This House Finished on the Third Day - Ezra 6:15

In the book of Ezra, Ezra said, “Then Tatnai, governor on this side the river, Shetharboznai, and their companions, according to that which Darius the king had sent, so they did speedily. And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia”, and in chapter six and verse fifteen of Ezra, Ezra shared how, “this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar” where we read,

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.

The verse reads, “And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, ...” Ezra began with the words, “and this house” which means “and this habitation, abode and dwelling place” “was finished” or“was completed and brought to an end” “on the third day of the month Adar” or “upon the third sunrise to sunset pertaining in the month of Adar whose name means glorious which is the twelfth month and corresponds to modern March or April”. Ezra said the dwelling place of Jehovah God was complete upon the “third day” belonging to the “month” named “Adar”.

The verse continues, “... which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.” Ezra added the words, “which was in the sixth year” which means “that was within the sixth annual sunrises to sunsets” “of the reign of Darius” or “pertaining to the rule belonging to Darius whose name means lord and was known as Darius the Mede, the son of Ahasuerus, king of the Chaldeans, who succeeded to the Babylonian kingdom on the death of Belshazzar; probably the same as "Astyages" the last king of the Medes (538 BC)” “the king” which means “the royal ruler and leader”. Ezra said the temple of Jehovah God was completed in the “sixth year” of the “reign” of “Darius” the royal ruler and leader of Persia. 

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn through Ezra about the timing of the completion of the rebuilding of the temple of Jehovah God in Jerusalem. Though it about twenty years to rebuild the temple (516 bc), God's plan for the reestablishment of worship was finished. We can imagine the expectancy and excitement of the people of Israel as they would have a central location to express their love and compassion for Jehovah God. God loves the people of Israel, and He loves us. He wants to have a personal relationship with us through His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of the whole world. When we put our faith and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and give us the opportunity to worship and serve Him in this life and in the eternal life to come. 

Next time Ezra shares how the people of Israel, “kept the dedication of this house of God with joy”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".