The Captives Return

Song: Where He Leads I'll Follow

Scripture: Ezra 3:1-13

After 70 years of captivity in Babylon, Judah was permitted to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city from its ashes. Babylon fell to the Persians and Cyrus, king of the new empire, issued the decree allowing the exiles’ restoration work. Ezra and Nehemiah tell the story of the three stage return:

In 536 BC the first captives returned under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Jeshua. They rebuilt the altar, laid the foundation of the temple, and finally finished the temple’s construction in 515 BC.

In 458 BC the second group of exiles made their return under the leadership of Ezra, a scribe and priest, who brought gifts from King Artaxerxes, and led a spiritual revival among the captives.

In 445 BC, and contemporary with the priestly activity of Ezra, Nehemiah came to Jerusalem with another group of exiles and rebuilt the city’s walls. Ezra records the story of the first two returns, including the account of the temple’s restoration, the work begun in today’s reading. The lessons of the book are many, but here are a few:

Seek first the kingdom. Ezra records the names and labors of honorable men who made sacrifices for the Lord’s cause. Such sacrifices are not forgotten as the book’s mere existence teaches.

See the big picture. More than the foundation of the temple was laid in our reading. The workers laid the foundation for the coming of the Messiah. Don’t despise the small things that you can do. God chooses the weak things to shame the strong.

Never quit. There will be adversaries and detractors. Never quit. If the Lord is sympathetic with the cause, He’ll make a way. Never quit.

Jason Moore