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The Exiles Return - The Books of Ezra, Haggai, Daniel, Jeremiah, & Ezekiel · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. They gave money also unto the masons
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  Speaker 1: and to the carpenters, and meat and drink and oil
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  Speaker 1: unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to
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  Speaker 1: bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa,
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  Speaker 1: according to the grant that they had of Cyprus king
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  Speaker 1: of Persia. Ezra 3.7 Father in heaven, at this moment
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  Speaker 1: I come to you and ask you, to do a
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  Speaker 1: diagnostic of my life. Search me and search my heart
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  Speaker 1: so that any place in me that has become hardened
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  Speaker 1: through disappointment and defeats would turn back into flesh like
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  Speaker 1: the heart of the Israelites in the books of Ezra
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  Speaker 1: and Haggai. When I feel rejected from those who are
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  Speaker 1: building your church, give me the proper perspective to know
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  Speaker 1: that I do belong. and that you've called all people
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  Speaker 1: from all nations to partake in your glorious blessings of
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  Speaker 1: forgiveness and newness. As the longing for more of you
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  Speaker 1: in my life increases, I will look in expectation to
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  Speaker 1: your word, for it is in your word that you
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  Speaker 1: point me to the greatest love and acceptance ever known,
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  Speaker 1: the love of Jesus. Therefore, my heart will remain at rest,
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  Speaker 1: even when others push me away. Because in you, Lord,
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  Speaker 1: I have full access and acceptance. I belong in your temple.
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  Speaker 1: I have an assignment to help build the house of
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  Speaker 1: the Lord, and I belong to the body of Christ,
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  Speaker 1: which is your church. In Jesus' name, amen. Thanks for
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  Speaker 1: making prayer a priority in your life. To hear the
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  Speaker 1: Bible come to life, stay tuned for the Bible in
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  Speaker 1: a Year. Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: The Exiles Return In our last story, Daniel was saved
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  Speaker 2: from the jaws of ravenous lions. The Lord protected him,
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  Speaker 2: This spoke to the king of the Medes, Darius. He
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  Speaker 2: proclaimed the goodness of God, and the Lord became famous
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  Speaker 2: in the land. Now we fast forward over 50 years.
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  Speaker 2: The Persians had complete control over Babylon. The Lord tugged
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  Speaker 2: on the heart of the king, and the exiles are
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  Speaker 2: sent back home to rebuild their city and restore their culture.
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  Speaker 2: Inspired by the books of Ezra, Haggai, Daniel, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.
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  Speaker 3: Hello everyone, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of
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  Speaker 3: the Bible in a Year. In our latest episode, we
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  Speaker 3: heard how God rescued Daniel from the lion's mouth. Daniel
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  Speaker 3: had refused to hide his faith, his prayer, his worship
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  Speaker 3: of God, or to bow to King Darius and was
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  Speaker 3: thrown into the lion's den as punishment as a regretful
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  Speaker 3: King Darius looked on, hoping Daniel's God would somehow save him.
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  Speaker 3: God did indeed rescue Daniel. and Darius praised the Lord
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  Speaker 3: for his greatness. Today's reading picks up more than 50
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  Speaker 3: years later after last episode's events. God moved in the
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  Speaker 3: heart of the Persian king to allow his people to
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  Speaker 3: return home and rebuild their city. God was now taking
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  Speaker 3: his people out of their exile and restoring their rightful home.
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  Speaker 3: Let's listen now to the reading of God's word.
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  Speaker 2: Dawn scattered across the Persian landscape, The air was filled
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  Speaker 2: with the smell of new spring bloom. The budding sun
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  Speaker 2: splattered colors across the sky, and King Cyrus of Persia
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  Speaker 2: basked in its morning light. The king of Persia had
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  Speaker 2: conquered all that was once Babylon. As a result, he
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  Speaker 2: had been introduced to the ways of the Jewish exiles.
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  Speaker 2: King Darius had told him of all that happened with
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  Speaker 2: Daniel in the lion's den. He had heard tales of
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  Speaker 2: the seas parting and the reign of King David. He
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  Speaker 2: had a newfound love for the exiles. As he sat
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  Speaker 2: on his rooftop basking in the glory of the new day,
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  Speaker 2: the Lord tugged on the Persian king's heart. As Jeremiah
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  Speaker 2: had prophesied years before, it was time for the people
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  Speaker 2: of God to return home. So a decree was sent
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  Speaker 2: across the land that the exiles were free to return
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  Speaker 2: to Jerusalem and the surrounding region of Judah and Israel.
