Chapter 2
Even in Exile, the Israelites still kept a record of their genealogy. This was helpful in determining who was to be a priest or not. In the book of Exodus and Leviticus, God had set apart the Levites descendants of Aaron for priestly duties. If the Israelites were to stay in the land this time, they had to follow all the rules God previously gave them and his commandments. This meant only the people qualified by bloodline could perform certain duties in the temple. The genealogy was very useful for that.
However an issue arises in verse 61 where some families could not be identified in the records. One of them had actually married a woman and taken her family name, thereby forfeiting his birth right since they could not attribute him to any priestly line. The family he married in to was that of Barzillai of Gilead whom the Bible describes in 2 Samuel 17:27; 19:32 to be a very wealthy man. This priest’s decision to give up his family name for Barzillai’s connotes the idea of money over God which disqualified him from his calling.
Chapter 3
After settling in their towns, the Israelites took the next step by rebuilding the altar even though they were afraid (3:3). We’ve all probably experienced fear when taking the next step. Whether it be fear of failure or of people’s opinions but we shouldn’t let it deter us. Verse 3 shows us the importance of doing it even when afraid. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Here, the Israelites succeeded in rebuilding it and were able to sacrifice to the Lord. They were able to celebrate all the mandatory festivals and stay in obedience to God. The (reverent) fear of the Lord is more important than the fear of people.
After rebuilding the temple, there was a range of reactions from the Israelites. Those who saw its former glory wept and others shouted for Joy. Their weeping perfectly captures the experience of those who lost everything and are being restored. It is a bitter sweet experience which reminds me of this scripture: Psalm 30:5 ~ Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.
