Podcasts about jerusalem ezra

Basic Bible Study | Nehemiah, Joel & Malachi (Part 1) This is part 1 of 7 In today's podcast, join Amy and Robyn as they continue their discussion in Nehemiah, Joel & Malachi. Here is a breakdown of what was discussed: - Amy is back! - recap of Esther - Ezra returned with the exiles to Jerusalem - Ezra praised the Lord “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ABOUT Opening a Bible for the first time can be intimidating. Join Amy & Robyn in an easy-to-follow discussion. This Basic Bible Study is perfect for beginners & those who have never read the Bible. Look for new podcasts every Tuesday & Friday! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BIBLE RESOURCES https://biblehub.com/ https://www.bible.com/ http://betterdaysarecoming.com/bible/pronunciation.html https://biblespeak.org/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/mybasicbiblestudy WEBSITE http://www.mybasicbiblestudy.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You can contact us through e-mail or regular old snail-mail: Basic Bible Study 7797 N. 1st St. #34 Fresno, CA 93720 basicbiblestudy19@gmail.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunday Morning Service, January 19, 2025

Introduction, Nehemiah 1.1-3 Inscribed silver bowl from the palace of Artaxerxes I (464–424 B.C.). The inscription clearly identifies this bowl as having been made in the palace of Artaxerxes I. As cupbearer to Artaxerxes (Nehemiah 1:11), Nehemiah likely would have handled articles such as this.“At the time, I was cupbearer to the king.” (Nehemiah 1:11 NRSV) The main action is crowded into the spring and summer of the year 445 BC Around 13 years since Ezra had set out for Jerusalem (Ezra 7:7). 'Survivors'/'Remnant' could also be translated, “escapees”, with allusions to the flight from Egypt that made the Hebrews into a nation. Now they have the opportunity to become a nation re-born. Summary: God was able to do a new thing because Nehemiah responded to the need revealed to him 1. Nehemiah Prays Neh 1.4ff “Nehemiah's first response to the challenging news he received was an honest outpouring of emotion. He held nothing back. What an example for us as we face struggles and heartache in this world. We don't have to ‘act strong' or ‘be tough'. Thos who follow Jesus are free to express authentic feelings that well up inside us.”  Hybels, Nehemiah, 15.   Nehemiah is a man of action, as events in the book demonstrate.  It is therefore all the more remarkable that his first instinct is to mourn, fast and pray.  We see here that his penchant for action is rooted in a deep conviction about God's honour.  He is first and foremost a spiritual man - not a man of action.  This prayer forms the background to the “arrow prayer” of Neh 2:4 and shows that it is not superficial. “Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. Then I said to the king, “” Nehemiah 2.4 See also Nehemiah 4.9 2. Nehemiah Acts Neh 2.1ff Four months later - prayed for the right time Sad and afraid, but courageous. He is scared because he is putting his life on the line - for his people.   The king had the power to execute someone for not behaving properly in his presence - and expressing emotion was considered improper. His conviction inspires others“Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we may no longer suffer disgrace.” I told them that the hand of my God had been gracious upon me, and also the words that the king had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let us start building!” So they committed themselves to the common good.” (Nehemiah 2:17-18 NRSV) Conclusion Despite internal and external opposition “So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem; for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.” (Nehemiah 6:15-17 NRSV) What needs has God revealed to you? Family Local faith group Neighbourhood Croxley Business ParkDebbie's friend; Nadya (CAW); Watford church; Harry ...... What action could you take in at least one area this week? Summary: God was able to do a new thing because Nehemiah responded to the need revealed to him Please add your comments on this week's topic. We learn best when we learn in community. Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here's the email: malcolm@malcolmcox.org. If you'd like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org. Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review. “Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11) God bless, Malcolm

