Ezra 3.10-11 (𝔐): Liturgical Continuity
Liturgical worship has formed the church’s service for the last two millennia. While the word “liturgy” carries cultic or ritualistic connotations for some, history speaks to the witness that liturgy has governed the worship of God in the Church universal. Liturgy functions to preserve the truth and give substance to the Christian’s confession. Cyril of Jerusalem writes,
“By the loving-kindness of God ye have heard sufficiently at our former meetings concerning Baptism, and Chrism, and partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ; and now it is necessary to pass on to what is next in order, meaning to-day to set the crown on the spiritual building of your edification.”[1]
Following this statement, he outlines what the priest, deacon, and people must do during the Divine Service, from the washing of hands to the Lord’s Prayer. But notice what he calls liturgy: a crown placed upon the spiritual building of edification. Liturgy edifies the people of God in order that they may “offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (cf. 1 Pet. 2.4–5). Even the liturgies themselves attest to this notion. In the Divine Liturgy of St. Mark, the priest offers up this prayer:
“Breathe also Thy Holy Spirit upon us Thy servants, who, standing around, are about to enter on Thy holy service, upon the bishops, elders, deacons, readers, singers, and laity, with the entire body of the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.”[2]
In essence, the priest is seeking grace—edification—for the people of God to enter into the service of the heavenly tabernacle, which Christ has gone into as our High Priest (Heb. 9.11–14). It was a common understanding of the Church that the divine liturgy was an expression of faithfulness and mutual praise unto God. Moreover, since liturgies were recorded and shared, they brought an inherent union to the Church’s expression of praise and embodied Her confessions. The Psalter functions much in the same way.
Broadly evangelical folk object to the use of liturgy, stating that liturgy is at best Pharisaical, and at worst outright cultic and unbiblical. In stark contrast to these notions, the liturgies of the faithful extends far before the time of the fathers of the Church to the faithful of the Old Covenant, particularly those of the post-exilic community. Ezra 3.10–11 functions as a testimony that liturgy was preserved and recited by the faithful of God.
The Text of Ezra 3.10–11
Ezra 3 portrays a liturgical revival for the Jews after King Cyrus of Persia empowered them to return to Israel. Led by Joshua the priest, the altar was rebuilt before the presence of all people “to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God” (Ezra 3.2). In addition to these sacrifices, the people kept the Feast of Booths—a reminder that God kept His people in booths after they crossed the Red Sea (Ezra 3.4 cf. Lev. 23.33–33).
Ezra’s narrative is clear that these sacrifices and feasts were directly according to the will of God. The text indicates that the feast was kept “as it is written” (Ezra. 3.4), and that freewill offerings were “willingly offered” (Ezra 3.5).[3] These offerings stand in stark contrast to vain offerings such as those of Mal. 1, where vain and blemished sacrifice was being offered by faithless priests (cf. Is. 1.11-13). Moreover, the people were contributing to the work of the temple as Cyrus empowered them to do so.
Zerubbabel and Joshua then commission the Levites to construct the temple (Ezra. 3.9). Without a doubt, the prophecies of a new temple Ezekiel ring in the minds of the people (cf. Ezek. 40–43). For the people of God, this was a time of promise and renewal. With all this in mind, the text of Ezra 3.10–11 reads:
“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.[4]
What do the faithful Jews do when they perceive the Lord’s word being fulfilled before their eyes? They assemble the priests and Levites, arrayed in vesture and equipped with instruments, to lead in praising the Lord. The picture is reminiscent of the liturgies of the Church, but particularly of the Liturgy of St. James, where a priest leads the people in this prayer:
“O Sovereign giver of life, and provider of good things, who didst give to mankind the blessed hope of eternal life, our Lord Jesus Christ, count us worthy in holiness, and perfect this Thy divine service to the enjoyment of future blessedness. So that, guarded by Thy power at all times, and led into the light of truth, we may send up the praise and the thanksgiving to Thee, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever.”[5]
Not only are the priests and Levites assembled in Ezra 3.10–11, but they do so after the ordinance of King David. David had instructed Asaph to oversee the instruments and songs that were to be played before the ark of the Lord (1 Chron. 16.4–7). This godly precedent resurfaced within the post-exilic community.