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  Speaker 2: Not only were the people free to go, but they
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  Speaker 2: were sent back with the sacred items King Nebuchadnezzar stole
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  Speaker 2: from the temple. Among the people was a man named Zerubbabel.
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  Speaker 2: He led the exiles back home and helped them settle in.
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  Speaker 2: The land seemed strange. It had been over seventy years
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  Speaker 2: since they were taken. Some people still remembered the great nation.
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  Speaker 2: Others had been born and raised as exiles in Babylon.
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  Speaker 2: Many homes were still broken, and the city of Jerusalem
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  Speaker 2: seemed to be a ghost of its former glory. Zerubbabel
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  Speaker 2: and his leaders walked the city streets filled with sorrow.
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  Speaker 2: Dust and ash had collected on the old roads, and
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  Speaker 2: they led up to the plot of ash and debris
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  Speaker 2: where the great temple of God once stood. Two years
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  Speaker 2: had passed, and the city of Jerusalem was beginning to
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  Speaker 2: look as it once had. The old dust had been
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  Speaker 2: wiped away, and new families were settling in and making
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  Speaker 2: homes for themselves. Yet the temple still loomed over the
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  Speaker 2: city like a giant grave. It depressed the people, especially Zerubbabel.
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  Speaker 2: With the new resources that had been gained, Zerubbabel decided
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  Speaker 2: it was time to restore the temple. It would be
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  Speaker 2: no easy task, as it was almost completely destroyed during
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  Speaker 2: the Babylonian siege. Every able-bodied man was put to work. Slowly,
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  Speaker 2: the temple began to regain its former image. It still
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  Speaker 2: had much to go, but the foundation itself was built
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  Speaker 2: to last. Zerubbabel and his men rejoiced. The elders and
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  Speaker 2: Levites of the city bowed with joyful tears. They praised
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  Speaker 2: God for his faithfulness. He had promised to return them
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  Speaker 2: to their home, and he did. Yet the elderly in
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  Speaker 2: the city looked upon it and wept. Their tears were
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  Speaker 2: drowned out by the noise of cheering, yet they could
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  Speaker 2: not help but mourn over what the temple once was. Yes,
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  Speaker 2: the building was restored. but the presence of God seemed
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  Speaker 2: to be far still. They wept and nobody noticed, yet
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  Speaker 2: their tears revealed a deep need still left unmet in
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  Speaker 2: the heart of Israel. There were some in the land
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  Speaker 2: of Judah who had remained when the nation was overtaken.
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  Speaker 2: They grew up in the land, awaiting the return of
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  Speaker 2: their kin. When the remnant heard that the temple was
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  Speaker 2: being restored, they jumped in to help. We have been
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  Speaker 2: worshipping the God of Israel all our lives, they shouted
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  Speaker 2: with joy. Please let us aid you in the building
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  Speaker 2: of the temple. Zerubbabel was a good leader, but ignorant
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  Speaker 2: of the heart of God in many ways. He turned
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  Speaker 2: the remnant away, saying, This work is for us, and
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  Speaker 2: for us alone you shall have nothing to do with us.
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  Speaker 2: The remnant was shocked and hurt at his words. Cast aside,
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  Speaker 2: they steeped in bitterness towards the returned exiles. Zerubbabel made
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  Speaker 2: a great error in turning them away. He had failed
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  Speaker 2: to understand that the Lord desired that every nation should
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  Speaker 2: be welcomed into the family of God, especially those who
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  Speaker 2: share the name of Abraham. The people of the land
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  Speaker 2: were discouraged and became enemies towards the exiles. They bribed counselors,
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  Speaker 2: vandalized their building sites, and wrote accusations against them to
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  Speaker 2: the king. They sowed lies and rumors that Israel planned
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  Speaker 2: to rebel against Persia once it regained its strength. This
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  Speaker 2: proved to be a great barrier to thriving as a nation.
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  Speaker 2: So for a while, King Cyrus ordered for the rebuilding
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  Speaker 2: project to cease until he was sure of their true
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  Speaker 2: intentions and loyalties. Cyrus was a generous king, but no fool.
