Altar Rebuilt and Sacrifices Resume

In the seventh month after returning to Jerusalem, the people assembled as one in Jerusalem. Despite their fear of the surrounding peoples, Jeshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests, together with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, built the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses.

They rebuilt the altar on its original foundation and began offering burnt offerings to the LORD both morning and evening sacrifices. Then they celebrated the Festival of Tabernacles (Sukkot) as prescribed, offering the specified daily burnt offerings. After that, they presented regular burnt offerings, New Moon sacrifices, and sacrifices for all the LORD’s appointed festivals, as well as freewill offerings.

Remarkably, this all happened before the temple itself was rebuilt—on the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings, though the foundation of the LORD’s temple had not yet been laid.

This restoration of sacrificial worship accomplished several things:

Reestablished covenant relationship: Even without a temple building, the altar allowed Israel to worship according to the Mosaic law

Demonstrated priorities: Before building homes or commercial enterprises, they prioritized restoring proper worship

Required courage: They built “despite their fear of the peoples around them”—neighboring peoples who had settled in the land during the exile were hostile to Jewish restoration

Fulfilled the Law: They carefully followed what was “written in the Law of Moses” and celebrated “as prescribed”

The resumption of daily sacrifices marked the restoration of Jewish religious life after 70 years of interruption—a powerful symbol that God’s covenant with Israel continued despite the exile’s devastation.