Cyrus had issued the decree for the Jewish people to go back and rebuild the temple. He even gave back the temple elements that were still in the treasury.
Thousands returned, and many gave resources for them to rebuild. They settled back into the area, built the altar, and restarted the sacrifices to God.
They gave resources to Tyre to bring building materials for the temple. Then they laid the foundation for the new temple.
Then they celebrated. Woe! It had been 70 years since the temple had been destroyed, and the people had been in exile, and they had made appropriate sacrifices to God.
Let’s read about the celebration:
Ezra 3:11-13
With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:
“He is good;
his love to Israel endures forever.”
And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. 12 But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. 13 No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.
Grief and joy. Both were appropriate. I often forget this as I am one to think about what is ahead. But there is a time to grieve even when we are celebrating what is ahead. Often, we are rebuilding something because our precious sin or disobedience destroyed what was before.
We should shout with joy for how God is helping us to begin again and is establishing something new. We are ok to grieve what had been lost.
Let’s sing together: “He is good;
his love … endures forever.”