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  Speaker 2: He would not give power to a nation that planned
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  Speaker 2: to war against him. Before the temple was to be repaired,
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  Speaker 2: the relationship with Persia must be repaired first. So King
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  Speaker 2: Darius was able to broker peace between Persia and Israel. Ezra,
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  Speaker 2: a scholar of the word of God and proclaimer of truth,
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  Speaker 2: was appointed to teach the people the law of God.
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  Speaker 2: As the temple was slowly restored, so the word of
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  Speaker 2: God went forth among the people. The temple restoration was completed,
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  Speaker 2: and it stood proud among the people of Judah and Benjamin.
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  Speaker 2: They stood in awe of its majesty and awaited the
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  Speaker 2: connection with God to be restored as well. Ezra knew
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  Speaker 2: this would take time, He knew that the word of
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  Speaker 2: the Lord had to dwell richly in the hearts of
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  Speaker 2: men and women. It would be a task that would
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  Speaker 2: take a lifetime. Slowly the culture of Israel and Judah
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  Speaker 2: began to reform. Sacrifices were made in the temple and
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  Speaker 2: God's law was proclaimed in the courts. Yet there was
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  Speaker 2: something missing. There was a lingering emptiness that all in
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  Speaker 2: the land felt. There was a longing for the presence
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  Speaker 2: of God to be near and felt. The temple was
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  Speaker 2: supposed to be that place where God would meet with
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  Speaker 2: his beloved. Yet there was a hidden sense that something
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  Speaker 2: greater was coming. Something that the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel
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  Speaker 2: spoke of. Not just a rebuilding of the temple of God.
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  Speaker 2: Not just a rebuilding of the city streets. Not just
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  Speaker 2: a rebuilding of the schools and teachings. No, there needed
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  Speaker 2: to be a rebuilding of the heart. Their hearts of
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  Speaker 2: stone needed to be replaced with hearts of flesh. This
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  Speaker 2: would not come to pass until much later, until the
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  Speaker 2: true presence of God dwelled in the city streets of Jerusalem.
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  Speaker 2: One day the fullness of God would re-enter the temple,
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  Speaker 2: but it would not be via sacrifices or incense. It
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  Speaker 2: would be through the footsteps of the Messiah.
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  Speaker 3: As we begin today's reading, there is a change in
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  Speaker 3: the era. Persia had conquered all of Babylon. Their ruler,
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  Speaker 3: King Cyrus, had become well acquainted with the Jewish people
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  Speaker 3: and knew of what God had done through his servant
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  Speaker 3: Daniel and others. His heart was soft and kind towards
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  Speaker 3: the exiles, a sign that God was working in his
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  Speaker 3: life to accomplish his sovereign purpose and will. After more
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  Speaker 3: than 70 years away from their homeland, it was finally
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  Speaker 3: time for the remnant of Israel to return home. Here again,
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  Speaker 3: we see God's overarching will and purposes being accomplished, not
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  Speaker 3: just through his chosen people, but also through rulers that
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  Speaker 3: he had placed in positions of power to carry out
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  Speaker 3: his plans. And so Cyrus issued a decree, releasing all
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  Speaker 3: the exiles to return to Jerusalem and the regions of
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  Speaker 3: Judah and Israel. It was just as God had spoken
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  Speaker 3: through the prophet Jeremiah. These exiles were seeing the fulfillment
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  Speaker 3: of God's promise to give His people a hope and
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  Speaker 3: a future. That's one of the great verses of the
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  Speaker 3: Bible in Jeremiah 29 11. What's incredible is that Cyrus
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  Speaker 3: didn't merely send the people away and wish them the best.
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  Speaker 3: He allowed them to take back the sacred elements from
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  Speaker 3: the temple, things carried off by Nebuchadnezzar so many years before.
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  Speaker 3: So another sign of God's faithfulness and His hand of
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  Speaker 3: provision we see in all of this. The returning Jews
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  Speaker 3: were led by a man by the name of Zerubbabel.
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  Speaker 3: But as joyous as this return was, it wasn't all easy.
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  Speaker 3: There was so much work to be done. Years of wars, pillaging,
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  Speaker 3: and neglect had left Judah and Israel in a sad state.
