The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1905-10-26
Rebuilding
the Temple
Sunday School Lesson Tor Oct. a. 1905
Specially Prspsrsd for This Psper.

Verses 10. II.
GOLDEN TExT.-"The temple Of Goo
Is holy, which temple ye are."--l Cor 3:17.
TINE From B. c. 63G-5I5 Peloubet "
dates; 9S6-Spring. Left Baby lon. b36
July. Arrived at Jerusalem 536-Thre'
months getting settled. Stakeholder. Al
tar set up. Worship begun. 536--May
Foundations OF temple begun. followed BY
10 years OF delay and opposition. $40
Work on temple renewed. $50 September
and October. Haggai, the prophet. prophe
sizes. November and December Zechariab
the prophet, prophesies. -four years morC
In building the temple. 516-Temple com
pletcd 10 years after its destruction.
PLACE.-Jerusalen and vicinity.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
INTRODUCTORY our last les.
son we saw a large body Of exiles leav.
ing Babylon with high hopes. and tri.
umphant songs of Joy. But the Journey
was long, tedious and full of hardships
There were 1880 Of them, according to
each Of the three versions eftant. But
the detailed numbers all come short OF
this sum, and 1t Is supposed that the II :
900 or 12,O0G not ranked in the list un-
der any place or family name were
1sraelties of the northern tribes. II
these left Babylonia in March (Apoc.
Esdras 5:6). they could not we'll reach
Jerusalem, after q journey Of nearly
800 miles. before some time in July. 1t
took Ezra four months to make the jour
ney (Ezra. 7:9). They found the city
In ruins, as II had lain for 50 years since
It's complete destruction by Nebncha ad-
nezzar. Trees were growing wild on
the Mountain Of the House, and the
jackals prowled among heaps Of shat
tered masonry. Crumbling stone-work
and charred timbers marked the site of
palaces and towers. and choked the
streets. The city walls and gates were
leveled with the ground. d.''-Hunter. The
first business Of the returned exiles was,
OF course, to provide some kind of dwell
ings for themselves and their families.
They accordingly settled in the small
cities surrounding Jerusalem. perhaps
repairing the houses and walls that had
been ruined by the besieging armies
years before, or contenting themselves
with huts or tents. The territory they
controlled was. Of course, small, and
hemmed In on all sides, including "only
Bethlehem on the south. while on the
north their territory measured no more
than rs miles in length by 20 in
BREADTH" and even upon this en-
croaehed the heather or mongrel popu-
lation.
v. 10. Builders laid the foundation: !"
The corner stone. or the first course.
This was made the occasion Of a great
ceremonial. PRIESTS in their apparel: "
The elegant and beautiful Official robes
used BY the priests in their celebrations,
especially the blue and scarlet and pur-
pie robes. with gold and gems, of the
high priests and others. described in
Exod. 80. With trumpets:" Not for
music; but like our church bells. for
summoning assemblies and joyful an
nouncements: Sons OF Asaph:" A
guild of singers named after the famous
singer and leader in the time of David
After the ordinance (order) Of David: :"
(See Chron. 15:16-21).
v. IL. Sang together by course:" r.
", zone to another" responsively
"He is good" ETC. See l Chron. 1884.
Al: Psa. LOG. 107, 1l8 They praised the
Lord The joy Of the younger people
who remembered the exile. hut had no
memory Of the Temple OF Solomon, was
very great.
v. IL. Ancient men, that had seen
the first house" which was destroyed
B. c. 5S6, 81 years before. They must
have been 60 or 10 years old "Wept
with q loud voice." The weeping was
not because the new temple was smaller
than the first. for It was larger comp.
Ezra 6:3; Kings So: Q Chron. 3:3, u.
They wept because Of the contrast be-
tween the beauty. the magnificence. the
gold and gems OF the old temple, and the
simplicity and poverty Of the new struc.
ture (Has. 2:3: Zech. 4:l0).
Ezra 4:1-5. Fifteen yeas B. C. $685.
$40. When the adversaries Of JUDAH"
The samaritans. and the foreign colon.
lists from Babylouia, Persia and Elam
Tvs. 8. 1o). which "Esar -hsddon king OF
Assur:" (Assyria) ". q. %. G. 7ao.7is)
and also Sargon and Asshur- banipal (B.
c. SSs) had sent to Samaria g Kiugs
l7:34). Thus they had lived IN samaria
l30 to 10 ysarS. For W seek your
God and We do saori0cs unto
HIM" But they did II In different
way, partially IN connection With other
'hings which would destroy the perfec.
lion and power OF the Jewish worship.
v. s. But Zerubbabel" and the other
leaders refused the alliance. Two views
4 the course pursued by Zerubbabei
have been taken. First Many have re-
sarded It a. . great mistake. piece Of
,arrow-mindsd. bigoted folly. which
made enemies Of those who should have
been friends. and kindled hatred and
ealousy, and lowered the moral tone
Ind cooled the zeal Of the new COLONY
'uch seems to be Geikie's view On the
'ther hand, RawlinsOn calls Il "an hero.
refusal Ia accept The material aid of a |
tch and powerful people at the risk of |
mperiling religious purity" Thus was
great peril averted."
Illustrative Points.
The temple was the symbol and tyne
Z coos spiritual temple. both the in.
ividual Christian and the whole peonls
I God Il Cor. 3:lO-l6).
The first thing for each one who would
uild the Temple Of the Church and of
ociety Is to be himself temple of the
Ioly Ghost.
The true Christian character when
'mpiete Is beautiful and costly tenn.
10. Compare Solomons temple. The
ziles temple was 20 years, and Herod's
'mple was Is years In building. but
any soul requires more years thar
l0se for its cOmDletiou