Introduction, Nehemiah 1.1-3 Inscribed silver bowl from the palace of Artaxerxes I (464–424 B.C.). The inscription clearly identifies this bowl as having been made in the palace of Artaxerxes I. As cupbearer to Artaxerxes (Nehemiah 1:11), Nehemiah likely would have handled articles such as this. “At the time, I was cupbearer to the king.” (Nehemiah 1:11 NRSV) The main action is crowded into the spring and summer of the year 445 BC Around 13 years since Ezra had set out for Jerusalem (Ezra 7:7). 'Survivors'/'Remnant' could also be translated, “escapees”, with allusions to the flight from Egypt that made the Hebrews into a nation. Now they have the opportunity to become a nation re-born. Summary: God was able to do a new thing because Nehemiah responded to the need revealed to him 1. Nehemiah Prays Neh 1.4ff “Nehemiah's first response to the challenging news he received was an honest outpouring of emotion. He held nothing back. What an example for us as we face struggles and heartache in this world. We don't have to ‘act strong' or ‘be tough'. Thos who follow Jesus are free to express authentic feelings that well up inside us.”  Hybels, Nehemiah, 15.   Nehemiah is a man of action, as events in the book demonstrate.  It is therefore all the more remarkable that his first instinct is to mourn, fast and pray.  We see here that his penchant for action is rooted in a deep conviction about God's honour.  He is first and foremost a spiritual man - not a man of action.  This prayer forms the background to the “arrow prayer” of Neh 2:4 and shows that it is not superficial. “Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. Then I said to the king, “” Nehemiah 2.4 See also Nehemiah 4.9 2. Nehemiah Acts Neh 2.1ff Four months later - prayed for the right time Sad and afraid, but courageous. He is scared because he is putting his life on the line - for his people.   The king had the power to execute someone for not behaving properly in his presence - and expressing emotion was considered improper. His conviction inspires others “Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we may no longer suffer disgrace.” I told them that the hand of my God had been gracious upon me, and also the words that the king had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let us start building!” So they committed themselves to the common good.” (Nehemiah 2:17-18 NRSV) Conclusion Despite internal and external opposition “So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem; for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.” (Nehemiah 6:15-17 NRSV) What needs has God revealed to you? Family Local faith group Neighbourhood Croxley Business Park What action could you take in at least one area this week? Summary: God was able to do a new thing because Nehemiah responded to the need revealed to him Please add your comments on this week's topic. We learn best when we learn in community. God bless, Malcolm

When my daughter received a pair of pet crabs as a gift, she filled a glass tank with sand so the creatures could climb and dig. She supplied water, protein, and vegetable scraps for their dining pleasure. They seemed happy, so it was shocking when they disappeared one day. We searched everywhere. Finally, we learned they were likely under the sand, and would be there for about two months as they shed their exoskeletons. Two months passed, and then another month elapsed, and I had begun to worry that they’d died. The longer we waited, the more impatient I became. Then finally, we saw signs of life, and the crabs emerged from the sand. I wonder if Israel doubted that God’s prophecy for them would be fulfilled when they lived as exiles in Babylon. Did they feel despair? Did they worry they would be there forever? Through Jeremiah, God had said, “I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to [Jerusalem]” (v. 11). Sure enough, seventy years later, God caused the Persian king Cyrus to allow the Jews to return and rebuild their temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 1:1–4). In seasons of waiting when it seems like nothing is happening, God hasn’t forgotten us. As the Holy Spirit helps us to develop patience, we can know that He’s the Hope-giver, the Promise Keeper, and the One who controls the future.

