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 Cyrus king of Persia.~
Ezra 3:6-7 (ESV)
Next steps – foundation
The first 7 verses are all describing the same time frame. They came together under the leadership of Jeshua and Zerubbabel to build the altar and started sacrifices. Realizing they needed to build not just the altar but the whole temple, they began arranging for the foundation to be laid. King Cyrus had already given them the resources needed.
Practical Provision
The leaders assessed what would be needed to lay the foundation of the building. They were going to need lumber – big, solid, trees – and lots of them. They knew their history so applied it with wisdom. Clarke’s commentary notes that, “They copied the conduct of Solomon while he was building his temple; see 1 Kings 5:11. He employed the Tyrians, gave them meat and drink, &c.; and this permission they now had from Cyrus.”
Out of order?
It seems a bit out of order to us; the foundation is always the first thing to do. Yet I would argue that it is indeed in the proper order. What is the foundation of their worship? Was it the temple? Yes, the temple represented the presence of God. But, as was noted in this article by Bible Project, the sacrifice first needed to exist to purify and cleanse of sin to allow a holy God to tabernacle (be present with) His people. The foundation is the altar.
Our order?
Is our foundation “out of order”? Are we putting the emphasis in the wrong place, “on the wrong sylláble” so to speak? Do we find ourselves even going so far as to worship the wrong things? It’s foolishness. Jesus has The name that is above every other name (Philip 2:10) and He alone has all authority and power (Matthew 28:18). Only He is worthy of our worship.
