It is a bittersweet time when we mourn the passing of a dear loved one who believed. We remember our loved one with tears of weeping for we have lost a part of our lives, a person who contributed to our story. On the other hand, we rejoice with smiling tears of hope knowing our loved one is finally home enjoying all the benefits of heaven. Our past collides with future with mixed emotions that overwhelm us.
The exiles are back home. The older ones remember how it was before they were ripped from their homes, their way of life, and their ways of worshiping the Lord. They look over the rubble and ruins of the Temple area that included the Altar where sins were atoned with burnt offerings of sacrifice…and they weep with mixed emotions. The younger ones’ memories do not go as deep. They are more hopeful and less mournful for they have been given the provisions to rebuild and restore what was taken from the Israelites almost a century earlier. God’s people have mixed emotions. Both are viable and understandable. God accepts both in worship to Him.
Ezra 3
Rebuilding the Altar
When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled together as one in Jerusalem. 2 Then Joshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. 3 Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices. 4 Then in accordance with what is written, they celebrated the Festival of Tabernacles with the required number of burnt offerings prescribed for each day. 5 After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings, the New Moon sacrifices and the sacrifices for all the appointed sacred festivals of the Lord, as well as those brought as freewill offerings to the Lord. 6 On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, though the foundation of the Lord’s temple had not yet been laid.
Rebuilding the Temple
7 Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and gave food and drink and olive oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they would bring cedar logs by sea from Lebanon to Joppa, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia.
8 In the second month of the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak and the rest of the people (the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem) began the work. They appointed Levites twenty years old and older to supervise the building of the house of the Lord. 9 Joshua and his sons and brothers and Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Hodaviah) and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together in supervising those working on the house of God.
10 When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the Lord, as prescribed by David king of Israel. 11 With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:
“He is good; his love toward 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.
WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?
It is not our place, authority, or work to judge the emotions of God’s people—or anyone else for that matter. God speaks to hearts seeking Him sincerely and openly with healing, comfort, and forgiveness. God comes to repentant hearts and helps those whose hearts are fully committed to Him to rebuild and restore their relationship with Him. It was God who arranged for the captive release to come home with funds from the unbelieving King of Persia to rebuild and restore so they could worship God once more “in accordance with what is written by God to Moses.” God’s people have come home to Him as they recited King David’s psalm of praise as they worshiped and thanked God for bringing them home; “He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.”
Some shouted praises to God. Some wept tears of what was but is now with joy and daring hope at merely seeing the foundation once more! Both emotions were heard by God as holy and honest. Be holy, humble, and honest before the Lord. He already knows our hearts!
Gratitude comes from having the right perspective. Holy gratitude is sbeing able to look at what you have and being thankful for that, rather than longing for what you don’t have. When they had finished laying the foundation of the temple of the Lord, great rejoicing took place. They praised the Lord with shouting as others wept with joy. They recognized what God had done for them in the past and would do for them in the future. Hope was renewed and God’s glory seen in the foundation alone. All these mixed emotions are of gratitude for God’s everlasting faithfulness!
When was the last time we paused to behold the foundation of our faith, Jesus, with grateful tears of joy and shouts of praise?
A believer’s firm foundation is Jesus. We must allow our whole being to be built upon Jesus who is the foundation of our faith. Jesus is our solid, unmoving rock upon whom we stand firmly when the storms come, the winds of change blow, and the torrential rains come a tumbling down all around us. Jesus is the Rock we cling to with knowing His Holy Spirit living in us gives the power to grow our faith through it all! No one or no circumstance can separate us from His love and faithfulness.
Be confident that the LORD, our Rock and firm Foundation will hold us through anything and everything this world throws at us. Let us assuredly and confidently say, “Thy will be done” knowing God’s plan for all His children is a wonderful and perfect future with Him in eternity forever! (Jeremiah 29:11)
How do I know? The Bible tells me so! And I’ve seen it with my own eyes! There are over 100 verses that back up God’s Truth of an unfailing love, new fresh mercies, with unending grace foundation that stands firm forever. Here are but a few from Jesus, Himself, His disciples, and God’s prophets—
- Matthew 7:24-27 ESV
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”—Jesus
- Isaiah 28:16 ESV
Therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’
- 1 Corinthians 3:11 ESV
For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. —Paul
- Luke 6:48 ESV
He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. —Jesus
- Matthew 16:18 ESV
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. –Jesus
- 2 Timothy 2:19 NIV
Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”—Paul
- Ezra 3:11 ESV
And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures 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.
Jesus Christ is our Firm Foundation today for all who believe and call on His Name.
Believe, repent and stand firm on the rock of our salvation, and be saved for eternity.
Lord,
Thank you for rebuilding and restoring our lives on the foundation of you, dear Jesus who died in our place for our sins’ payment in full. There is no other rock like you in which to stand. You are my confidence and hope! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
In grateful praise, In Jesus Name, Amen
So be it for our good and your glory!
Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus) 