The two prophets had spoken strongly to the returned exiles of Judah. Now Zechariah addressed himself deliberately to Joshua, the people's High Priest,

"Thus says the Lord of hosts; if you will walk in my ways, and keep my requirements, then you shall rule my house, and have charge of my courts"; with Haggai rejoining "Take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the Lord, and take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest, take courage all you people of the land, says the Lord, work, for I am with you."

Haggai and Zechariah had put their fingers upon the source of the trouble. Faith and zeal had sunk to a low ebb; there was no longer that heavenly vision which had inspired the first emigrants to wend their way across the desert with songs and thanksgiving on their lips, and their faces turned toward Zion. Because faith and zeal had waned, the enemies of Israel and of God had loomed nearer and more menacing, and in fear and doubt the work of God had been stopped.

Behold now the difference. The prohibition of the Persian king was still in force. "Cause these men to cease, and that this city be not builded, until commandment shall be given from me" (Ezra 4.21). The wrath of the king could still be backed by the military might of Persia if this handful of Jews dared to rebel against his express decree. The Samaritans, the ancient enemies at whose instigation the work had been stopped ten years previously, were still there, malignantly watchful, and would not hesitate to report any new activity to the king without delay. There was no change in the circumstances, no reason from the outward and material point of view why any fresh endeavour would not meet the same fate as past ones. And yet, most remarkable of happenings, the fervent preaching of these two youngsters so wrought upon the minds and hearts of the people that they forgot all their fears and apathy, regained their faith, and without so much as giving a thought to the king of Persia, rose up as one man to resume the building of their Temple. "Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel . . . then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem, and with them were the prophets of God helping them" (Ezra 5.1). That is only the bald historical notice of the happening; let the books of Haggai and Zechariah tell the splendid story in their own way, how that the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, and Joshua, the high priest, and all the people, so that they came and did work in the house of the Lord (Hag. 1.14), how the Lord promised "the glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former" (Hag. 2.9) and that wonderful award, set as a gem in this inspiring prophecy "from the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid . . . from this day will I bless you" (Hag.2.18-19). Let the splendid imagery of Zechariah's visions illuminate those joyful days, the view of Jerusalem inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein, of Joshua rescued from the accusers, of the prosperity of Judah and ultimately the defeat of all her enemies, and the kingship of the Lord established over all the earth. "At evening time it shall be light." The wonderful inspiration that we ourselves draw from this thrilling book we owe to the days when those two young men stood in the markets of Jerusalem and bade the people forget their fears, pay no heed to the mandates of that heathen king, and enter the service of the Lord their God in the building of His sanctuary.

Of course it was not long before the Samaritans were there again, taking particulars from the leaders, and sitting down to write another report to the Persian king Darius this time at Babylon. Note the difference in the spirit with which their questioning was met on this occasion. "We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was built these many years ago" (Ezra 5.11).

There was no fear and hesitation now; the same Zerubbabel and Joshua, the same builders and labourers, the same citizens, who ten years ago had laid down their tools at the king's behest now proudly declared their determination to continue. Last time they ran away from the lion ; this time they faced the lion and defied him, in the strength of the Lord their God.

And the sequel? Let Darius answer for himself, in his reply to the complainants, "Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in his place. Moreover I make a decree..." and Darius went on to command that assistance be given to these Jews in their work, with materials and money, and offerings to be made to God on the king's behalf; that any who hindered the work or violated the king's word should himself be put to death. The king personally invoked the wrath of the God of Israel upon all who would harm this house of God at Jerusalem. "I Darius have made a decree; let it be done with speed" (Ezra 6).

How often do we repeat to each other the old saying "Fear knocked at the door; faith opened it and no one was there!" Here is an instance where that principle was put into practice and a whole people reaped the reward of faith. But there was much more involved than the building of a house of prayer for that generation. It was from this day, when the Temple began to be built, that there commenced the development of that Jewish people, with its distinctive worship, to which Jesus came nearly five centuries later. It was at this time that the Old Testament as we know it was completed, in the sayings and writings of Haggai and Zechariah and Malachi, to be welded into an authoritative canon of Scripture by Ezra the pious priest fifty years later. Those enthusiastic and zealous Jews under Zerubbabel and Joshua, Haggai and Zechariah, built better than they knew when they defied the powers of this world and laid their hands to the Lord's work. They brought the work and the story of the Old Testament to its consummation and prepared the way for the New.

