Wed.’s Devo - Finishing the Work

Read: Ezra 4:24-6:22; 1 Corinthians 3:5-23; Psalm 29:1-11; Proverbs 20:26-27 The work on the Temple had stopped. The prophets Haggai and Zechariah prophesied, encouraging the people to continue building and to trust in the Lord to help them. Zerubbabel and Jeshua started building again. *** Tattenai, the governor of the province and Shethar-bozeni and their colleagues came to Jerusalem to ask them who gave them permission to start building again. They wanted the names of all the men working on the Temple. They sent Darius a letter concerning what the Jews were doing but they didn’t have them stop until they heard back from Darius. *** The letter said that when they asked the workers for a list of workers and who had given them the authority to start building again they said that they were servants of the God of heaven and earth. King Cyrus had sent them to rebuild it and had given them all the things that he had taken from their first temple. 
 *** Tattenai asked that King Darius make a search in his archives to find out if this was true. *** When the letter reached Darius, he did make a search and found the decree by Cyrus. He sent back a letter telling them to let them build and to help them by paying the full construction costs from taxes they collected. They were to give the priests all the bulls, rams and lambs needed for their sacrifices as well as wheat, salt, wine and olive oil. If they didn’t do this they would be impaled on a beam pulled from their own house. *** So the work could continue on the Temple and the people were greatly encouraged by what the Lord was doing for them. *** The Temple was completed on the third day of the month of Adar. It was then dedicated with great joy. During the ceremony they sacrifices 100 bulls, 200 rams and 400 male lambs. Twelve male goats were presented as a sin offering for the twelve tribes of Israel. On the fourteenth day of the first month they celebrated the Passover and Unleavened Bread for seven days. There was much joy throughout the land. *** In Corinthians, Paul told them that the people they put on a pedestal like Apollos and Paul were just servants of God. He made it clear that Christ is the foundation and Apollos and Paul just built on that foundation. The material they used will one day be put to the test with fire and what was built of God will stand. *** Lord, may we build on nothing less than Jesus Christ and his righteousness.