A problem of perspective

And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD: "For He is good, For His mercy endures forever toward Israel." Then 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 heads of the fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet 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 sound was heard afar off. – Ezra 3v11-13

Today I want to look at the responses of the people to the laying of the foundation. The young men were excited at the laying of the foundation of the new temple. The old men were in despair because it was not what is used to be. They missed the good old days and wept because of this new pitiful excuse for a temple.

Two prophets were there at the time. We read later from Haggai and Zechariah that the old men were wrong in despising the foundation of the new temple. They were ‘despising the day of small things.’

How discouraging it must have been for these young men. Here they had come back to the land, obeyed God, and started work on the temple. The foundation was laid – surely it was time to celebrate and praise God for what had been accomplished.

Those of us who are getting to be a little older need to be careful that we don’t try to compare everything to the ‘good old days.’ The good old days had plenty of problems as well.

Let’s make sure that we are encouragers instead of discouragers.