Remembering to Rejoice
I was driving when Joshua cried out, “Rain!” I sighed, anticipating tugging two wet children through the streets. But Micah said, “Mummy, the rain is good! It makes the flowers grow.”
And so it does.
I’ve been reading the Book of Ezra for my personal devotions and was struck by the dual reaction of the Jewish exiles when they returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the foundation of the Temple.
The first temple built by King Solomon had been destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC and the Jewish people taken captive. When God moved King Cyrus of Persia (who had conquered Babylon as prophesied) to empower the Jewish exiles to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem in 538 BC, nearly 50,000 people fulfilled that call.
Ezra records, “The construction of the Temple of God began in midspring, during the second year after they arrived in Jerusalem. The work force was made up of everyone who had returned from exile . . . When the builders completed the foundation of the Lord’s Temple, the priests put on their robes and took their places to blow their trumpets . . . with praise and thanks, they sang this song to the Lord: ‘He is so good! His faithful love for Israel endures forever!’ Then all the people gave a great shout, praising the Lord because the foundation of the Lord’s Temple had been laid. But many of the older priests, Levites, and other leaders who had seen the first Temple wept aloud when they saw the new Temple’s foundation. The others, however, were shouting for joy. The joyful shouting and weeping mingled together in a loud noise that could be heard far in the distance” (Ezra 3:8-13 NLT).
How sad that in a moment of triumph and thanksgiving many of the older generation chose to compare and cry! They were blind to the present blessings because they misjudged their past experiences. One of the reasons the old Temple was destroyed in the fist place was because the people mistreated God and others even within the Temple walls. So why weep now for a time synonymous with rebellion and loss? They should be rejoicing that God in His mercy gave them a new start, a new life, and a new Temple.
Do we sometimes compare, complain or cry in a moment when we should be celebrating, affirming, and giving thanks?
Let’s remember that the rain does make the flowers grow; there is always a reason to rejoice.
by: Jinha Kim
"But those who drink the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14