Babies are little noise machines, designed to keep parents awake at night, and laughing during the day.
Babies make lots of noises. Lots. From laughing to burping to crying to screaming to cooing. They are little noise machines, designed to keep parents awake at night, and laughing during the day. How often have we witnessed a grandson, in attempting to walk, fall over and bump his nose on the carpet, then start crying loudly. I mean wake-the-dead loudly. Surely he has a triple compound fracture of some bone somewhere, but no, after a while he switches tack and begins to laugh. Or is it crying? Or cryaughing? Sometimes you just can’t tell. Is he sad that he’s fallen over, or happy that he’s still in one piece after the dreadful descent to the carpet?
Ezra records that the young people shouted for joy when the foundations of the temple were laid. The old people wept. The combined noise of shouting and weeping made neither discernable. The young men thought that this was the greatest day of their lives, and it most probably was. The temple was being rebuilt. The old men knew better. They had seen the splendid magnificence of Solomon’s edifice, and by the looks of things, the new would pale in comparison.
So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: (Ezra 3:13)
I tend to side with the young people here. In the first place, it wasn’t their generation that caused God to empty the land. It was their parents and grandparents who sinned, pursuing idolatry and thoroughly expending the patience of a long suffering God. The youth of Ezra’s day never saw the first temple, and did not know what they were missing. The ancients remembered, but forgot to forget the past.
How many times have we thrilled to stories of past missionary endeavours? The Goforths, Taylors, Stams and Careys. How often have we read about the great preachers and their exploits, the Sundays, Moodys, Grahams, Spurgeons. We have even longed for the Philadelphian age to return, but return it cannot. I admit that I am sometimes guilty of longing for the past, but the past serves only as instruction and inspiration for the present. The days of mass city evangelism are finished, at least for the moment. The days of co-operative Gospel campaigns among churches are long gone. The old “temple” is no longer.
The past is gone, but as one has famously stated, “The future is as bright as the promises of God.” Jesus Christ is still the Saviour from sin. The Gospel message is still the same. The Bible is still inspired. The local church still works. Jesus is coming again. Preaching the cross is still foolishness but powerful. God will change anyone to the uttermost, by grace, through faith. Souls are being saved around Australia, and regularly.
We live in difficult times, but no more so than Paul’s day. His motto? “For to me to live is Christ!” I am excited that God is working in this Laodicean age. Many bible believing churches are growing. Converts are being discipled. Lives are being changed. Don’t live in the past. Rejoice in what God has done, then follow Paul’s example and press onwards and upwards.
Older folk, don’t forget to forget the things which are behind.
“…but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before” (Philippians 3:13)
Young people, what an amazing time to serve Jesus Christ! Love Him, serve Him and wait for His return. It’s the greatest life of all.
FRESH BREAD DAILY 