The Sound Of The Shout

Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' households, the old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far away. (Ezra 3:12-13)

The sound of the shout. Sometimes we cry loudly, sometimes we shout loudly.  For joy and sorrow...sometimes at the same time.  Sometimes we weep for our sin and God's response of mercy. Here we have an account of the old timers remembering what it was like to lose the place where God was worshipped. We read in this chapter that it was into the second year before the foundation of the rebuilt temple was laid. They did not rush into the restoration. Here is a lesson for our learning. The worship of God is not honored by hasty and slipshod preparation. The lives that were lived from the time of the exile until their return were empty of the place but always yearning for restoration. The emotional moment of the old men seeing the people return to God was a deeply moving experience. Joy is the fruit that comes out when we know deep sorrow and God's restoration. God's people who are seriously pursuing the restoration of holiness will find themselves on shouting ground. Whether we are sorrowful or joyful makes no difference. The world, the community, and God Himself hears the shout. The sound of a shout is one we give when we remember what has transpired and especially what God has done. There is a time and a place for shouting. You can use your outside voice to express inside joy.  You can even weep on the inside and shout on the outside.  So what's all the shouting about?