Getting Past the Past

Holding on to the glories of the past can sour the potential of our present. And Ezra 3 provides a picture of this in the last two verses. The exiles have returned to celebrate the feast of booths before the presence of the Lord. And after the festival, the leaders begin to break ground on a new Temple for worship.

Ezra 3:10–11 (ESV) And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the directions of David king of Israel. 11 And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.” And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.

This was an exciting time for the Jews. Their freedom to worship and enjoy God's presence would soon be a reality again. The people shouted with a great shout over this. And yet while the foundation was laid, some couldn't help but think of what was lost before...

Ezra 3:12–13 (ESV) But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, 13 so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away.

Age has benefits and drawbacks. The many physical drawbacks are obvious, but there are mental ones far more dangerous even if far less acknowledged. The mental drawback I'm talking about is a reminiscence of the past that is often devoid of reality. For instance, in this case, the old men of Israel only saw through rose-colored glasses the glories of Solomon's temple and her demise. They looked upon the new foundation with despairing comparison and wept. 

But were these tears justified? The last time the temple stood it was filled with the idols of the pagan nations around Israel. It was perhaps also a holding place for future child sacrifices. It was thoroughly polluted and deserved destruction. I remind you of the final comment on the Temple in 2 Chronicles:

2 Chronicles 36:14 (ESV) All the officers of the priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. And they polluted the house of the LORD that he had made holy in Jerusalem.

What is it about the past that we tend to think of it as "better" than it really was. I bet if we are honest we would admit we all do this. The old men of Israel did this and yet thankfully there was a new generation ready to celebrate what was ahead rather than idealize what was behind.

In the church, leaders of a certain age tend to do the same thing as these old men of Israel. They forget the serious challenges the church faced in previous generations. They remember their feelings in their younger years and they tend to exaggerate what it was really like. I find myself doing that now. 

Believe me when I say, I love the shape of the Church tradition I'm in now compared to the previous years. We have so many more tools at our disposal to send the message further than ever before. We have so many more creative ways to present the message of Christ. I believe, therefore, that even while this time is great, I must guard myself from thinking that the church in my generation has arrived and reached its zenith. No! Jesus will be building the Church until He comes again. It may be smaller in size, it may be larger. But I know this - it will be there because Jesus is faithful. 

And I think that's the best thing we can and should celebrate at every age of redemptive history. I think we need old men who can celebrate with the young and look forward with greater longing of the future rather than heart-breaking obsession with the past. Lay some foundations, and SHOUT!