Eza 3:10 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. (ESV)
When they laid the foundation they celebrated. I'm not a big celebration guy. In the middle of a celebration I'd rather find a quiet corner and have a conversation with someone. But celebrations are important. I know that. I wrote earlier, on this chapter, about emotion. While celebration and emotion are related they are not the same thing. Here they are celebrating "according to the directions of David king of Israel." Celebrations are not only an important part of congregational life, they are biblical.
If I were Zerubbabel or Jeshua I would probably have waited until the building was finished before celebrating, but here they are celebrating the fact that the foundation is laid. It reminds me of ground breaking ceremonies that companies and organizations have. Theses ceremonies are about looking back to celebrate what we have accomplished and looking forward to celebrate where we are going.
My nephew, who grew up in farming country in North Dakota, shared with me the other day that when you are working a field it can be really discouraging looking forward all the time seeing how much you still have to plow, but when you look back and see how much you have accomplished it motivates you to keep going. You can't plow a field by looking back, but a glance backward occasionally is helpful.
I think that is what this celebration was about. It was a moment in the life of God's people to look around. To see not only the destruction that surrounded them, but to be reminded of how far they had come. Two years earlier they were sitting in Babylonia going about life as usual. They had no hope or expectation of ever going home to rebuild. Now here they are. They have survived a long and arduous journey. They have built an altar. They have been offering sacrifices on a regular basis for over six months. Now the foundation of the temple is laid. This was cause for celebration.
That raises a question in my mind. How often do I stop and take stock of how far I have come in my walk with the Lord? How often do I assess how I am doing and where I am going in my relationship with and service to my God? I cannot spend all of my time in soul searching or nothing will ever get done. Neither can I just keep pushing ahead without stopping to assess. We need these times both corporately and individually to occasionally stop, look around, celebrate what God has done, and refocus for the task ahead.
Father, thank you for what you have accomplished in me. Never let me be satisfied with where I am. Never let me forget how far you have brought me. That gives me hope that you will finish the work in me that you have begun.
Phi 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (ESV)
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