning?
- Why were they terrified of the people, and what is the relationship between this fear and their setting up of the altar?
- Besides setting up the altar and beginning daily sacrifices, what else did they do?
- What do all of these things show about the peoples’ hearts and relationships with God?
- Do you remember the reason why they were exiled in the first place (discipline for sin)? Based on this passage in Ezra 3, have they learned their lesson?
- What can we learn from this about how we should respond when we are disciplined by God?
Cross-References
Verses on Unity
Philippians 2:2 – Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.
Colossians 3:14 – And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
1 Corinthians 1:10 – I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.
Philippians 1:27 – Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel.
Ephesians 4:3 – Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Verses on Fear
2 Timothy 1:7 – For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
Isaiah 41:10 – So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Psalm 56:3-4 – When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
Psalm 23:4 – Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Joshua 1:9 – Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Verses on Repentance
2 Chronicles 7:14 – If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. The people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. This shows a genuine sense of unity among the 42,000-plus people who returned to the land. It appears that every single person showed up. They arrived with a common purpose, not each with his own motivations. It can be hard to get two or three people together with this complete unity, much less gathering over 40,000, demonstrating this is quite a remarkable event.
It was important for them to be unified, especially because of their circumstances. Jerusalem was in ruins. There was no wall. Most of the structures were decayed and demolished in the seventy years since the people were exiled, including the temple and the altar. As we will see in the next chapter, the people of the lands around them hated them and sought every chance to destroy and distract them.
The people of Israel had to learn to put aside any petty differences they may have had and work together, or their very existence as a nation would be in jeopardy. This was not like their last entrance into the Promised Land. The first time, they were 2 million strong. They had a powerful army of 600,000 warriors, which struck fear into the people of the land. Now, the situation was almost reversed. They are the “weaklings” surrounded by nations more powerful than themselves. Unity was essential.
2. Yet, in many cases, even though unity is essential, people are unable to unite. Why do you think the people could unite in this situation? We learned back in Ezra 1:5 that it was God who stirred them to return. God was in charge of this movement back to the land.
They were surrendering to God’s leadership and depending on Him. Where unity is impossible to achieve on our own, God can give it.
Application and Discussion: Is there any area where you are struggling with unity? What do you think God wants you to do about it? What have you found to be some of the top reasons for disunity?
3. The very first thing the people did as a group was rebuild the altar and re-establish the daily sacrifices. This could have been low on their list. There were certainly many other pressing things they needed to do, such as rebuilding their houses or tilling the soil for their farms. Crops had to be planted. Walls had to be built. Wells had to be dug. The list goes on and on.
But it doesn’t appear that they did those things, or at least they probably didn’t finish them (for example, we know they didn’t finish the wall). The people were faithful to put God first. They wanted to start off on the right foot after returning to the land, which meant making God the priority and trusting Him to keep His promises for them (see Jeremiah 29:11) and take care of their needs, which were many.
Application: What application can we learn from this? Is there anything you need to do to put God first in your life? Or are you taking care of yourself first and then giving God the leftovers?
4. The people were terrified of the people in the land, undoubtedly a natural reaction to their situation. The returned nation was vulnerable and not able to defend themselves well. How did their fear cause them to react?
It seems that this fear was part of the driving force that motivated them to build the altar. In other words, their fear of the surrounding people drove them to God and to seek His blessing and protection.
Is fear acceptable? Fear itself is a natural reaction to some dangerous situations. We can have two responses to fear. We can let fear paralyze us and keep us from doing what we should do. In the Israelite’s case, that would have meant running away or huddling up together in their houses. Or we can confess that we do feel afraid and turn to God for help.
This appears to be what they did. If you see a person drowning in a flood, it would be natural to be afraid of jumping in to save that person. We can allow our fear to keep us from helping the person, or we can say a quick prayer and leap in.
Application: Is there any situation that you are afraid of? What is the root cause for this fear? How does God want you to deal with it?
5. In addition to building the altar and sacrificing the burnt offerings, the people celebrated the Feast of Booths. During this time, the people of Israel would annually move out of their houses and live in tents to remember their time of sojourning in the wilderness. It was a time to remember the hardships God had brought them through, but also to set aside their normal busy life and distractions and spend time talking together about God’s goodness in their history, both individually and as a nation.
