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The Second Temple Dedicated
v. 13. Then Tatnai, governor on this side the river, Shethar-boznai, and their companions, the officials assisting them, according to that which Darius the king had sent, so they did speedily.
v. 14. And the elders of the Jews builded, they continued work on the Temple, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai, the prophet, and Zechariah, the son of Iddo. Not only did these two prophets awaken a proper enthusiasm in the people, but the Lord laid His signal blessing upon the undertaking, so that it progressed without hindrances. And they builded and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, as still recorded in the first chapter of Haggai, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes, king of Persia, this successor of Darius being mentioned on account of the gifts which he caused to be brought to Jerusalem by Ezra, Ezr_7:15-19.
v. 15. And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. According to one careful investigator the foundation had been completed in April, 536 B. C. and the entire building was finished on February 21:515 B. C.
v. 16. And the children of Israel, the entire congregation of the returned exiles, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy, even as they had celebrated the completion of the foundation,
v. 17. and offered at the dedication of this house of God an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, these being burnt offerings, and for a sin-offering for all Israel, twelve he-goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel, as at the dedication of the Tabernacle, the present congregation rightly considering itself the representative of the entire ancient people of Israel.
v. 18. And they set the priests in their divisions, as David had arranged for, 1Ch_24:1, and the Levites in their courses, 1Ch_23:6, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem, every division being entrusted with a special part of the work pertaining to the service of the Lord, as it is written in the book of Moses, Num_3:8; Num_8:14, the entire worship thus being once more instituted and ordered in accordance with the Law and ancient usage.
v. 19. And the children of the captivity kept the Passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month, very shortly after the dedication of the Temple, which may have taken place before the end of the previous month, at the end of the church-year, as soon as the Temple was finished.
v. 20. For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them were pure, having taken care to perform the rites of consecration, Exo_19:10, and to be cleansed from all Levitical defilement, and killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, for it gradually became the custom for the Levites to do the slaughtering of all the Passover lambs, since it was so easy for defilement to rest upon the average person in the congregation, and for their brethren, the priests, who were busy at the altar of burnt offering, and for themselves.
v. 21. And the children of Israel which were come again out of captivity and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, not only by renouncing idolatry, but also by being formally received into the congregation by the usual rites of washings and by circumcision, to seek the Lord God of Israel, did eat,
v. 22. and kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy; for this festival was merely a continuation of the Passover Feast; for the Lord had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria, of the Chaldean king, unto them to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel. They were enjoying peace and prosperity and were duly grateful to the Lord, the Giver of all good gifts, for His rich blessings. It is ever a source of joy for the children of God to be privileged to sacrifice prayer and thanksgiving to God, this attitude of mind being further stimulated when they see that God establishes the work of their hands, that the building of His kingdom is carried on successfully.