Title Hyperbola of Joy (Ezra 3:10-13)
Contents
Today's text is the scene of the Israelites returning from their 70-year captivity and laying the ground for the Lord's temple to build the destroyed temple. But in that happy and glorious moment, the hyperbola of joy and happiness were intersecting. While all the people were praising the Lord with a loud voice, there were people on the other side crying out loud. Dear saints, How could this happen?
What was the reason for the mixed joy?
1. Because the old men have repented of the sins of the past
1) In verse 12 of the main text, it is said, “Now, when they saw the building of this temple, because they had seen the first temple, many of the priests, the Levites, and the chieftains wept bitterly.” The Israelites were set free and set free after 70 years of captivity. And the land was laid for the building of the temple of Jehovah God. Therefore, all the people answered and were singing joyfully with a loud voice. But some of the priests, the Levites, and some of the chieftains were weeping loudly. The Bible says that the reason is “because I saw the first temple…”. They are the ones who witnessed the temple in Jerusalem built by King Solomon in 7 years.
2) Now, the first beautiful and glorious temple has disappeared without a trace. Why was the glorious city of God destroyed and the temple destroyed? This is because the Israelites left God's bosom and worshiped idols, depended on Egypt, and walked the path of unbelief, relying on Babylon. Therefore, we now weep as we lay the ground and foundation for the new temple. These were tears of sorrow for the sins of their ancestors. The first thing we need to do as we resume God's holy ministry is to look back on our past actions and repent thoroughly. God values these tears of repentance and repentance.
3) Tears are unique to vertebrates. There are two types of tears in humans. The first is the tears of the body, and the second is the tears of the soul. These tears are the tears of higher repentance. Tears of sorrow for the sins committed. David said, “Every night with tears I make my bed and wet my mattress” (Psalm 6:6). Also, after Jesus' disciple Peter denied Jesus three times, when the rooster crowed, he said, "weep bitterly" (Matthew 26:75). Now, I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that we too, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, become God's people who shed tears of holy souls in order to solve all the sins of the past and start anew before we start a new history.
2. Because I was moved by God's faithfulness
1) Young people were singing hymns of emotion and joy. They responded with hymns to each other, giving thanks to Jehovah. The theme of the hymn was, “For the Lord is good, and His mercy endures unto Israel forever” (Ezra 3:10-11). God never canceled his promise to them. As promised, the people of Israel were liberated after 70 years and not only returned to the ruined land, they built the ruined altar, offered sacrifices to God, and restored the entire land to build the temple of the Lord. What they realized at this moment was the faithfulness of God. When I thought of that God, tears of emotion came to come.
2) We must have this kind of emotion toward God as we carry out His holy ministry. Because such gratitude and emotion are the greatest driving force. When you have faith that you can't pay back with tears even if you cry all the time, please believe that you can be faithful by confessing "I dedicate this body" The workers that God is pleased with are not those who do things out of a sense of duty or who do things in moderation to maintain face, but they must be workers who are thankful and moved by God for His grace. There is joy when the heart overflows with gratitude and emotion. Therefore, our members should carry out their precious missions with an attitude of gratitude and excitement in everything.
3. Because I was worried about the difficulties that would come in the future.
1) Verse 13 of the text says, “The people did not distinguish between the shouts of joy and the voices of weeping, because the loud cry of the people was heard from afar.” I did. The “wailing voice” here was not just the lamentation of repentance, gratitude, and emotion. It was the wailing of those who saw the first temple. The reason they had no choice but to weep was that the beginning and appearance were too shabby, they thought they still lacked manpower and financial resources, and many difficulties were expected. Solomon's first temple was an ornate and beautiful temple. The Bible records that until the completion of the temple, we put all our heart into keeping noise from the construction site. How amazing is that?
2) But now the situation is completely different. There were many people who helped, but there were also enemies who interfered with the work with various tricks. Older people with high experience were aware of the presence of hidden and moving enemies. However, it was impossible to predict when and how the sabotage would be launched. Therefore, they were weeping in anguish and anxiety. We find some problems here. First, these concerns and worries are a kind of unbelief. Second, it is not true faith to compare external glory with a human eye. Third, God is more pleased with beautiful souls than good buildings.
3) Therefore, ahead of God's glorious work, even if difficulties and difficulties are expected, we must overcome them with faith instead of worrying about them, encouraging each other and moving forward for the more beautiful fulfillment of history. A few weeks ago, as we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the founding of the church, I told you what we should do. These are things we have been praying and envisioning since the beginning of 2004. This is to hand down the glorious Church of God to our beloved descendants. Therefore, I pray in the name of Jesus that we all become blessed saints who can accomplish beautiful works with joy and joy with one heart and one accord.