Something Old, Something New
“And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But many...who were ancient men, that had seen the first house...wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy.” ~ Ezra 3:11-12
Sounds like our day, doesn’t it? The younger generation rejoicing over this new thing that is happening, and the older ones weeping, evidently over the fact that it wasn’t like the old days. There is a two-fold danger in every new generation: that we should disregard the old for the new, and on the other side, we’re told anything new should be discontinued for the old. The truth is, we need both the old and the new. God help us to cease this tug-of-war. We are told to “rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.”
Hebrews tells us Jesus was a “new way.” He upset the traditionalists by some of His unorthodox tactics. For they said of Him, “We never saw it on this fashion.” Yet our Lord constantly honored the old while initiating the new. He “...bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.”
In Revelation we’re told in Heaven we’ll sing the old songs...“the song of Moses.” But it also says we’ll sing “....a new song.”
by an Aged Saint