You've found an upload from the Thames Valley churches of Christ. If you'd like to know more go to www.thamesvalley.church where you'll find news, information, resources and much more. Who is Haggai? * “His name is one of several in the Old Testament derived from ḥāg, ‘festival': Haggi (Gen. 46:16; Num. 26:15), Haggith (2 Sam. 3:4), Haggiah (1 Chr. 6:30). He was probably born on a feast day and therefore named ‘my feast'. It is even possible that Haggai was a nickname.” Tyndale * Zechariah was his successor.  Setting of Haggai     * 538 - Cyrus defeats Babylon and decrees captives can return home     * The Persians had a new policy of returning deported peoples to their homeland and restoring the worship of their native gods.  This is not just in the Bible.  It is confirmed by the Cyrus cylinder in the British Museum.      * 536 - First Israelites return to Jerusalem (Ezra 1-6). Nothing done. 50,000 returned under Zerubbabel (aka Sheshbazzar) and Joshua the High Priest (Ezra 1 and 2) to found the remnant and start rebuilding the temple.      * 520 - After a hiatus of 15 years Haggai inspires the people to begin rebuilding the temple. This was a crisis, but did not look like it, or feel like it, because the situation was not like previous crises - invasion, exile etc.  * Dates covered in the book. Four dates mentioned all in the second year of the reign of King Darius     * 1:1 - 1st day 6th month, 29 August 520     * 1:15 - 24th day 6th month, 21 September 520     * 2:2 - 21st day 7th month, 17 October 520     * 2:10, 20 - 24th day 9th month, 18 December 520 The setting & God speaks, vv1-2 - ‘LORD almighty' - LORD of hosts. Angels, stars, armies of Israel? Point - greater than armies of Darius.      - Phrase used a total of 14 times: Hag. 1:2, 5, 7, 9, 14; 2:4, 6–9, 11, 23  Haggai's central challenge, v3-4 - ‘is it a time…'? Sarcasm.      - 'In other words, God says, "Is the problem really that you think it's not yet time for me to work? Well, it's amazing that you think it is time for me to work in helping you to build your house. How about mine?' Ray C. Stedman - ‘panelled' could be ‘roofed'. May not be luxury.  Haggai's call to soberness, v5-11 * ‘give careful thought' = “set to heart” (used five times in Haggai 1:5, 7; 2:15, 18). It is an exhortation to think. The heart was the seat of the intellect or volition for the Hebrews. WBC     * Reminds me of ‘he who has ears to hear', Rev 2:7; Mark 4:9, Mark 4:23 * Were they confused because what they thought God had promised had not occurred? Isaiah 35:1 promised desert flowering, but their crops were failing.  * They have prevented God from experiencing pleasure and receiving honour. Not a good place to be!     * What channels do we have for giving God pleasure?         * “So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.” 2 Corinthians 5:9         * “so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,” Colossians 1:10     * What channels do we have for ensuring God receives honour?     * Struggle to put God first is one for all the ages, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”Matt 6:33–34 The people act, vv12-15 God reassures God acts The people act     - “Isaiah, Micah and Zephaniah had spoken about a chastened, humble, obedient remnant that would return to be the people of Yahweh. Since these people have obeyed the voice of Yahweh and Haggai, they are now called “the remnant.””      - Reiteration of promise to Moses, “And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.””Exodus 3:12  Building a G.R.E.A.T. church 1. God-Focussed 2. Relationship-Based 3. Enabling our Children to Become Christians 4. Always Free, But Spiritual 5. Toiling to Build the Church Well Questions and points for reflection: 1. God's timing vs ours 2. Missing what is most important to God? 3. Anything ‘incomplete' in my  ‘ministry' - personal or group? 4. How please God? 5. How bring God honour? Next time Haggai 2:1-9 Please add your comments on this week's topic. We learn best when we learn in community.  Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here's the email: [malcolm@malcolmcox.org](mailto:malcolm@malcolmcox.org).  If you'd like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/).  Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.  God bless, Malcolm

Sign Me Up (The Assignment). Cheer Me Up (The Attitude). Back Me Up (The Advocates/Encouragers). Fix Me Up (The Awakening/Revival). I'm Up (Alert/Awareness)! He was a Man with a Message – Ezra was well versed in the Law of Moses (Ezra 7:6a “This Ezra was ascribe who was well versed in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given to the people of Israel.”) He was a Man with Means – Ezra had literally been given a blank check (Ezra 7:6b “He came up to Jerusalem from Babylon, and the king gave him everything he asked for, because the gracious hand of the LORD his God was on him.”) He was a Man on a Mission – Ezra had been given the task of beautifying the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem (Ezra 7:27 “Praise the LORD, the God of our ancestors, who made the king want to beautify the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem!”) How do you accomplish such a task of beautifying the building, of bringing honor to the House of the Lord, of adorning the Temple, of glorifying the place of worship? How? That doesn't seem like an easy task! Who would even want to accept such a daunting task? Well, Ezra understood the fundamentals – you can't have a Beautiful Building with Broken Believers. You can't have an Honorable House with Hellish Heathens. You can't have Glorious Place with Guilty People. Therefore, Psalm 119:9 (NKJV) “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed to Your word.” That's why Ezra according to Ezra 7:10 was determined to study the Word, obey the Word, so that he could teach others the Word. Thank You, Ezra! What a confidence he possessed, what a peace he enjoyed, what wisdom he displayed, what FAITH he exhibits as he parenthetically said, “I'm UP!” I'm alert. I'm awake. I'm aware of what it takes. I'm up for this journey ahead! Since SUCCESS requires ROLES, RULES, and RESPONSIBILITIES, stay UP on your game!