Ordered liturgy marked this worship. Notice that the people “sang together by course.” The Hebrew Scriptures use a rarer form of “sing” (ענה) which may imply a corporate, confessed song (cf. Ex. 15.21).[6] But above all else, the greatest evidence of a liturgical proceeding was the inclusion of the phrase “[because] he is good, for his mercy endureth forever toward Israel.” The song harkens back to David’s song for Asaph (1 Chron. 16.34) and alludes to the Psalter (cf. Ps. 136), among other examples. Scholar Brian Aucker notes:
“Perhaps most relevant, Jeremiah cites this very song as the one that will be sung when Jerusalem’s fortunes are restored and thank offerings are found once more in God’s house (Jer. 33:10–11).”[7]
The refrain carries weight as a song commonly sung by the people of God, and one that would mark a time of blessing, faithfulness, and worship. How much more would this very refrain have effect on the people who see the priests and Levites, ordered in their vesture, before the foundation of the temple?
The example of Psalm 136 also deserves mention. Psalm 136 repeats the refrain “for his mercy endureth forever” twenty-six times. Perhaps the Jews sang this psalm—along with Psalm 137—while in Babylon, so that it was passed from generation to generation. Israel’s song in Ezra 3.10–11 draws back on the golden era of the kingdom and on the utter ruin of exile. It draws back on the laws and the prophets. Their liturgy, led by their priests and Levites, tethered them to the timeless faithfulness of God.
The Importance of Biblical Liturgy
Advocates of traditional worship are quick to cite practical and historical theological considerations when defending liturgy. But liturgy is also thoroughly biblical. When the Church confesses a shared liturgy, She not only confesses the faith with the fathers of the Church but also Her fathers prior to Christ—all of those who walked by faith, looking forward to the promise of God in the Messiah.
Worship should be orderly like the worship of Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the people. This is worship where the bishops, priests, and deacons lead in liturgical piety, godly reverence, and sincere devotion. Liturgy without any of these becomes misguided. Liturgy must be considered a holy service within the context of the Divine Service, where people may approach the Lord in faithfulness to be edified by the grace of the Lord in service to Him.
It is fitting to offer a semi-doxological reflection from the Catechism of the Catholic Church that summarizes biblical liturgy well. It reads:
“In the earthly liturgy we share in a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the Holy City of Jerusalem toward which we journey as pilgrims, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God, Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle. With all the warriors of the heavenly army we sing a hymn of glory to the Lord; venerating the memory of the saints, we hope for some part and fellowship with them; we eagerly await the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, until he, our life, shall appear and we too will appear with him in glory” (CCC 1090).[8]
The liturgy is Ezra 3.10–11 is a foretaste of the heavenly liturgy which the faithful will share in through the ministry of Christ, the Incarnate One whose risen Temple far surpasses that of the post-exilic temple.
O give thanks unto the God of heaven, for his mercy endureth forever. (Ps. 136.26).
ܛܝܒܘܬܐ ܥܡܟܘܢ ܘܫܠܡܐ
Alex McWilliams
[1] Cyril of Jerusalem, Hier., Cat. Lect. 23.11 (NPNF 2.7), 155.
[2] “The Prayer of Entrance,” The Divine Liturgy of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark I (ANF 7.552).
[3] While these offerings are the same offerings as “freewill offerings,” as in Deut. 12.6–7, the emphasis is still placed on “freely” offering these things. Deut. 12.6–7 speaks of the people’s freewill offerings, “and your freewill offerings” (וְנִדְבֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם), whereas Ezra 3.5 utilizes a rare Hithpa’el participle in conjunction with the “freewill offering” (מִתְנַדֵּ֥ב נְדָבָ֖ה). Why is this important? It contributes to the overall sense that these actions were taken willingly and not begrudgingly; extra emphasis is placed upon the intention of the people.
[4] All Scripture quotations are derived from the King James Version KJV (1900).
[5] The Divine Liturgy of James I (ANF 7.540).
[6] The LXX reads, “καὶ ἀπεκρίθησαν ἐν αἴνῳ καὶ ἀνθομολογήσει τῷ κυρίῳ” (2 Esd. 3.11). Perhaps it is reasonable to suggest that this interpretation of ‘nh is further supported by the use of αποκρινομαι as a “corporate reply.” The song was sung responsively as opposed to spontaneously. Interestingly, while not advancing the lexical argument, the Peshitta reads “[…] ܘܒܪܟܘ ܒܬܘ̈ܕܝܬܐ ܘܒܬܫܒ̈ܚܬܐ.” Here, it is written that the people “blessed” [the Lord] with hymns and praises. See Swete, The Old Testament in Greek: According to the Septuagint, vol. II (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1909), 166. The Peshitta reading comes from the Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon website.
[7] Brian Aucker, “Ezra,” in Ezra–Job, ed. Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, vol. IV of ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020), 52.
[8] John Paul II, Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd ed (Doubleday, 1995), 3608.
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