Today in God’s Word

Today in God's Word—April 2023

East Tallassee Church of Christ

April 6, Ezra 3

But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy. - Ezra 3:12

You've heard people say, "I've got good news and bad news." The usual idea is that you pick which news you want to hear first, the good or the bad. Maybe you can imagine some single statements that could be good news to some, but bad news to others. When the forecast warns of big thunderstorms and heavy rain, it’s bad news to the couple with a big outdoor wedding planned for the day. But it’s good news to a farmer with dry thirsty fields that need a good rain. Every final score on a sports report is good news to the fans of the winning team and bad news to fans of the other team.

This chapter tells about the first stages of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. King Cyrus of Persia sent the exiles home to rebuild the temple of their God. Chapter 2 ended with an account of the generous freewill offerings the people gave to fund the rebuilding project.

Zerubbabel and the priests first built a new altar on the site to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings as prescribed by the law of Moses. They were committed to honor and obey God. The sacrifices were offered,"as it is written in the Law of Moses, the man of God." They also "kept the Feast of Booths, as it is written," and made the offerings “by number according to the rule, as each day required." All that had happened to these people and their parents happened because they rebelled against the Lord and disregarded his commandments. The sorrow of the exile and the joy of going home fueled their zeal to do all God commanded, just as he commanded them to do.

The leaders commissioned the masons and carpenters who would do the work. They ordered the building materials for the temple from the Sidonians and the Tyrians. These were descendants of the people who had provided quality building materials to the house of David for centuries, all the way back to David himself. As the work began, more Levites were enrolled to active duty by lowering the age at which they could begin service to 20 years old. Ae we read in chapter 2, only 341 Levites were numbered. Many more would be needed to make the temple a reality.

The work began, and the project reached its first milestone when the foundation of the building was laid. The priests came, wearing priestly garments. The Levites came, singing loud choruses of "For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel." The congregation shouted for joy. The temple foundation was a visible indication that they were really back home, worshiping the LORD.

But some of the old folks wept instead of rejoicing when they saw the foundation of the new temple. Memories flooded their minds of the first temple’s grandeur before it was destroyed. They wept as they realized that this second temple, built with funds from Persia’s King Cyrus, was not going to be nearly as magnificent as Solomon’s temple had been.

You are probably familiar with customary expressions of grief in ancient oriental cultures. They did not cry silent tears or weep in stifled sobs. They wept with shouts and wails, loud demonstrations of their sorrow. The same foundation of the temple brought ecstatic joy to some and agonized weeping to others in the crowd. See? It was good news to some, and bad news to others who saw the same event.

Let's take two things away from this chapter. First, when we are as serious about obeying and serving God as these returned exiles, we

will hear what God commands, and do it to the best of our ability. And second, notice that the people who wept were looking backward, with nostalgic memories of the "good old days" of the first temple. Those days and that temple were gone, never to return. But the people who saw the new temple foundation and rejoiced were living in the moment and excited about what God was doing among them at the present time. That foundation suggested a better future, a rebuilt temple and a revitalized priesthood offering holy sacrifices to God. That prospect made them rejoice.

So let's remember good days from the past. But we should not pine away today because we are obsessed with days gone by. We should make good use of the days the Lord grants us here and now. In the noise of the crowd, it’s sometimes hard to tell the joy from the sorrow. But we know which emotion is coming from our own heart. Let's live with joy in today, and embrace our present opportunities to serve God. Instead of looking back on the past, let’s anticipate what he has promised for our future, and rejoice at the good news.

Copyright © 2023 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.