With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:
“He is good;
his love toward Israel endures forever.”
And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. (Ezra 3:11 NIV)
For many years, Jeremiah and some of God's other prophets were ignored by the Israelites. So, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon successfully attacked the Israelites, burned and looted their temple in Jerusalem, and the survivors were taken away and held captive for a very long time.
After 70 years in captivity (imagine several generations), they were sent back to Jerusalem by Cyrus, King of Persia, who had come to power, and they began rebuilding God's temple. After seven months of work, this is their first celebration as they finally begin worshiping God on the foundation of a new temple! I can imagine how excited they must have been.
Today, I will celebrate my God's love for me as the Israelites did that day.
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