Ezra 3: Home at Last

No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise.

1 Chronicles opens with the most complete genealogical record in the Bible, then adds many incidents from the life of David (often the same as those in 2 Samuel). Likewise- and often paralleling the books of Kings, 2 Chronicles records the history of the rulers of Judah, emphasizing the good kings yet ending with the fall of Jerusalem and the Babylonian captivity.

For more than half a century Jewish exiles, among them the prophets Daniel and Ezekiel, have lived as captives in Babylon. Some Jews, like Daniel, prosper in the foreign land; still, no true Israelite ever feels at total peace there. Always a longing gnaws inside, a longing for home and for the temple of God. Some of the psalms poignantly express this longing: "May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy" (Psalm 137:6).

In keeping with their policy of religious tolerance, the Persian rulers who conquered Babylon granted permission for the first wave of Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem. The Book of Ezra tells their story. The sight that greets the returning exiles in Jerusalem saddens their hearts. City walls have been torn down, few buildings are left intact and the temple of God is a mound of rubble.

As chapter 3 relates, the settlers go to work at once, setting temple reconstruction as their highest priority. They possess both energy and resources, since the Persians have even given back the pilfered silver and gold temple articles. When the Jews lay the foundation, they spontaneously shout in praise and celebration.

Yet the shouts of joy mingle with loud cries of sorrow. The older returnees, those who remember Solomon's temple in all its splendor, weep at the difference between what once was and what now is. After all, they had to obtain permission from a foreign government just to rebuild, and they have regained only a tiny portion of their former territory. They have fallen far from the glory days of David and Solomon.

Life Question: Have you ever lost anything in life, only to regain it at a much later date but realize that it just wasn't the same?

I've tried to rekindle a friendship of mine from years ago. I was the best of friends with a buddy who was my best man in my first marriage, but for a number of reasons, our friendship deteriorated during my divorce. A few years ago, we contacted one another and have met up a few times now. But, at least to date, we're not nearly as close as we were during college. I guess the lesson here is that- unlike a tangible object (like money or some other worldly possession) friendships and relationships should never be taken for granted. I'm guessing the Israelites had a similar feeling when they finally were able to escape the clutches of the Babylonians and return to Jerusalem...their relationship with God probably just didn't feel the same way as it did during the time of David and Solomon's reign.