The Exiles Return - The Books of Ezra, Haggai, Daniel, Jeremiah, & Ezekiel

In this Bible Story, God’s people are freed from the empire of Babylon and Persia to return home. The exiles journey back to the home of their forefathers. There they rebuilt the temple, and attempted to rebuild their broken hearts. This story is inspired by Ezra 1-6 & Haggai 1-2. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is Ezra 3:7 from the King James Version.

Episode 168: Cyrus King of Persia, had conquered all that was once Babylon. Because of this, he had learned from King Darius the stories of Daniel’s God and his heart grew toward the exiles from Judah. So, in fulfillment of God’s Word through Jeremiah, he issued a decree that the exiles could return to Judah if they would like. It took over two years to wipe the dust and rubble from the ruined city. However, while Zerubbabel, one of the exiles returning from Babylon, was rebuilding the temple, he sent away his fellow Israelites. Creating enemies instead of unity. All of this showed that it was not just the city that needed to be rebuilt, but the hearts of the people as well.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray. They gave money also unto the Masons
and to the carpenters, and meat and drink and oil
unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tire, to
bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the Sea of Joppa,
according to the grant that they had of Cyprus, King
of Persia Ezra three seven, Father in Heaven, at this moment,

(00:26):
I come to you and ask you to do a
diagnostic of my life. Search me and search my heart,
so that any place in me that has become hardened
through disappointment and defeats would turn back into flesh, like
the heart of the Israelites in the books of Ezra

(00:48):
and Haggay. Eye. When I feel rejected from those who
are building your church, give me the proper perspective to
know that I do belong, and that you've called all
people from all nations to partake in your glorious blessings
of forgiveness and newness. As the longing for more of

(01:10):
you in my life increases, I will look in expectation
to your word, for it is in your word that
you point me to the greatest love and acceptance ever known,
the love of Jesus Therefore, my heart will remain at
rest even when others push me away, because in You, Lord,

(01:34):
I have full access and acceptance. I belong in your temple.
I have an assignment to help build the House of
the Lord. And I belong to the Body of Christ,
which is your Church. In Jesus name, Amen, thanks for

(01:57):
making prayer a priority in your life. Here the Bible
come to life. Stay tuned for the Bible in a Year,
brought to you by Bible in a Year dot com.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
The exiles return. In our last story, Daniel was saved
from the jaws of ravenous lions. The Lord protected him.
This spoke to the King of the Meads, Darius. He
proclaimed the goodness of God and the Lord became famous
in the land. Now we fast forward over fifty years.

(02:36):
The Persians had complete control over Babylon. The Lord tugged
on the heart of the king and the exiles are
sent back home to rebuild their city and restore their culture.
Inspired by the books of Ezra, Hagai, Daniel, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.

Speaker 3 (02:56):
Hello everyone, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of
the Bible In. In our latest episode, we heard how
God rescued Daniel from the lion's mouths. Daniel had refused
to hide his faith, his prayer, his worship of God,
or to bow to King Darius, and was thrown into
the lion's den his punishment. As a regretful King Darius

(03:17):
looked on, hoping Daniel's God would somehow save him. God did,
indeed rescue Daniel, and Darius praise the Lord for his greatness.
Today's reading picks up more than fifty years later after
last episode's events, God moved in the heart of the
Persian king to allow his people to return home and

(03:38):
rebuild their city. God was now taking his people out
of their exile and restoring their rightful home. Let's listen
now to the reading of God's word.

Speaker 2 (03:51):
Dawn scattered across the Persian landscape. The air was filled
with the smell of new spring bloom. The budding sun
splattered colors across the sky, and King Cyrus of Persia
basked in its morning light. The King of Persia had
conquered all that was once Babylon. As a result, he
had been introduced to the ways of the Jewish exiles.