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  Speaker 3: God's temple lay in ruins. So they set to work,
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  Speaker 3: rebuilding what was lost. Of course, they weren't alone. There
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  Speaker 3: were those who had stayed behind, kinfolks who were now strangers.
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  Speaker 3: They were eager to help rebuild the temple and the city,
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  Speaker 3: but Zerubbabel's heart harbored pride and bitterness. Rather than accept
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  Speaker 3: the help and fellowship, he turned away from those still
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  Speaker 3: in the land. His attitude, unfortunately, sowed division and animosity,
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  Speaker 3: stunting the flourishing that God wanted for his people. This
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  Speaker 3: is the reason we must be very careful. about creating
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  Speaker 3: divisions and separations between us and others, especially in the
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  Speaker 3: family of God. As Jesus prayed in John 17, we
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  Speaker 3: should ask for unity and pray that God keeps us
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  Speaker 3: together in the work that he's called us to do.
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  Speaker 3: The seed of bitterness grew and undermined the process of
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  Speaker 3: rebuilding to the point that King Cyrus halted any efforts
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  Speaker 3: for fear of a revolt against his kingdom. King Darius
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  Speaker 3: intervened on behalf of Israel and helped restore peace, and
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  Speaker 3: efforts to restore the temple resumed. But all the restoration
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  Speaker 3: would be for nothing if there was not a change
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  Speaker 3: in the hearts of God's people. They needed to return
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  Speaker 3: to God, to know God's law and obey it. And
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  Speaker 3: so Ezra was sent to Jerusalem because as we read
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  Speaker 3: in Ezra 7 verse 10, for Ezra had devoted himself
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  Speaker 3: to the study and observance of the law of the
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  Speaker 3: Lord and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.
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  Speaker 3: It is so very important that God's people have a
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  Speaker 3: man of God like Ezra who will teach and explain
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  Speaker 3: his word and impart godly wisdom straight from the scripture.
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  Speaker 3: Today's reading reminds us that we too must be careful
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  Speaker 3: to hear, study, and obey God's word, for this is
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  Speaker 3: the only path to flourishing, to an abundant life. Slowly
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  Speaker 3: but surely, Israel and Judah began to return to a
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  Speaker 3: place of devotion to God. Homes were rebuilt, including the
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  Speaker 3: temple of God, God's house. But the land would never
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  Speaker 3: return to its former glory as in the days of
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  Speaker 3: David and Solomon. Yet a time was coming when God
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  Speaker 3: would send someone far greater than his temple and his courts,
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  Speaker 3: one greater than Solomon, God's very presence. Jesus would come
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  Speaker 3: to the earth as the Messiah to fulfill all of
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  Speaker 3: the promises of God, and God would now dwell in
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  Speaker 3: the hearts of his people. In the Old Testament, God
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  Speaker 3: had a temple for his people, but now in Christ,
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  Speaker 3: God has a people for his temple. For you, we
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  Speaker 3: are the temple of God because of what Christ has
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  Speaker 3: done for us. Dear God, thank you for today's reading,
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  Speaker 3: which reminds us that you are faithful to your promises,
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  Speaker 3: always and forever. Thank you that we can live in
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  Speaker 3: a house not made with hands, but a temple made
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  Speaker 3: by your hands, the work of the Holy Spirit. We
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  Speaker 3: pray that our lives would be a sanctuary of your presence,
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  Speaker 3: that we would live flourishing and an abundant life, that
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  Speaker 3: you may be glorified in all that we do, that
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  Speaker 3: Jesus would be first, and that your kingdom would advance.
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  Speaker 3: In Christ's name, amen. Thank you once again for listening
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  Speaker 3: to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham
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  Speaker 3: from Dallas, Texas. You can download the Pray.com app and
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  Speaker 3: make Bible study and prayer the priority of your life.
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  Speaker 3: If you enjoyed this broadcast, let me encourage you to
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  Speaker 3: share it with someone you know, someone that you care about,
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  Speaker 3: because sharing God's Word is a powerful influencer in people's lives.
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  Speaker 3: Be a witness and tell people about the Word of
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  Speaker 3: God and the testimony of Jesus. And let me encourage
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  Speaker 3: you to go to jackgraham.org. That's jackgraham.org for many resources
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  Speaker 3: that are free and fully available to you if you
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  Speaker 3: just check them out. Again, that's jackgraham.org. God bless you.