June 5, 2024

Shortly after becoming settled in their homes, the people gathered in Jerusalem, built an altar to the Lord, and began making sacrifices. They were fearful of the people of the land around them and sought to do what was right in the eyes of the Lord. They followed the law of Moses and kept the feast of Tabernacles in the seventh month, the new moons, and all the set feasts as was written. They began preparing for laying the temple foundation, hired masons, and ordered timber with the grant given by Cyrus. Months had passed, and they were now in their second year. All the priests and Levites twenty and up who came out of captivity gathered for the work of the temple. When the foundation was completed, the people celebrated; the priest was in their garb, the musicians played, and they sang songs to the Lord. The older men who had seen the original temple cried so loud that their cries and shouts of joy could be heard far away. 

I couldn’t help but see the comparison when coming to Christ. When we realize that Jesus is our firm foundation, we cannot help but become overjoyed at his overwhelming love and are so grateful that we sob at the notion that he loved us so much that he died to become our firm foundation and the cornerstone we continue to build upon. We were captives, but now we are free and are grateful for Jesus’s sacrifice for our lives. Worship him like he just snatched you from the fire because that’s what he did!

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 noise was heard afar off. Ezra 3:13