"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" (Ezra 6. 15). Four short years! In that brief space of time they had built the sanctuary, erected the great altar, set the golden vessels of Solomon's Temple, brought back from Babylon, in place, and were ready to reinstate the ceremonial and offerings that were commanded by Moses. It was nearly the season of the Passover. Nisan followed Adar, and from the third day of Adar there would only be some six weeks to the fourteenth day of Nisan and the celebration of Israel's most solemn feast.

It was in the spirit of this great awakening of faith and zeal that they kept the Passover, perhaps one of the most memorable that Israel had ever known. It was memorable because it made so deep an impression upon the minds of all who participated. It made that impression because it meant so much more to them than did an ordinary Passover. The usual year-by-year celebration reminded them in a perfunctory sort of way of their ancestors' deliverance from Egypt, but it had grown to be a custom having some historical interest that did not touch daily life very closely. This Passover was different. It denoted something more than their nation's deliverance from Egypt. It denoted something more than their own more recent deliverance from Babylon. It denoted each one's individual deliverance from the bonds of apathy and indifference which had well nigh cost them the loss of their favoured standing before God. It marked their entrance into a new life, a life in which God and His holiness was to be placed first and become the centre around which all of life's actions and activities were to circle. The glowing words of Zechariah had taken firm root in their hearts, and they could not wait for the then far-distant Millennial Age to realise their fulfilment, even although the real application of those words is to that Age. They must apply them to themselves at once, and they did. "In that day" he had said "shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar." Everything in life, whether normally finding its place in secular or sacred use, is to be holy to God. "Whatsoever ye do" said the inspired Apostle at a later date "do all to the glory of God." So that Passover became a time of renewed dedication of life, consecration of heart, to the service of the Lord of Hosts.

There is a great lesson for us in all of this; great doctrinal truth that we must take to ourselves. It is that cleansing must precede consecration, faith and zeal precede entrance into Divine favour and a place in Divine purposes. Not for nothing did the Apostles exhort the generation that witnessed Pentecost to repent and be converted so that times of refreshing might come from the presence of the Lord. (Acts 3. 19.) There is a great work of Temple building going on during this Age but God cannot use any in this work except they first be cleansed from all contact with the people of the land, separated completely to His service, and then be animated by that spirit of faith and belief, zeal and enthusiasm, which alone can make them mighty through God in the doing of His work. The powers of this world may threaten and forbid; it is the spirit that trusts in the over-abounding power of God Most High, that will defy the forces of unrighteousness and lay hands to God's work in full confidence that He will defend and prosper, that is triumphant at last. Once let us be fully persuaded, as Israel was persuaded by Haggai and Zechariah, that God's righteousness must assuredly prevail at the end and all the forces of evil be vanquished and flee away; and the battle, so far as we are concerned is won. We shall stand and see the Temple completed, and know that in that Sanctuary the Lord of all will find a dwelling-place and a place of meeting with all nations.

Zerubbabel and Joshua, Haggai, and Zechariah, and all the people with them "kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy, for the Lord had made them joyful . . . to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel." So the story ends at the last verse of that eventful sixth chapter of the Book of Ezra. "The joy of the Lord shall be your strength" said another. How true it is that joy comes from a full and sincere consecration of heart and life to the Lord, and a clear and definite separation from the interests and distractions of earth, the 'people of the land'. When there is a firm, unyielding resistance to every opposing and seductive influence, the enemies of our faith, this joy gives strength to overcome. We shall be like Elijah, who ate heaven's food in his time of extremity. So we will reach out to take to ourselves every spiritual provision that is made for our needs and remain unshaken by those things shaking the Earth today.

The feast of joy follows faith and zeal, never doubt and unbelief. We who have been set free from a great bondage are given the privilege of becoming Temple-builders. It is in the strength of God that we play our part in that work of building the Temple which is to be a house of prayer for all nations. As we share together in Passover let us remember that there was a time when the powers of this Age, the powers of evil, had to be defied before God's protection could be manifested and His work go forward. It may be so again. God grant that we are found, not like those who weakly acquiesced in the command to stop work, but those who joyfully and zealously went forward to the execution of their Divine commission, trusting their God for defence while they laboured in the interests of His work in the Earth.

AOH