But sometimes these festivals were not convenient. For centuries, even stout believers often stopped short of keeping all of the prescribed festivals. For whatever reason, this national gathering to celebrate God’s providence in their history was rarely observed. But this group of people was clearly determined to follow all of the law, even those parts that weren’t extremely convenient. They wanted to get off to a good start in the land by faithfully obeying the laws that Moses had passed on from God.
Application: Are you perhaps picking and choosing which laws to obey, as many Israelites in their history had done? Do you obey only when it is convenient, or are you determined to obey everything God has commanded? Which of God’s commands are the most difficult for you to keep?
6. My impression from this passage is that the people repented. God disciplined them by exiling them for 70 years. This discipline was meant to bring them back to God again by showing them that sin had consequences. At least for the time being, they got the message and were determined not to repeat the same mistakes their ancestors had. We must also respond properly to discipline. Do not grow bitter because of discipline. Instead, accept it, repent, and move on.
II. Foundations of the temple are laid (3:8-13)
Discussion Questions
- What did the people start doing the next time they gathered together?
- Who helped with this task? Do you think everyone did the same thing?
- What different tasks would have been necessary?
- What principles do we learn about teamwork here? How about using your own abilities?
- What do we learn about the team in verse 9 (unity)?
- What were the leaders doing (overseeing)? What is involved in this?
- After they finished the foundations, what did they do? Why?
- What can we learn from this about their attitude toward God? Who got the credit for their successes and accomplishments?
- Why were some of the people sad?
- Is there any lesson we can learn from the fact that the second temple was not nearly as beautiful/awesome as the first one?
Cross-References
Verses on Praise and Worship
Psalm 150 – This entire chapter is a famous Psalm of praise.
Psalm 100:2 – Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
Colossians 3:16 – Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. The next project was to rebuild the entire temple, not just the altar. The people wanted to finish what they started. While this project was much more difficult, they intended to do it, again demonstrating their heart and desire to serve God back in the Promised Land.
2. One phrase strikes me from verse 8. That is “and all who came from captivity in Jerusalem.” Everyone was taking part in this. Certainly, many of them did not have elite skills for building. But there was something each person could do. Maybe it meant cooking for the workers or gathering food. Perhaps it meant carrying equipment or materials from one place to another. Others could haul water for or clean up after the animals. There was no shortage of tasks, and everyone jumped in to do what they could to help.
3. We see two points from verse 9. Firstly, the leaders in charge of the project were unified. This carries on from the first half of Chapter 3. Unity is essential when any large group gathers to carry out a difficult project. Secondly, they were overseeing the workmen. The leaders did not do all of the work, but they supervised the process. That likely meant delegating jobs, finding out who was good at what, assigning people to smaller teams, and making an overall plan.
Application: This situation is similar to that of the church. A church is also a large group of people. In this group, there are many skills/gifts. There are some leaders who can oversee. But there are also many other tasks needed to accomplish the mission (building up the body and carrying out the great commission). There is something everyone can do, and each person’s gift is valuable and important. Leaders should strive to motivate those God has called them to serve to take part. Those who attend should not just be observers but should jump in to volunteer to help.
4. After finishing the first stage of the project (foundations), the people stopped to praise and worship God. They didn’t become prideful in their accomplishments. Instead, they gave all the credit and glory for their restoration to the Lord, to whom it belonged. They were thankful that after 70 long years, God had fulfilled His promises to them, bringing them back safe and sound and giving them favor in the eyes of Cyrus. He gave them unity and enabled them to begin rebuilding the temple. Indeed, God was faithful to them and deserved all of their praise and worship.
Application: Is there anything you would like to thank God for? Is there anything you want to praise God for? As believers, we should have a habit of telling others what we are thankful for and praising God to one another.
5. While most people were joyful because the temple was being rebuilt, a few felt a bit differently. These were the very elderly who had, as children, seen the original temple. In contrast, the new one was pitiful. To them, this offered a clear disparity that showed them just how far the nation of Judah had fallen. Although God had forgiven them and restored them, the position they were restored to was not as high as the position they had before. This truth struck their hearts and likely reminded the people why this had happened. It happened because of their sin. We, too, should remember that while God is a forgiving God, sin has consequences.
Conclusion: In this chapter, the people are excited. They are united and working together in harmony. Faithful to God, they strove with all their hearts to keep all of His commands and worship Him fully. Everything is going smoothly and according to plan. Yet this is just the time when Satan wants to attack and get us off track. See the next chapter to read about the practical difficulties the people will begin to face as they seek to follow the Lord.
For our closing prayer today, let us each one offer praise and thanks to God for the things He is doing in our life.
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