KINGS, PRIESTS AND TEMPLES
Ezra 3:8 notified its readers that Zerubbabel and Joshua oversaw the building of the new temple. This was significant because Zerubbabel was a descendant of King David and Joshua was the high priest. It makes good sense that these two men would oversee the project since kings are temple-builders and priests are temple-workers. After all, King David wanted to build the original temple (2Sa 7:1 - 13), and his son Solomon ended up building it (1Ki 5 - 8). It was fitting that for the second temple, David's offspring, Zerubbabel, oversaw its construction. And it was also fitting that Joshua the high priest took up the priestly duty of interceding for the people by offering sacrifices to the Lord in the temple for the people's sins (Ezr 6:15 - 18; cf. Lev 1 - 9; 16).
Both of these roles - king and priest - point forward to Jesus Christ, who is both the greater King and the greater Priest. He built God's temple - the church (Eph 2:19 - 22). He offered the final sacrifice to God that once and for all dealt with humanity's sin problem (Heb 10:11 - 14). And Jesus is the risen High Priest who "is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them" (Heb 7:25). He is the one who gives true and lasting access to God and his house!
Jesus, thank you for being my King, so I don't have to bow to any other. Thank you for being my Priest, so I don't need a human being to connect me to God. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your new temple, the church, your body. Amen.
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