Tag: bsf questions answers lesson 10 day 3

photo of Ezra 3 and rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem from bsf exile and return study www.atozmomm.com

BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 10, Day 3: Ezra 3:7-13

by atozmom, posted in BSF Exile & Return: A Time to Build 2025/2026

Summary of Ezra 3:7-13

The people, along with Zerubbabel and Joshua, began rebuilding the temple. Levites supervised the rebuilding. When the builders laid the foundation, the people praised the Lord loudly.

BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 10, Day 3: Ezra 3:7-13

6) The masons and carpenters were paid. Food, drink, and olive oil were given as trade to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs up. The people began the work, and the Levites supervised the building.
7a) People were praising and thanking God using cymbals and song, but the older priests, Levites, and families were weeping as they remembered the old temple. There were shouts of joy and weeping noises. The sound was heard far away.
b) God working in your life can be extremely overwhelming to the point of tears. Happy times can be incredibly sad, too. This bittersweet feeling arises when a happy new beginning is deeply connected to a meaningful ending or loss. The joy for the future coexists with a sadness for what is now in the past.
8 ) God’s words about thinking about Him always. God’s faithfulness in all the daily processes.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 10, Day 3: Ezra 3:7-13

I love seeing the hard work and preparations that go into such a huge and important project. Everyone is participating, too. So great!

End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 10, Day 3: Ezra 3:7-13

Now that the altar was finished, the work on the temple could begin. Cedar trees from Lebanon were renowned for being the best. They were used by Solomon in the construction of the first temple (1 Kings 5:6).

Remember that the King of Persia, Cyrus, promised to help support the rebuilding of the temple financially.

Note the temple was called the house of God at Jerusalem.

The mention of the age of the Levites was important because the Law of Moses stated the Levites began their service at 30 (Numbers 4:1-3, 4:3-47), but David changed the age to 20 (1 Chronicles 23:24).

The priests were in ceremonial attire, the musicians sang praises, and the people joined in.

King Solomon spent billions of dollars on the first temple, and the old men knew this temple would be much simpler. They were happy at the restoration, but sad at the destruction of the first one. Some may even have seen the first temple destroyed. And, many things would be missing: the Ark of the Covenant, the mercy seat, manna, Aaron’s rod, and more.

Many say that the old men should not regret the past but look forward to the future. And, the prophets warned against despising this temple for its humble beginnings (Haggai 2:1-9, Zechariah 4:8-10).

END NOTES SUMMARIZED

Ezra 3:7-13 details the official start of the Temple’s reconstruction and the powerful, mixed emotional response of the community. It captures a pivotal moment of transition from planning to action, blending hope for the future with memories of the past.

The Work Begins

The leaders paid masons and carpenters and purchased materials, notably cedar logs from Lebanon, mirroring the process Solomon used for the First Temple. In the second year of their return, Zerubbabel and Jeshua organized the workforce, appointing the Levites to supervise the construction. The work officially began as they laid the foundation of the new Temple.

A Mixed Reaction of Joy and Sorrow

Once the foundation was laid, the priests and Levites led a ceremony of praise and thanksgiving to God. The younger generation, who had never seen the original Temple, erupted in a great shout of joy, celebrating the new beginning.

Simultaneously, the older priests, Levites, and family heads who remembered the grandeur of Solomon’s Temple wept loudly. Their tears were not of joy, but of sorrow, as the new foundation was clearly modest in comparison to the glorious past they had lost. The sound was so profound that the shouts of joy were indistinguishable from the sounds of weeping.

Conclusion

This passage marks the tangible fulfillment of the exiles’ mission, but it reveals the complex reality of restoration. The joy of a new start was mingled with the painful memory of what had been lost. It shows that rebuilding is not just about the future; it is also an act of confronting the past. The scene poignantly captures a community caught between hopeful celebration and sorrowful remembrance, united in a single, powerful sound.

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jesus calls matthew a tax collector in matthew 9 www.atozmomm.com

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 10, Day 3: Matthew 9:9-17

by atozmom, posted in BSF Matthew 2021/2022

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 9:9-17

Jesus called Matthew, a tax collector, to follow him. Matthew did. They ate dinner at Matthew’s house with other tax collectors and sinners. This was much frowned upon, and the Pharisees asked why was Jesus doing this. Jesus responded that he has come to heal the sick and the sinners.

