Reason to Weep, or Reason to Rejoice

Today's verse is Ezra 3:12-13
     But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:
     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 shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

For seventy years the place that Israel knew to worship laid waste because of Israel's sin, then finally after so long the evidence that it would be built again, the foundation laid was before them. Those that had been alive to see the first Temple built by Solomon wept, for joy, for sorrow, even a mix of the two, for they knew that their sin had caused this thing, but regardless God is once again working. But for the younger men, who had never been to Jerusalem before see that the House of God will once again be a real thing, for them the first time. A reason to rejoice. Whether you are seeing God's work for the first time, or returning to him we do always have a reason to rejoice, for our God is good, and as he has done here, so will he always do--to always watch over those that are his, and to restore that which is his. Amen.

To God be the Glory
Scott

Taken from my daily reading plan: Ezra 3:8–7:28 and  Acts 11–12
Tomorrow’s reading will be:  Ezra 8:1–10:17