Joy and regret

In this passage, we see several things.  First, we see the restarting of sacrifices and offerings, and the first Feast of Tabernacles in years.

But we also see the start of the rebuilding of the temple.  And after the Israelites had laid down the foundation, there was great rejoicing.  In verse 11, it says,

With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:   “He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.”

And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. (Ezra 3:11)

At the same time, however, it says,

But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy.

No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise.  And the sound was heard far away.  (12-13)

Apparently, when the older priests, Levites, and family heads who had seen the original temple saw the foundation of the new temple, there was a feeling of bitter-sweetness.

Sweet because something they had loved was being rebuilt.

Bitter because its glory was nothing in comparison with what it was before.

Sometimes in our lives, we make decisions that make a mess of our lives. Through our sin, we tear apart our marriages; we ruin our health; we ruin our finances. 

When we repent, God does forgive us.  And he helps us to put the pieces of our lives back together again.  In this, there is great joy in his mercy and grace towards us.

But at the same time, sometimes we feel the pain of regret.

We see the great damage we’ve done to our relationships and to our lives, and though things seem to be coming back together, going through the process can be painful.

On top of that, what we seem to be rebuilding seems to be much less than what we originally had.

But let us not let our regret overwhelm us.  Once we’ve repented, it is not God’s desire that we focus on our past mistakes and the consequences that we have reaped.

Rather, he desires that we focus on the future, resting in his forgiveness and grace.

As we do so, he will wipe away every tear, and his glory will shine through us once again.

Paul puts it this way,

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret.  (2 Corinthians 7:10)