Ezra 3:13. “So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud voice, and the noise was heard afar off.” HOLY NOISE. What is all this noise about? The sound of shouting is going all over the area and the folks around are wondering what is going on? What is so important as to make such a fuss? What is the big deal about a few stones being laid down as the foundation of a new building? Why are the old people crying and the younger ones shouting for joy?
Finally, there is some activity that counts. The Lord spoke to the pagan king by the prophet Jeremiah and told him to get the temple in Jerusalem rebuilt. When God speaks, even kings are wise to obey His word. The people rallied and by the tens, hundreds and thousands, they began to collect all that was needed for the work of rebuilding. First things first: the priests built the altar of God, set it on its base, offered the burnt offerings and kept the feast of tabernacles. Then the Levites got at their work of rebuilding the temple. Material started coming in from various places. Finally, the big day came when the building was to start. The priest-trumpeters got dressed in the right apparel; the singers got in their places and the people shouted for joy. They were praising the Lord because the foundation of the house of the Lord was finally laid.
But what is this? There is crying here among the older people. They are loudly weeping so that onlookers cannot tell the difference between the joy and weeping. The older folks had seen Solomon’s temple and all its overwhelming glory. The difference between what was, and what is, was great. What caused joy to one group caused grief to another.
We can spend a lot of wasted time looking into the past at what was the greatness of a work done for God or a work of God done through others in the past. We are where we are and who we are; there is nothing we can do to change that. So, we begin where we are now and move on with God’s help even though it may not seem too great to those from another time or place. Begin where you are and look ahead to the goal. The temple was rebuilt even though the glory of it wasn’t the same as the one Solomon built. Even the later temple built by Herod over a period of 46 years wasn’t the same as this one. Yet, the Lord Jesus Christ still referred to it as “My Father’s House.”
“Keep me, Father, with a genuine and deep respect for the house of God. May I never be sidetracked with the backward look. I know things are different now and they will never be the same as yesterday or today. Perhaps the days and the work ahead could be better that ever before if I keep my eyes and heart on the right objective – the Person and Glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”