Pray the word with David Platt is a resource from radical.net.

Ezra chapter 3 verses 11 through 13.

Now before I read these verses,

we give you a picture of what's happening here. This is all the priests and

the Levites and people gathering together to celebrate the rebuilding of the temple.

And verse 11 says,

they sang responsibly,

praising and giving thanks to the Lord,

for he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel and all the people shouted

with a great shout when they praise the Lord because the foundation of the

house of the Lord was laid.

But many of the priests and Levites and heads of father's houses,

old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they

saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout

From the sound of the people's weeping for the people shouted with a great shout and the sound was heard far away

What a scene!

Like imagine the emotions here,

the exuberance to the people on one hand,

having been brought back from exile

they're singing and they're shouting about the faithfulness and the goodness the

steadfast love of God toward them to restore them.

...