(04:14):
King Darius had told him of all that happened with
Daniel in the lions Den. He had heard tales of
the seas parting and the reign of King David. He
had a new found love for the exiles. As he
sat on his rooftop, basking in the glory of the
new day, the Lord tugged on the Persian king's heart.
As Jeremiah had prophesied years before, it was time for

(04:36):
the people of God to return home. So a decree
was sent across the land that the exiles were free
to return to Jerusalem and the surrounding region of Judah
and Israel. Not only were the people free to go,
but they were sent back with the sacred items King
Nebuconezer's stole from the temple. Among the people was a
man named Zerubbable. He led the exiles back home and

(04:59):
helped them settle. Then the land seemed strange. It had
been over seventy years since they were taken. Some people
still remembered the great nation. Others had been born and
raised as exiles in Babylon. Many homes were still broken,
and the city of Jerusalem seemed to be a ghost
of its former glory. Zerubabel and his leaders walked the

(05:20):
city streets filled with sorrow. Dust and ash had collected
on the old roads, and they led up to the
plot of ash and debris where the great Temple of
God once stood. Two years had passed and the city
of Jerusalem was beginning to look as it once had.
The old dust had been wiped away, and new families
were settling in and making homes for themselves. Yet the

(05:42):
temple still loomed over the city like a giant grave.
It depressed the people, especially Zerubbabel. With the new resources
that had been gained, as Irubebel decided it was time
to restore the temple. It would be no easy task,
as it was almost completely destroyed during the Babylonian siege.
Every able bodied man was put to work. Slowly, the

(06:05):
temple began to regain its former image. It still had
much to go, but the foundation itself was built to last.
Zi Rubbabel and his men rejoiced. The elders and levites
of the city bowed with joyful tears. They praised God
for his faithfulness. He had promised to return them to
their home, and he did. Yet the elderly in the

(06:27):
city looked upon it and wept. Their tears were drowned
out by the noise of cheering. Yet they could not
help but mourn over what the temple once was. Yes,
the building was restored, but the presence of gods seemed
to be far still. They wept and nobody noticed. Yet
their tears revealed a deep need still left unmet in

(06:47):
the heart of Israel. There were some in the land
of Judah who had remained when the nation was overtaken.
They grew up in the land awaiting the return of
their kin. When the remnant heard that the temple was
being restored, they jumped in to help. We have been
worshiping the God of Israel all our lives, they shouted
with joy. Please let us aid you in the building

(07:10):
of the temple. Ziubabul was a good leader, but ignorant
of the heart of God in many ways. He turned
the remnant away, saying, this work is for us and
for us alone. You shall have nothing to do with us.
The remnant was shocked and hurt at his words. Cast aside,
they steeped in bitterness towards the returned exiles. Zei Robebel

(07:32):
made a great error in turning them away. He had
failed to understand that the Lord desired that every nation
should be welcomed into the family of God, especially those
who share the name of Abraham. The people of the
land were discouraged and became enemies towards the exiles. They
bribed counselors, vandalized their building sites, and wrote accusations against them.

(07:54):
To the king. They sowed lies and rumors that Israel
planned to rebel against Persia once it regained its strength.
This proved to be a great barrier to thriving as
a nation, so for a while, King Cyrus ordered for
the rebuilding project to cease until he was sure of
their true intentions and loyalties. Cyrus was a generous king,

(08:16):
but no fool. He would not give power to a
nation that planned to war against him before the temple
was to be repaired. The relationship with Persia must be
repaired first, so King Darius was able to brok a
peace between Persia and Israel. Ezra, a scholar of the
Word of God and proclaimer of truth, was appointed to

(08:36):
teach the people the law of God. As the temple
was slowly restored, so the word of God went forth
among the people. The temple restoration was completed, and it
stood proud among the people of Judah and Benjamin. They
stood in awe of its majesty and awaited the connection
with God to be restored as well. Ezra knew this

(08:56):
would take time. He knew that the word of the
Lord had to dwell richly in the hearts of men
and women. It would be a task that would take
a lifetime. Slowly, the culture of Israel and Judah began
to reform. Sacrifices were made in the temple, and God's
law was proclaimed in the courts. Yet there was something missing.

(09:17):
There was a lingering emptiness that all in the land felt.
There was a longing for the presence of God to
be near, and felt the temple was supposed to be
that place where God would meet with his beloved. Yet
there was a hidden sense that something greater was coming,
something that the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel spoke of. Not
just a rebuilding of the Temple of God, not just

(09:40):
a rebuilding of the city's streets, not just a rebuilding
of the schools and teachings. No, there needed to be
a rebuilding of the heart. Their hearts of stone needed
to be replaced with hearts of flesh. This would not
come to pass until much later until the true presence
of God dwelled in the city streets of dru Usalem.

