Day 13 – Rebuilding the
Temple in Jerusalem
Ezra 3
After more than 50 years of
being exiled to a foreign land, God’s people were allowed to begin returning to
Jerusalem. Today’s reading tells the
story of how King Cyrus (who overthrew the Babylonians) gave permission for the
Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple. Can you imagine what an emotional experience
it must have been? Some of the exiled
Jews were young enough to have remembered the splendor of Solomon’s original
Temple, so they wept when realizing what a lesser Temple the second one would
be (3:12). But their weeping was mingled
with shouts of joy from the younger generation who was excited to be starting
fresh. As you can see by this story, the
different views of the older generation versus the younger generation are
nothing new!
The fact that the exile was
over and that the Temple was being rebuilt was a reminder that God had not
forsaken them. Wasn’t that the promise
He had given them centuries before?
Isn’t that the promise He gives us today? They may have still felt defeated, being
unable to replicate the splendor of the Temple that once stood in Jerusalem,
but they knew God was still leading them.
The story of the Old Testament people is clear evidence that God’s children
are not immune from suffering and hardship.
God may not cause our pain, but He can use it for His purposes and for
His glory.
I still remember the day a
few years ago when I visited this same Temple Mount myself. Today it is under Palestinian control, but
tourists are allowed to visit the site and the Muslim Dome of the Rock, which
stands where the Jewish Temple once stood.
It was a bright, breezy day and a milestone moment for me. I had studied the Temple and the history of
the Jews since I was a young college student, and I had finally come as a
pilgrim to the world’s holiest city. The
Temple Mount, the Mount of Olives across the Kidron Valley, the Garden of
Gethsemane, and the place of Calvary all captivated my heart. I can’t say that I felt like Ezra and the
Jews who returned to the holy city after decades of exile, but I did feel like
I was coming home. Bill Coen, who has
visited the Holy Land several times, told me that it feels like “home” when you
get there, and he was certainly right. So,
for the briefest of moments, I had a small glimpse of what Ezra and the ancient
Jews must have felt with their homecoming.
There is indeed something very special about the city of Jerusalem, and
I can’t wait to go back home there again soon.
NOTE: We are planning a return
trip to the Holy Land in the spring of 2013, one year from now. If you want to be on a list to receive more
information about this trip, please email me at john@fbc-statesboro.org
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