There was no greater tragedy in the experience of the people of Israel than the destruction of the Temple by conquering Babylonian armies. In addition to all the brutalities of warfare and the ruthless cruelty of the occupying army, the people of Israel also suffered the loss of the tangible evidence that they were God’s people. The place where God met them and accepted their offerings and prayers was turned to rubble. They could not help but wonder whether the covenant with God had been destroyed along with the Temple.
50 years later, the Babylonians were no longer in charge. Cyrus, the king of Persia, was the ruler over all of the ancient near east. He ordered the end to Israel’s exile and authorized the re-building of the temple. We can only begin to imagine how joyful the people of Israel were to be returned to their native land and to resume the worship of God in the holy place that God had established in the time of King David.
But when Ezra records the ceremonial laying of the foundation for the re-built temple, he describes joy mixed with sadness. He says that among those present at the ceremony were some very old people who had seen the glory of the first Temple. When they witnessed the start of re-construction, they didn’t shout for joy; “…they wept with a loud voice when they saw this house, though many shouted for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of people’s weeping…” (Ezra 3:12-13)
I think I know how those old people felt. By God’s grace, broken and ruined pieces of my life have been healed and knit back together. Things that I damaged and destroyed through my carelessness and sin have been healed and re-made. I bet you know how I feel. Not very many of us make it through life without doing damage to ourselves and to the ones we love. When God moves graciously to heal the broken places and to restore the damage we feel deep gratitude and joy – the joy of having a new chance to live a better, more loving and compassionate life. It is the joy of being re-born. But the joy is mixed with sadness as we remember what was lost and how we lost it in the first place.
Like a rich chord played on a piano, our songs of gratitude for God’s restoring grace often contain notes that express our sadness for the brokenness and sin that God has healed and restored.
Prayer: Merciful God, let our tears water the new life you have caused to spring up from the broken places in our lives. Amen.
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