1 By the seventh month, the Israelites had settled in their towns, and the people assembled as one man in Jerusalem.

2b … began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.

3 They set up the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD—both the morning and evening burnt offerings—even though they feared the people of the land.

4 They also celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles in accordance with what is written, and they offered burnt offerings daily based on the number prescribed for each day.

— Ezra 3:1, 2b, 3-4

5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me.

6 In burnt offerings and sin offerings You took no delight.

7 Then I said, ‘Here I am, it is written about Me in the scroll: I have come to do Your will, O God.’”

10 And by that will, we have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

–Hebrews 10:5-7, 10

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and love from Christ to you.

With the returning Israel exiles settled in their hometowns, the leaders of the expedition focused their first efforts on the spiritual welfare of the people. God’s law instructed His people to confess their sin and seek atonement by offering animal sacrifices. With the altar reconstructed, sacrifices could be reinstated and the annual sacred feasts celebrated. This had not happened for 70 years.

The restoration of God’s people depended upon the renewal of obedient worship offered to their faithful God. Acceptable worship requires sacrifice for sin. This is true in both the Old Testament’s symbolic sacrifices and Christ’s ultimate sacrifice to which all the slain animals pointed. Overcoming fear of their neighbors, the people gathered in Jerusalem to offer burnt offerings on the newly rebuilt altar. They began to offer sacrifices in the morning and evening on the first day of the seventh month. The returnees also kept the Feast of Tabernacles, as God had commanded.