When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the Lord, as prescribed by David king of Israel. With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:
“He is good;
his love toward Israel endures forever.”
And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.
My thoughts -
What a deeply moving event. First, the temple is being rebuilt. If you recall the worship service the people had when Solomon's temple was completed, this one seems to rival it for enthusiasm. The trumpets are blasting, the people are singing (the same song, in fact) and the Spirit of God is moving.
But along with that joyful noise is a bittersweetness. Those who knew the former temple wept. They knew how far the people had fallen. They knew the former glory. And my guess is they knew that this moment wouldn't last. They would leave this celebration of worship and go back to their lives. And the people would stumble again.
Thank God our God is the God of the second chance. And the third... And the fourth... And the...
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