Today’s Scripture Reading (July 10, 2017):
Ezra 3
It has sometimes been called the ninth beatitude. “Blessed
is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” The words were written by English poet Alexander Pope (21 May
1688 – 30 May 1744). And at the heart of the Pope’s beatitude is the idea that
if you don’t expect anything, you will live a happier life. A few years ago I
had a discussion with a Pastor who seemed to live by Alexander Pope’s
beatitude. He had long ago decided that he would not set any goals for his
life. Whatever happened was what God intended to happen, and he would accept whatever might come. For this pastor,
no expectations resulted in no disappointments,
and it also meant that no one could criticize him for not reaching his goals. But
the result was that nothing ever really changed.
I have never really understood the attitude. My life
sometimes seems to have been a series of goals and expectations. Many of my goals and expectations have failed, but I am
okay with that. I have learned something from the failure and have moved on to
my next goal. But without expectations, nothing ever changes.
The exiles were returning home to a Jerusalem that had been destroyed over seven decades earlier.
After the city had been leveled by the
Babylonians, it lay empty and dormant. Animals had made their home in
the piles of rubble. And the returning exiles had a choice; they could do one
of two things. They could find someplace else to live, or they could restore
the city – and the temple, the center of religious life not just for Jerusalem,
but for all of Judea. Each one of them came with an expectation. They were not going to abandon the city; they were going to restore it. And that
included the Jerusalem Temple.
And so they set themselves to making plans for the
restoration work. The work began. Finally,
the day arrived when the foundation of
the Temple was laid. Ezra says that all
of the people gathered to see the temple foundation be unveiled. As it is unveiled,
a scream of expectation rose from the people that was heard for miles. But not everyone had the same reaction. For
most, this was a day when their expectations and goals took a step forward.
Before them lay the foundation of a new Temple. Looking at the foundation in
front of them, they could imagine what the Temple might look like on the day
that it was finished. There was a sense
of joy that arose from the deepest parts of their being. Once again, Jerusalem
would be a city that boasted the Temple to the one true God. There was a lot of
work still to be done, but the time of
restoration was closer today than it had been yesterday.
But for the older exiles, the smallness of the foundation
did not measure up to the grandness of Solomon’s Temple. Their expectations had
not been met, and the people wept. But
the laughing and weeping wrapped itself together into a noise that was heard throughout the countryside. But both
the laughing and crying meant one thing –
the restoration of Jerusalem had begun.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Ezra 4
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