From Babylon to Jerusalem (Ezra 1) - Morning Sermon

It is Monday morning, 13th December, the year 2021 and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.“Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem” Ezra 7:27That is right, the Lord has put into the heart of the King of Persia (which is modern-day Iran) a desire to beautify the Temple in Jerusalem.God has put eternity into the hearts of men.Ecclesiastes 3:11I've put in the margin of my Bible: “You cannot chain the Gospel!” I firmly believe there is no such thing as an atheist, not at all! You know, I heard stories my old dad used to tell me, that the Salvation Army, those young girls of maybe 17 or 18 years old, would go down into the ghettos of some of the cities of Britain. They would go and minister to the people in the pubs, where even strong men would fear to go, and no one would harm them. Why, because those people knew that these young girls were representatives of the Living God.A man knows, in the depths of his soul, what is right and he knows what is wrong. You can go into the jungle. You can go and speak to people who have never ever heard of the Gospel before but that person will tell you that he knows he has been created, that there is a Higher Being, he just hasn't been introduced to Him by name yet.The King of Persia knew that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was the Creator and that is why he wanted to beautify the Temple in Jerusalem. I want to say to a mother, that prodigal son of yours that you have been praying for so many years, he is going to come home. Keep the door open mom - He will come home, he knows in his heart the truth!I will never forget as long as I live, as a young Christian I went to visit a Muslim man. I went into his house, a beautiful home he had. He brought me into the sitting room and told me to sit down while he made some tea for me. I took my Bible and put it next to my chair, on the carpet. When he came in with the tea he said: “Sir, please do not put the Bible on the ground, put it on the coffee table.” He knew that there is One and His name is Jesus Christ and He loves you and me today! All we need to do is pray and He will do the work for us.God bless you and have a wonderful day!Goodbye.

Ezra is an important book to understanding the history, context and place of Israel, God's chosen people, in the Bible. The Lord stirred Cyrus King of Persia's heart to release the Jews from Babylon, just as Isaiah had prophesied over a hundred years before. This is the story of those Exiles from Babylon returning, the difficulties they faced and how the Lord led them, corrected them and nurtured them through triumphs and hardship.  I encourage you to read through Ezra once a week for ten weeks to get the most out of this study. -----------LINKS---------- Support 10WB on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/10weekbible The 10 Week Bible - http://www.10WeekBible.com Twitter: @DarrenHibbs - https://twitter.com/DarrenHibbs Sign up for my newsletter - http://www.darrenhibbs.com Get a copy of the 10 Week Bible Study today - https://www.amazon.com/Darren-Hibbs/e/B00B4I47CE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=sl2&tag=darrenhcom0a-20&linkId=401f3d79974c70929517936977e32df9 My other YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChUU0XHSHuhSyN8qk-7efYg

Ezra is an important book to understanding the history, context and place of Israel, God's chosen people, in the Bible. The Lord stirred Cyrus King of Persia's heart to release the Jews from Babylon, just as Isaiah had prophesied over a hundred years before. This is the story of those Exiles from Babylon returning, the difficulties they faced and how the Lord led them, corrected them and nurtured them through triumphs and hardship.  I encourage you to read through Ezra once a week for ten weeks to get the most out of this study. -----------LINKS---------- Support 10WB on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/10weekbible The 10 Week Bible - http://www.10WeekBible.com Twitter: @DarrenHibbs - https://twitter.com/DarrenHibbs Sign up for my newsletter - http://www.darrenhibbs.com Get a copy of the 10 Week Bible Study today - https://www.amazon.com/Darren-Hibbs/e/B00B4I47CE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=sl2&tag=darrenhcom0a-20&linkId=401f3d79974c70929517936977e32df9 My other YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChUU0XHSHuhSyN8qk-7efYg

I had no idea how great Ezra and Nehemiah were! Of course Esther is great too but I've already studied her :). Enjoy the episode!

