1 And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.
The seventh month was about the end of September to us. This is the time of the Feast Of Tabernacles. They had taken the time to build themselves temporary dwellings (quick houses, tents, etc.) and were now gathering to keep this feast commanded by God, and to see what needed to be done to the Temple.
2 Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.
They started with the altar to offer sacrifices on. Worship should always come first; before any other decisions or actions.
3 And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord, even burnt offerings morning and evening.
The people around them didn’t want them to rebuild. The heathen are never glad to see a true work of God start.
God had commanded that sacrifices be made twice a day every day, plus additional sacrifices on holidays. They have begun their return with obedience. A wise move.
4 They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required;
The Feast of Tabernacles was the last feast of the year commanded by God to Moses. They were required to build “booths” out of branches and live in them for a week (go camping) to remind themselves of their forty years in the wilderness. They were to give extra sacrifices and offerings, and not work the first and eighth day of the feast (in addition to whatever Saturday that happened to fall in the middle).
We are not required to keep any feasts now in the Church Age, but these feasts were given to teach valuable lessons. Even if we choose to not observe them we can learn a lot from them. In fact, I have often thought that the average American Christian doesn’t “party” nearly enough.
The Feast of Tabernacles reminds us that we are only “campers” here on earth. We haven’t arrived home yet. We still have Heaven to look forward to.
It might could also be used to justify an annual camping trip :-) Maybe our brains need the break from our normal life and home for this week, especially in this day and age of electronics. My family finds that a week away from all the gadgets (except non-internet connected Kindles, being glorified, easier to travel books) does us a lot of good.
5 And afterward offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the Lord that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the Lord.
Celebration of the New Moon began with Joseph in Egypt (Psalms 81. A New Moon always occures two weeks after a Full Moon and two weeks before the next Full Moon. It is when the moon is the least visible). Every month, the minute the first sliver of a moon was sighted (after the darkness of what we moderns call the “new moon”) Trumpets were blown and a party started, complete with sacrifices, feasting, and getting together with friends. It was also a time to ask God’s will for the next month and seek His blessings on their plans. We would do well to keep the spirit of this feast.
6 From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the Lord. But the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid.
7 They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia.
They made donations to bring the raw materials they would need to rebuild the Temple, as well as using the money that Cyrus had sent with them for the job.
8 Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the Lord.
Seven months after rebuilding the altar and restarting the daily, monthly, and holiday sacrifices (two months into the New Year), they began to work on the Temple itself.
9 Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites.
10 And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the Lord, after the ordinance of David, king of Israel.
When the work was begun, the Levites and priests began to play music. And we think music at a construction site began with the invention of portable radios!
11 And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because He is good, for His mercy endures forever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.
They had a party to kick off this construction project!
From the wording here, it appears the specific song they sang is Psalm 136 where the term “His Mercy endures forever” appears in each of its twenty-six verses.
12 But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:
Some of the old men who had been to Jerusalem before the captivity cried because of the horror of the ruins. Others wept and shouted for joy because the rebuilding had begun.
13 So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.
No one could tell the difference between the mourning and the rejoicing. They made so much noise, they were heard a long way away.