The temple of Solomon lasted until its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar (2 Chroniciles 36); and Ezekiel describes the departing of the glory of the Lord from it, on account of the abominations of His people, ere it was consumed with fire by the Chaldees. (See Ezekiel 8-10.) During seventy years Jerusalem was desolate (2 Chronicles 36:21; Daniel 9:2); and then, “that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord God of heaven given me; and He hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.” (Ezra 1:1,2, and so forth.) The government, because of the sin of Judah and Israel, had been now transferred to the Gentiles, and God therefore wrought, in the first instance, through the instrumentality of Cyrus. The reader will find all the details of the return of a remnant of the two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, with priests and Levites, in response to the proclamation of the king, recorded in the book of Ezra. Not until the second year of their return did they “set forward the work of the house of the Lord.” “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. And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because He is good, for His mercy endureth 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. 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: 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.” (Ezra 3:10-13.)
They praised the Lord with cymbals; while the priests blew with their trumpets, and sang the same song when they laid the foundation as had been sung at the dedication of Solomon’s temple. But many wept—the old men who had been eyewitnesses of the splendor of the former house. The contrast was indeed great. That was built amid the glories of the—kingdom, and at a time when that kingdom was pre-eminent; a time also of peace, prosperity, and blessing; a period which typified the reign of the Messiah, when all kings shall fall down before Him, and all nations shall serve Him. This was commenced by a feeble remnant amid the desolations of the once-glorious city, which men called the perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth (Laminations 2:15), themselves the subjects of a Gentile monarch, dependent on him, by the will of God, for permission to build, and surrounded on every hand by adversaries. Still they builded; and finally, after much unfaithfulness on their part, the house was completed, and they “kept the dedication of the house of God with joy.” (Ezra 6:15-22.)
This house took the place of that which Solomon had built. There were, however, important differences. No cloud, no glory of the Lord filled this house, as in the case of the tabernacle and the first temple; and no fire descended from heaven to consume their sacrifices, as with Moses (Leviticus 9:24) and with Solomon. (2 Chronicles 7:1.) It is this fact which makes the parallel between this remnant and the Church so interesting. Thomas believed when he saw; but the Lord announced the blessedness of those who should believe without seeing. (John 20) This was the position of this feeble remnant as well as that of ourselves. That God accepted their sacrifices and dwelt in His house was with them entirely a matter of faith—faith as based upon God’s word, in the same way, for example, as the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of those gathered to His name is apprehended only by faith, faith begotten and sustained by His own word. (Matthew 18) But so completely did the Lord regard this as His house, that He even identified it with the one it succeeded. Speaking through Haggai, one of the prophets He had used to stir up the people and encourage them in their building, He says, “The glory of this latter house,” or, as it should be translated, “The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former.” (Haggai 2:9.) The house was but one—whatever its outward circumstances—in the divine mind, and hence God’s habitation is equally with Solomon’s temple.
This house existed until the time of Herod the Great, who rebuilded it (though we have no account of this in the Scriptures) on a scale of surpassing grandeur and magnificence, and it was this temple to which Joseph and Mary carried the infant Saviour when they presented Him before the Lord. And it is a most noteworthy fact that, built as it was by an alien king—for while he professed the Jewish faith he was probably of Idumean descent—the Lord Himself recognized it as His Father’s house. Surrounded, and even filled, as it was with corruptions He yet owned it (Matthew 21:12,13; John 2:13-16, and so forth.); and it was not until His rejection by His people had been made manifest that He refused it. Then He pronounced the sentence, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate” (Matthew 22:38); and thereon He departed and went out of the temple. In patience and long-suffering God bore with His people, and with the corruptions of His house until there was no remedy, and then He abandoned it, as He had done before with Solomon’s temple. On His part there had been judgment mingled with grace and mercy again and again expressed; on His people’s part sin and corruption, which reached their climax in the rejection and crucifixion of their Messiah Jehovah indeed who had condescended through so many centuries to have His habitation in their midst.
This closes up until millennial days the period of God’s earthly house; but even so it was only preparatory to the accomplishment of His purpose to dwell on the earth in a more excellent way. The consideration of this we reserve for another time, if He permit. E. D.