More years of delay and disappointment go by before God raises up the prophets Haggai and Zechariah (Ezra 5), who encourage the people to restart the building of the temple. The temple’s foundations have been laid, but nothing more has been done. Now, under the revitalizing ministry of the two prophets, the building starts again.This precipitates a new crisis. Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates (from the Persian perspective Trans-Euphrates means everything in the Persian Empire to the west of the Euphrates, including the strip of land we know as Israel), questions the authority of the Jews to engage in this building project. Tattenai writes to Darius, the new king, and in the next chapter Darius responds positively: the Jews are not only permitted to rebuild, but should be supported by the treasury.One can see why, humanly speaking, imperial policy has reversed itself. For a start, we are dealing with a new emperor. More importantly, a careful reading of Tattenai’s letter (Ezra 5:7-17) shows it to be a remarkably even-handed missive, setting out the facts of the case without prejudice and simply wanting to know the right way forward. How different was the remarkably perverse letter of Rehum and Shimshai (Ezra 4:11-16). As Scripture comments, that was really a letter “against Jerusalem” (Ezra 4:8), a nasty piece of work that only the most astute monarch would have penetrated, and Artaxerxes was not that kind of monarch. So in the peculiar providence of God, the letter in Ezra 4 shuts the project down, while the letter in Ezra 5, written by pagans no less than the first, not only wins authorization for the building project, but money as well.It is important for believers to remember that God sovereignly controls countless elements over which we have little sway. I recall speaking at a Cambridge college chapel more than twenty years ago on the assigned topic of death and judgment. What frightened me was the obligatory discussion that would follow. I preached as simply and as faithfully as I could, and after the meeting we settled down for the discussion. The chaplain was sure there would be “questions arising.” In that interesting but mixed crowd, I waited with some trepidation for the first shot. Then a mathematics “don” (a college teacher) I had never met quietly commented, “If we heard more sermons like that, England would not be in her mess.” That comment established the tone of the rest of the meeting. Everyone was serious, and I spent the time explaining the Gospel. But the fact that it was that question which set the tone, and not some taunting sneer, was entirely in the hand of God. This podcast is designed to be used alongside TGC's Read The Bible initiative (TGC.org/readthebible). The podcast features devotional commentaries from D.A. Carson’s book For the Love of God (vol. 2) that follow the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan.

