No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of the weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away. (Ezra 3:13, NIV 1984)
The gallery clap is way overrated. That is, if you know very little about the game, you’re sure that it is as true an indication of what the game is all about as plaid knickers and fits of uncontrolled cussing.
Of course, if you know the game, you’ve watched Sunday afternoon at the Masters too many times to be fooled by the “golf clap” mockery. When the time and place are right, golf fans can go just as nuts as fans in any sport, except maybe soccer. And if we add the sixteenth at the Waste Management Open to the mix, maybe even the soccer fans need to step it up.
Still, when we land ourselves at the rebuilding of the temple in the book of Ezra, we have to wonder whether the true champions of cheer were God’s repatriated people.
After their exile to Babylon, many of the Israelite captives, including their leaders Ezra and Nehemiah, joined their brothers and sisters who had eked out a living on the meager land in their absence. Their greatest desires included the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s city walls and of the temple within them. In light of the New Covenant ushered in by Christ, we might discount such a hope now: Don’t you know that “God does not dwell in temples made with human hands”? Don’t you know that “we are the temple of the Lord”? Buildings are only earthly constructions that do not last.
These Israelites were men and women full of faith in the Lord God; they were brothers and sisters not only of one another, but of us as well. And their hearty demonstration of joy in the Lord should push us far closer to understanding what Jesus meant when he said, “I tell you…there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” But it doesn’t.
Do you see our problem? We write off the rejoicing of the Old Testament because it’s “of the ancients” or “of the world.” And we relegate the rejoicing of the angels to the confines of heaven. Call us slaves to dignity, or fearful of the opinions of men. Whatever our anti-motivation, we just aren’t that good at taking up the charge of Paul to “rejoice always”—at least not to the degree that we see it being done well in the pages of Scripture.
Listen, I don’t know what your “trumpet” is, but I’d sure love to hear it! I’d love to know that God’s people still recognize God’s goodness and celebrate it for all to hear.
—
Jeff Hopper
February 6, 2012
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday through Friday at www.linksplayers.com.