Ezra 1-3

"The old men who had seen the first temple wept with a loud voice ... while many shouted aloud for joy" (3:12). The laying of the foundation of Jerusalem's new temple was a bittersweet event. The Jewish elders who remembered the glory of Solomon's temple wept, recognizing what had been lost due to sin. Yet God had brought them out of exile, back to Jerusalem, and in His kindness was giving them another chance. It was a time to rejoice.

Sin, failure, and loss were not the end. God was still working, redeeming His people and giving them a future.