Reading Assignment
Things To Consider
- Unity in difficulty – they worked as one man.
- The altar was the place of sacrifice, repentance, rededication, and acceptance by God.
- Repair the relationship with God before repairing anything else.
- The people returned to their worship as they did before the exile and it must have been somewhat surreal because they must have wondered if they would ever return.
- They were reminding themselves of the greatness of God as they celebrated in the ways following the Exodus.
- The joy of returning was mixed with the pain of the sin that caused the exile.
- Celebration was followed by opposition.
- This is Samaritan opposition.
- It quickly changed to hostility.
- Stopping their work must have been disheartening.