But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:
The most profound understanding I’ve had concerning this passage comes from a sermon I heard Jack Hyles preach, probably thirty years ago. He related how, after the Jews returned to the Promised Land, and built a new temple, the young men rejoiced, but the old men wept.
The young men rejoiced, he said, because they had been restored to their Promise from God and had a Temple once again in which to worship God.
The old men wept, he said, because they saw this temple was no match for the last one. The young men had never seen the glory of the original Solomon’s temple. The older men, though they must have been quite young, had seen it.
Hyles went on to say something to the effect of, “You’ll have to excuse us, young men, if we older men aren’t as thrilled with your newfound liberty, your newfound relaxed standards,” and etc. I do not want to diminish the application Dr. Hyles made. I did and still do appreciate it. Growing older myself, I have serious concerns about some of the things younger men call worship today.
I note that many of the old men shouted for joy. Another application would simply be that whether one weeps or rejoices can be a matter of attitude. It’s not wrong to grieve over what is lost, but living in that state isn’t healthy. Regardless of how things are different, there is reason to remain thankful to God for His blessing.
It’s better to rejoice in what God is doing than to cry over what He did for someone else.
To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.
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