One of the first things rebuilt by the Jews returning to Jerusalem from Babylon was the altar. The sacrifices offered on the altar covered their sins as they pointed to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Not having an altar disrupted their religious life for decades. When they got home confessing sin was of highest priority.
As Christians we do not have an altar, we look back to the Lamb at the cross. We certainly don’t travel to a particular place in order to get our sins covered, the gospel message has gone out to all places. But confessing sin should still be of highest priority.
My Bible reading plan has me in the earlier chapters of Jeremiah right now. Jeremiah prophesied before the Babylonian captivity, similar to Habakkuk, and likewise against the unrighteousness among people who knew better. They sought satisfaction in broken cisterns, trusting in deceptive words, going after other gods on their way to the Lord’s house.
Of course we aren’t trying to rebuild a physical altar or temple. Cities don’t need walls like they used to. But we’re a people who see cultural collapse and ruined foundations and really actually think we should do something about it. We pray for the Lord to give us success, and so we should work with hope.
But are we among the sinners in Jeremiah or the stirred in Ezra? Are we at the rebuilding stage, or the It-Still-Gets-Worse-Before-Better stage, or the It’s-Almost-Over stage?
At this point in the liturgy it doesn’t matter. God is the one with whom we have to do. Confessing our sins still must be of highest priority. We cannot build or rebuild on dung. We cannot keep any idol-loves and expect blessing.