Speaker - Rev. McIntyre

Midweek - The Book of Ezra - 05 - Ezra to Jerusalem - Ezra 7 and 8

I was raised to dream big. It is part of our culture to want the next generation to have more than we had. So, when I heard the challenge offered by Josh Wilson in his song "Dream Small," I was inspired by the lyrics and this counter cultural idea. Join me in a chapter you may just be tempted to skim over in Nehemiah where we see the significance of individual obedience...no matter how small. On this week's episode I discuss: Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include: Read in context Consider the historical context Remember the people in the Bible were REAL Use outside resources The historical context leading up to Nehemiah 3 using an outside resource - The Bible Timeline How I discussed the timelines of the rebuilding of the Jerusalem walls in Episode 203 Daniel as a counselor to King Cyrus who decrees the resettlement of Jerusalem fulfilling a very specific prophecy about him by Isaiah 150 years prior - Isaiah 44:28, Isaiah 45:1 The first wave of captives allowed to return to Jerusalem - Ezra 1:1-4 Ezra and Nehemiah and a little bit about their backgrounds - Ezra 7:8-10, Nehemiah 1 What I discovered about the significance of the gates that were rebuilt in Nehemiah 3 The free outside resource that I discovered by Dr. J. Vernon McGee - Online Article - "The Gospel in the Gates of Jerusalem" The audio discussion of Dr. J. Vernon McGee regarding the Gospel in the gates of Jerusalem Session 1 - beginning at minute 14:48 - Online Audio Podcast Thru the Bible Session 2 - beginning at minute 4:27 - Online Audio Podcast Thru the Bible Session 3 - beginning at minute 3:30 - Online Audio Podcast Thru the Bible The rebuilding of the gates beginning at the Sheep Gate - the gate through which the animals were brought in for sacrifice - a foreshadowing of Christ Not all will be so willing to do their part - Nehemiah 3:5 Not all are asked to do what they are comfortable doing - Nehemiah 3:8 Sometimes tending to your home and neighborhood is enough - Nehemiah 3:23, Nehemiah 3:28-30 Meshullam who rebuilt the part of the wall across from his bedroom - Nehemiah 3:30 The opposition that reared its ugly head - Nehemiah 4     Additional Resources Lyrics Chords Stories Behind the Song "Dream Small" by Josh Wilson - YouTube Video-Inspired by Jay Stories Behind the Song "Dream Small" by Josh Wilson - YouTube Video-Inspired by Suzanne Stories Behind the Song "Dream Small" by Josh Wilson - YouTube Video-Inspired by Becca This Week's Challenge Read Nehemiah in context. Stop over in chapter three where you might have normally been tempted to skim over. Pause at each gate and use the article on the “The Gospel in the Gates of Jerusalem” by Dr. McGee to inspire you to see them in new ways. Consider that the people listed in chapter three were REAL. Some accomplished more than others, but through the faithfulness of each one, the wall of Jerusalem was rebuilt in 52 days. God will take the small things and multiply them into miraculous, BIG things.

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled as one man in Jerusalem (Ezra 3:1). This was about twenty years before the time of Haggai the prophet who encouraged Zerubbabel to build the temple. These “Israelites” mentioned above were the first returnees from the Babylonian captivity. Perhaps, they first went to their own towns to see their own houses and fields, but as the seventh month approached, they all came to gather in Jerusalem. According to the Law of Moses, they were to celebrate the feast of trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the feast of tabernacles in the seventh month. While they were still in Babylon, to celebrate such festivals in Jerusalem was only a dream. You can imagine the kind of excitement and joy they had that time. Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices (v.3). The phrase, “on its foundation,” means “on its appointed place”—the certain designated place. Where was it? There is an interesting story in the Bible as to how this place came to be designated for such a purpose. It was the place where the angel of the Lord stood with a drawn sword in his hand to destroy Jerusalem when David sinned by taking a census in Israel. David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown (1 Chr 21:16). Note the expression “between heaven and earth.” This disaster was brought from this particular place. And this must be the place from which all kinds of other disasters are brought to humanity as well. What happened to Israel at the time of David’s sin can be applied to what had happened to our human world at the time of Adam’s sin. If so, we want to know if there is any solution to it: how can we stop the disasters? God told David to go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite (v. 18). He did so, and God accepted his sacrifice with fire from heaven. Then, the disaster stopped! Needless to say, this was the designated place where the Israelites built the altar after the Babylonian captivity. There is another interesting story that is connected with this place—the story of Abraham sacrificing his own son Isaac. Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about (Gen 22:2)." Here, too, Abraham built an altar and gave a sacrifice to God so that the whole world would come to be blessed. Isaac in this tory is the type of Christ, the only Son, who died for the sins of the world. Then Solomon began to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David. It was on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the place provided by David (2 Chr 3:1). Now we know that the mountain of Moriah was exactly the same place as the place where David built his altar. Then, what had happened as a result of the altar David built was the type of what happened to the whole world through Christ. Christ came and built an altar for us right between heaven and earth, and gave himself as a sacrifice. It was to stop all disasters that came as a result of sin. He became the foundation upon which the temple was built so that God’s teaching would flow from it to the whole world establishing his kingdom, a new world with full of blessings and no disasters.

Why didn't all the Jews want to return to Jerusalem (Ezra 1:5-6)? Why did mamny Jews decide to remain in Babylon and Persia?

Timeline of temple rebuilding: 538 BC - Return to Jerusalem - Ezra 1:1-2 536 BC - Construction began - Ezra 3:8-13 536 BC - Construction…