(10:01):
One day the fullness of God would re enter the Temple.
That it would not be via sacrifices or incense, it
would be through the footsteps of the Messiah.

Speaker 3 (10:13):
As we begin today's reading, there is a change in
the air. Persia had conquered all of Babylon. Their ruler,
King Cyrus, had become well acquainted with the Jewish people
and knew of what God had done through his servant
Daniel and others. His heart was soft and kind towards
the exiles, a sign that God was working in his
life to accomplish his sovereign purpose and will. After more

(10:37):
than seventy years away from their homeland, it was finally
time for the remnant of Israel to return home. Here
again we see God's over arching will and purposes being
accomplished not just through his chosen people, but also through
rulers that He had placed in positions of power to
carry out his plans. And so Cyrus issued a decree

(11:01):
releasing all the exiles to return to Jerusalem and the
regions of Judah and Israel. It was just as God
had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah. These exiles were seeing
the fulfillment of God's promise to give his people a
hope and a future. That's one of the great verses
of the Bible in Jeremiah twenty nine eleven. What's incredible

(11:26):
is that Cyrus didn't merely send the people away and
wish them the best. He allowed them to take back
the sacred elements from the temple, things carried off by
Nepica deezers so many years before. So another sign of
God's faithfulness and his hand of provision we see in
all of this. The returning Jews were led by a

(11:46):
man by the name of Zerubabyl. But as joyous as
this return was, it wasn't all easy. There was so
much work to be done. Years of wars, pillaging, and
neglect had left Judah and Israel in a sad state.
God's Temple lay in ruins, so they set to work
rebuilding what was lost. Of course, they weren't alone. There

(12:10):
were those who had stayed behind, kin folks who were
now strangers. They were eager to help rebuild the temple
and the city. But Zerubabyle's heart harbored pride and bitterness.
Rather than accept the help and fellowship, he turned away
from those still in the land. His attitude unfortunately sowed
division and animosity, stunting the flourishing that God wanted for

(12:32):
his people. This is the reason we must be very
careful about creating divisions and separations between us and others,
especially in the family of God. As Jesus prayed in
John seventeen, we should ask for unity and pray that
God keeps us together in the work that He's called
us to do. The seed of bitterness grew and undermined

(12:55):
the process of rebuilding to the point that King Cyrus
halted any efforts for fear of a revolt against his kingdom.
King Darius intervened on behalf of Israel and help restore peace,
and efforts to restore the temple resumed. But all the
restoration would be for nothing if there was not a
change in the hearts of God's people. They needed to

(13:17):
return to God to know God's law and obey it.
And so Ezra was sent to Jerusalem because, as we
read in Ezra seven, verse ten, for Ezra had devoted
himself to the study and observance of the law of
the Lord and to teaching its decrees and laws. In Israel,
it is so very important that God's people have a

(13:38):
man of God like Ezra, who will teach and explain
his word and impart godly wisdom straight from the scripture.
Today's reading reminds us that we too must be careful
to hear, study, and obey God's word, for this is
the only path to flourishing to an abundant life. But

(14:00):
surely Israel and Judah began to return to a place
of devotion to God. Homes were rebuilt, including the Temple
of God, God's House, but the land would never return
to its former glory as in the days of David
and Solomon. Yet a time was coming when God would
send someone far greater than his temple and his courts,

(14:22):
one greater than Solomon, God's very presence. Jesus would come
to the earth as the Messiah to fulfill all of
the promises of God, and God would now dwell in
the hearts of his people. In the Old Testament, God
had a temple for his people, but now in Christ,
God has a people for his temple. For you, we

(14:45):
are the temple of God because of what Christ has
done for us. Dear God, thank you for today's reading,
which reminds us that you are faithful to your promises
always and forever. Thank you that we can live in
a house not made with hands, but a temple made
by your hands, the work of the Holy Spirit. We

(15:06):
pray that our lives would be a sanctuary of your presence,
that we would live flourishing and an abundant life. That
You may be glorified in all that we do. That
Jesus would be first, and that your kingdom would advance
in Christ's name. Amen. Thank you once again for listening
to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham

(15:27):
from Dallas, Texas. You can download the pray dot com
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(15:48):
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