Timely and Wise Enthusiasm
W. Clarkson Ezra 6:16-22 And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity… It was natural and right that, when the temple was finished, the Israelites, who had spent on their work so much anxiety and toil, and who looked on the sacred building as the one great possession and glory of the land, should find their hearts elated with a strong and glowing enthusiasm. It was timely, and, moreover, it was wise; let us see its characteristics. I. JOYOUS. "And the children of Israel... kept the dedication... with joy" (ver. 16). It was "the Lord had made them joyful" (ver. 22). Their souls were all alight and aglow with that best kind of happiness, the joy of gratitude. There is nothing so miserable as unthankfulness; nothing so happy as gratitude. They were mindful of his mercies who had brought them out of bondage, away from the "strange land" where they could not "sing the songs of Zion" (Psalm 137.), to their own home, the land of their fathers. They remembered him who had "turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them," and made him even lend them his aid; they blessed the Divine hand which had arrested and diverted the blow of their enemies. "Not unto us," they said, "but to thy name," etc. (Psalm 116.), and their souls thrilled with enthusiastic joy as they took possession of the new house they had built (ver. 16), and again as they kept the feast of unleavened bread (ver. 22). Happy they who "drink of the river of his pleasures," whom God makes joyful, whose gladness of heart is not the mere excitement of the flesh, but the pure and healthy satisfaction of the spirit. II. SACRED (vers. 17, 20, 21). Proceeding from a pure and sacred source, it flowed in a sacred channel, and took a devout and holy form; for (a) they purified themselves, "separated themselves from the filthiness of the heathen" (ver. 21); they made themselves clean of heart and hand, preparatory to worship, and "all of them were pure" (ver. 20). And (b) they brought sacrifices in abundance to the altar of the Lord (ver. 17). Not the "thousands" of Solomon's time of wealth, but the "hundreds" of their own time of poverty; gladly, spontaneously, liberally they presented their offerings unto God. Here are two of the requisites of acceptable service. (a) Purity. If we regard iniquity in our heart the Lord will not hear us (Psalm 66:18). We must be clean who bear the vessels of the Lord (Isaiah 52:11). Only the pure in heart can hope to see God, either here by faith, or hereafter by sight (Matthew 5:8). (b) Spontaneity. The willing, cheerful surrender both of ourselves (our will, our affections, our intelligence) and of our possessions (our time, our strength, our money) unto our Lord. "In the strength of grace, with a glad heart and free," we must dedicate ourselves unto him. III. HUMBLE-HEARTED. They "offered for sin offering," etc. (ver. 17). Twelve he-goats were offered as a sin offering (ver. 17). It was not forgotten that, beside God's mercies to be celebrated, there were their own sins to be atoned. In the midst of our overflowing joy, joy before God and in him, it is well to remember that there are "sins of our holy things," and many shortcomings in our service, beside trespasses in our daily life, which Should lead to the prayer, "Let thy mercy, O Lord, lighten upon us," blending, not inharmoniously, with the voice of our supplication, and the song of our thanksgiving. IV. SOCIAL. "And the children of Israel... did eat, and kept the feast," etc. (vers. 21, 22). All the children of Israel, from the highest to the lowest, from the governor to the humblest menial of the state, from the high priest to the lowliest Levite, all sat down together to eat, to keep the feast. Their holy joy was multiplied and was beautified in the sight of God by being shared, and by being made as social as their circumstances and customs would allow. So should ours be; and though we have no longer Christian institutions answering to the early "agapae," we should seek for and discover some ways by which our "common joy in the common salvation" should be expressed together, in social as well as sacred service. V. SYSTEMATIC. "They set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses" (ver. 18). They kept the passover according to law (ver. 19), and instead of letting enthusiasm simply blaze up and die down, they made provision for future devotion (ver. 18). Here is enthusiasm in its wisdom; in the hour of its strength providing for the hour when its excitements will be over, when reliance must rest on calm conviction, and when piety must be maintained by devout habits and wise methods of worship and of work. - C. Parallel Verses KJV: And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy, WEB: The children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy.