The Story Part 13: Rebuilding After the Exile

The exile didn't happen because God was weak, but because Israel got lost. They got comfortable in the world that they were living in. And because of that, they got complacent complacent in in what they worship and who they worship. They most likely worship God the way that it was prescribed to them in in Exodus and Leviticus, but they also worshiped other gods whenever that was convenient. We we definitely heard about that. [00:05:16] (36 seconds)  #ComfortToComplacency

But the bigger question after we've addressed that honestly and maybe even grieved it is how do we get back? How do we rebuild? Which leads to the very big question. And when we mourn all the people that have left the church and we've lost, Are we mourning a full building of people? A full program like a full youth program and kids in in the classrooms learning about God? Or do we actually mourn the people we lost and the relationships that were squandered? [00:08:59] (39 seconds)  #MournPeopleNotPrograms

Because as much as they would like to build the temple back to where it once was, they could not. They didn't have enough supplies. They didn't have enough people. They had what they had come with and what they were able to scrounge up, while David had stored up treasures for Solomon to build the temple for years and years and years. The truth is we cannot build the future for only mourning the past. God is doing something new in the ruins of what happens in life. [00:17:41] (37 seconds)  #NewFromRuins

I think it's important to understand that even though they were given the freedom to go back, again, much like the freedom that the Israelites got from Egypt, sometimes that freedom can be terrifying. Sometimes it probably felt easier to just stay in Babylon and do what they had done up to that point. Life was predictable. The question that or the example that they set and the question that set forth through their example was, are you willing to leave the comfort and to do the hard work of rebuilding? Because that's what they were asked to do. [00:15:01] (41 seconds)  #LeaveComfortRebuild

So here we have a different prophet who's talking to the Israelites because they did not finish the work. Sounds like they got it started, but then they got busy with their own lives. It's the weeds of distraction. They stopped building God's house and started working on their own houses. And the the story or the warning that God gives his people there is that you could work hard but still be empty if you aren't building what God called you to build. [00:19:57] (35 seconds)  #BuildingTheWrongHouse

if we would like to see a nation restored, if we have complaints about how our nation has gone sideways, then the work of restoration of people back to God should also, again, be the thing that's on the forefront. Christianity is a decision that is followed by people individually in their hearts first. It cannot be superimposed. It cannot be legislated. We've tried that as the church over several eras of time. We've tried to legislate Christianity, and it never worked out very well. [00:21:39] (38 seconds)  #FaithIsPersonal

In this passage, we we hear the sound of two different stories. When the foundation was laid, some shouted for joy, and that was part of the sound, while the older generation wept because of what they had seen and been through, as well as we find out later, because the temple, the new temple, was not as grand as Solomon's old temple. This the question there is just as in the Desert Of Sinai, the struggle isn't just about the physical work. It's about who is in charge, and do we trust them when the progress feels small? [00:16:56] (45 seconds)  #TrustThroughSmallSteps

I think the real impressive thing about the Israelites after the Babylonian exile is that a lot of them actually finally got it. And they said, you did to us what we needed, what we deserved just like you said you would, and now we are turning back. What's left out of the Israelites is this faithful remnant. We have the the legacy of Daniel and his cousins. We don't need a major a majority to change a culture. We need a faithful few who refuse to bow. And that's what this world needs even to this day. [00:29:17] (48 seconds)  #FaithfulFew