Ezra 3

“For He is good, for His lovingkindness is upon Israel forever” (v11).  The people who had been exiled in Babylon had now returned to Jerusalem to rebuild their ruined Temple.  They praised God for His faithfulness, His beauty, and His goodness, even while their own situation was uncertain and difficult.  The old men who remembered the magnificent first Temple “wept”, mourning all that had been destroyed.  Joy was mixed with sorrow and regret.

The new Temple in a still-sinful world pointed toward humanity’s deepest hope:  a permanent, peaceful Kingdom, without sin or sorrow, ruled by God Himself.