By Ken Yates
INTRODUCTION
About 600 years before Christ, the nation of Israel was taken into captivity in Babylon. The Babylonians had destroyed their temple. The Jewish people would remain in Babylon for seventy years until the Persians, who defeated the Babylonians, allowed the Jews to return to their homeland. The book of Ezra records some of the events surrounding that return.
Ezra 3 describes how the returning Jews laid the foundation for a new temple. The multitude who saw it reacted in different ways.
THE YOUNGER FOLKS
Most people in the crowd had lived their whole lives in Babylon. The only temples they had seen were dedicated to idols. Babylon would have been full of such temples.
When the Jews were told that they could return to the Promised Land, they understood that prophecy was being fulfilled. People saw that the true God—the God of Israel—was acting on their behalf. He was a powerful God, unlike the detestable false gods of the temples in Babylon.
For the first time in their lives, they would have a place to practice their religion. Laying the foundation and constructing this building would provide a place to honor their God. They would be able to offer sacrifices for their sins. It was the sins of their fathers that had caused the captivity.
Some in the crowd were believers in the coming Messiah. To them, the temple’s being rebuilt in fulfillment of prophecy was a sign that God would also fulfill the promises concerning the Christ. He would one day come and establish His kingdom. Israel would be elevated above the other nations. To these Jewish believers, the laying of the temple’s foundation was an exciting event.
The Prophet Ezra records that most of the people in the crowd responded in that way. They played musical instruments, sang, and praised the Lord. In their songs, they proclaimed that God was good. They shouted with joy (Ezra 3:10-11).
They were thrilled that God was moving and that they would have the opportunity to show the nations how great their God was. He had disciplined them, but He was longsuffering and had forgiven them. He had shown them mercy (v 11). The believers would also be able to tell the nations about the coming Christ. He would one day come to the temple they were building.
But not everyone in the crowd had that attitude.
THE OLDER FOLKS
A small group of people in the crowd reacted very differently when the foundation was laid. Ezra identifies this group as those who were “heads of the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first temple” (v 12).
Men in their eighties would have seen the temple that the Babylonians had destroyed. With its interior completely overlaid with gold, its exterior lavishly decorated with gold, and even its furniture and utensils incorporating gold, the first temple had been the most magnificent building in the world—the pride of the nation. People from other countries traveled to Israel just to see it. These old men had seen the first temple in all its splendor.
I suppose that when they heard that the temple would be rebuilt, they expected God to provide materials for a similar building. He was all-powerful. He had fulfilled His promises to bring them back from Babylon. He could certainly replace the old temple with one just like it.
But when these elderly people saw the foundation of the new temple, they realized this was not the case. The new temple would be a poor man’s version of the old one. They were a small, poor people. They could not afford the gold and silver that Solomon had used when he built the first temple. These old people realized what was lost, and they missed the glorious past.
Imagine their disappointment! While the young people brought out musical instruments and sang and shouted for joy, Ezra says that the old folks “wept with a loud voice.” It was quite a scene. Most of the people in the crowd were happy, but those who weren’t happy were downright depressed. Ezra says that while it was a very noisy assembly, it was impossible to tell which noises were from joy and which were from weeping (v 13). Which group of people, the old or the young, had the proper attitude?
LOOK AT THOSE GUYS!
Each group thought the other group was crazy. A young person blowing a trumpet would have looked at an old person weeping and wondered what his problem was. Why were the old people raining on their parade? God had done a miraculous thing. He had demonstrated His mercy and power to His people. They were doing His work. At last, the Jews would have their own temple.
The young would have thought that there was just no pleasing the old folks. The elderly loved to talk about how life was in earlier days and how much better it was then. They were unable to see the golden opportunity now before them.
Why were they complaining? Why couldn’t they be happy? Why couldn’t they give their full support to what was going on?
The old would have looked at the young people dancing and singing and concluded that they were naïve. The country had been down this road before. Their ancestors, too, had had a temple they were proud of, and it was much better than this one. But their ancestors had turned their backs on God, and He had punished them severely. It would not be long before the sounds of music and instruments would fade. The older folks were not as optimistic about the future. They wanted the younger people to be aware of the dangers they faced.
Besides, it was so much better back then; it really was. The foundation of this new temple was pathetic. If the nation could not be faithful to the Lord with Solomon’s Temple, how would this new building inspire the Jews in the years to come? In the future, when visitors to Jerusalem saw this temple, they would not be impressed with the God of Israel. This new temple was nothing to be proud of.
BOTH WERE RIGHT
Each group could learn from the other. The old could be encouraged by the young. They could see the joy and motivation in them. God was at work among the nations. He was fulfilling His word. Christ was coming. All of Israel should work together to be a light to the world. The old folks should not put a damper on the enthusiasm and privilege of the returning Jews. The joy of the young people could be contagious.
But the young could also learn from the old. The enthusiasm and joy of youth are not substitutes for wisdom and experience. The old could warn them of the pitfalls that lay ahead. They could teach the young about the covenant the nation had with God and how their fathers had failed to keep it. If their ancestors, despite all the privileges they had enjoyed, had acted that way, this new generation could do the same. The old could tell the young that a temple does not guarantee faithfulness and blessings, but obedience does.
LESSONS FOR US
We can be like the Jews in Ezra 3. When young people are exposed to the theology of grace, they get excited—like wanting to break out with shouting and music. They learn, for the first time, that they have eternal life that can never be lost. They know they can live their lives in a way that has eternal consequences as they desire rewards in Christ’s coming kingdom. They are exposed to Free Grace teaching. They’re excited!
But older grace folks might not share their enthusiasm. They might talk about how it used to be. “Grace schools have disappeared.” “The older teachers were so much better than the ones we have now.” They look at the state of things now and conclude that it will only get worse. “These young people are naïve,” they say.
Let’s benefit from each other. For us older folks: let’s encourage the young (and ourselves!). God is at work. Let’s be faithful with the work He has given us to do in the time we’re living in now. For younger folks: Understand that older guys and gals have wisdom and experience you don’t have. You can learn from them. They’re not just a bunch of hateful stick-in-the-muds. They can help you base your enthusiasm on reality.
If we do, we can be unified in raising “a joyful shout” (Ps 100:1) as we serve the Lord together, waiting for His soon return.
Ken Yates is a retired Army chaplain (Lt. Col). He has many theological degrees, including a Ph.D. from D.T.S. in New Testament. He leads the GES international ministry, cohosts the daily podcast, and assists Bob in all aspects of the GES ministry. His new book, Mark: Lessons in Discipleship, is a wonderful explanation of Christ’s call to discipleship. He and his wife, Pam, live in Columbia, SC.