John the Baptist’s disciples asked Jesus why he does not fast like they do. He replied that since he is here on earth, everyone should be rejoicing, not fasting. He says you don’t patch up old garments, making the tear worse, nor do you pour new wine into old wineskins.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 10, Day 2: Matthew 9:9-17

6a) That Matthew immediately gets up and walks away from his career and everything else.

b) First, many are curious about the author of the book, and it’s a great example of what you do when Jesus calls you. It also lends credibility to his words.

7a) The Pharisees asked the disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” This was deeply frowned upon in Jesus’s day; no one of faith mixed with known sinners.

b) Jesus responded that he has come to heal the sick and the sinners. Jesus is here to offer mercy and show God’s love.

c) Matthew 28:19-20 is the great commission: “Go and make disciples of all nations” and teaching them about God and to obey God. John 17:14-19 says how Christians are not of the world and Jesus prays for protection from the evil one and that they (disciples) may be santified as they enter the world, spreading the gospel. 1 Peter 3:13-17 says that you are blessed for doing good and be prepared to tell everyone about Jesus. It is better to suffer doing God’s will than to do evil. Set Christ apart in your heart.

Matthew challenges Christians to go out into the world shining God’s light. To go against the grain for Jesus even if you suffer for it. He says to do good rather than evil. To spread the Good News.

8a) “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

b) He replied that since he is here on earth, everyone should be rejoicing, not fasting.

The wedding guests: no one should be mourning while the bridegroom is with them.

The patched garment and wineskins: He says you don’t patch up old garments, making the tear worse, nor do you pour new wine into old wineskins.

Isaiah 43:18-19 talks about doing a new thing and how Jesus is making a new way for the world.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 10, Day 2: Matthew 9:9-17

Lots to think about in this lesson. We see how to follow Jesus: unequivocally. We see that with Jesus, it’s a new way. And, perhaps most importantly, we see it’s okay to go against the grain to follow Jesus and do things his way, not the world’s.

End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 10, Day 2: Matthew 9:9-17

Mark 2:14 reveals that Matthew as also known as Levi the son of Alphaeus. Matthew 10:3  tells us that there was another son of Alphaeus, James, who also was amongst the 12 disciples.

Tax Collectors in Jesus’s Day

Jews despised tax collectors (they aren’t liked now, either) because they collected taxes that then went to the Romans. This job pitted Jews against Jews, as they were seen as traitors. Tax collectors were paid on commission, which lead to many extorting others; whatever they collected over the tax amount, they got to keep. This meant the more they collected, the more they enriched themselves.

Jews considered a tax collector an outcast. They could not be a judge or a witness in a court of law, they could not attend synogogue, and they were most likely outcast by their immediate family, too. The price was high to be a tax collector in the 1st century A.D.

You will see the word “publican” used for tax collector in the King James Version, from the Latin word meaning “public revenue.”

Matthew left a lucrative career to follow Jesus. Out of all the disciples, he may have given up the most. Yet, he penned the first book in the Gospels. How cool!

Dinnertime

We see truly how Jesus came for sinners with his calling of Matthew. Odds are, Jesus used this opportunity to reach others who were sinners and needed Christ. This was most likely a large public gathering, not one in a home.

Jesus came for sinners, as seen in this scene. (Romans 5:8). Yet, the Pharisees don’t get it; they avoided sinners like the plague.

Jesus here quotes scripture Hosea 6:6 and essentially tells learned leaders to go back and read God’s word because they just don’t get it. “Go and learn” was a rebuke commonly used by religious leaders at the time to someone who should know better or learn more about what they are speaking about.

Romans 3:10 “There is no one righteous, not even one.” Jesus offers sinners righteousness.

“Why Not Fast?”

The disciples of John the Baptist were very strict on their religious followings. The Pharisees fasted regularly Luke 18:12), and Jesus already addressed how they only fasted for show, rather than for faith. (Matthew 6:16).

The day will come where fasting will be appropriate, but while Jesus is here, it’s not. Instead, it’s a time to celebrate.

The wineskins represent how Jesus will not repair the Old Covenant, but instead he’ll bring a new one. New wine into new wineskins means his new church will form a new body of Christ.(Ephesians 2:16).

There is no patch to the Old Testament; only new. Sometimes the old cannot be renewed.

Jesus as the bridegroom is another claim Jesus makes as God. In the Old Testament, God was the bridegroom and His people the bride. Here, Jesus is saying he is God with this analogy.

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