“And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel. And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever 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. 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,” Ezra 3:10-13.
I read this chapter last Friday and thought on these verses with regard to the work and witness here in Kilskeery.
That is the splendour of the Word of God, it is always relevant and applicable to our lives today.
I. REVIVAL OFTEN IF NOT ALWAYS BEGINS IN A SMALL WAY.
Small may have been the beginnings of the rebuilding of the temple but it was the Lord’s doing. All the works of God carry the promise of further mercy. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ,” Philippians 1:6.
1. The Bible shows this to be so. Transformation of disciples from John 20:19-22, Acts 1:13, 2:1-4. Moving from ‘Fear” to ‘Full of the Holy Ghost’!
2. History shows this to be so. The 1859 revival here in Ulster began in a very small, almost secret, way in the school house in Kells in 1857. The young men praying I am sure had no idea of what mighty answers to prayer would result from their small gathering. “The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him,” Lamentations 3:25.
3. The creation demonstrates this to be so. Every Spring, under God’s blessing, nature is revived and restored! Slowly, even now beneath, the frost and snow growth is beginning. Likewise, often hidden from most human eyes, the Lord is furthering His glorious purpose. The world today is in rebellion and yet it knows not that its very rebelliousness is evidence of the Lord bringing about the ‘Summertime’ of Christ’s advent and reign!
II. IT IS THE LORD’S MERCY AT WORK WHENEVER WE SEE THE BEGINNINGS OF REVIVAL!
“And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel,” verse 11. We must not despise the day of small things and dismiss them but rather rejoice and bless the Lord.
1. Such kindness to an undeserving people is a great blessing. Jeremiah 29:10-13. It was only the ‘foundation’ and showed little of what the building would become, but rightly they rejoiced.
2. Small it was BUT it was the Lord’s doing! Psalm 118:23. What was referred to? — the rejection of the Stone, the Saviour, verse 22. Only an understanding of the revealed purpose of God in His Word will enable us to see the true significance of the action of God, that humanly speaking, seems to carry little meaning! Why the disciples despaired at the Saviour’s references to His death!
We must not despair but take hope from small signs of the Lord moving again in our midst and look for greater!
III. IN THE MIDST OF THE JOY THEIR WERE THOSE THAT WEPT!
“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,” verse 12.
There are those who believe the weeping was because the second temple was not a was Solomon’s great temple. I don’t think that is so.
1. They could only see the foundations. That could not tell them too much about the final building.
2. The dimensions of the foundations were similar to those of Solomon’s temple. “And the house which king Solomon built for the LORD, the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits,” 1 Kings 6:2.
“In the first year of Cyrus the king the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits,” Ezra 6:3.
This would suggest that in size at least the two temples were similar.
3. No, I believe the tears were the result of an awareness amongst the older generation that it was their sins which brought about the destruction of the first temple and Jerusalem. Backsliding does bring ruin! The wonderful blessings of God are taken away! When the Lord begins to move amongst His people one of the first things experienced is an awareness of our sins and backslidings!
Daniel’s prayer: “To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets,” Daniel 9:9-10.
None of us can claim to be without guilt regarding the loss of God’s blessing amongst us. Acknowledging our sins is a vital part of seeing a restoration of God’s presence and power amongst us. “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land,” 2 Chronicles 7:14.