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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 3: The Exiles Return In our last story, Daniel was saved
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  Speaker 3: from the jaws of ravenous lions. The Lord protected him.
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  Speaker 3: This spoke to the king of the Medes, Darius. He
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  Speaker 3: proclaimed the goodness of God, and the Lord became famous
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  Speaker 3: in the land. Now we fast forward over 50 years.
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  Speaker 3: The Persians had complete control over Babylon. The Lord tugged
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  Speaker 3: on the heart of the king, and the exiles are
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  Speaker 3: sent back home to rebuild their city and restore their culture.
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  Speaker 3: Inspired by the books of Ezra, Haggai, Daniel, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.
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  Speaker 4: Hello everyone, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of
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  Speaker 4: the Bible in a Year. In our latest episode, we
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  Speaker 4: heard how God rescued Daniel from the lion's mouth. Daniel
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  Speaker 4: had refused to hide his faith, his prayer, his worship
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  Speaker 4: of God, or to bow to King Darius and was
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  Speaker 4: thrown into the lion's den as punishment. As a regretful king,
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  Speaker 4: Darius looked on, hoping Daniel's God would somehow save him.
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  Speaker 4: God did indeed rescue Daniel, and Darius praised the Lord
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  Speaker 4: for his greatness. Today's reading picks up more than 50
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  Speaker 4: years later after last episode's events. God moved in the
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  Speaker 4: heart of the Persian king to allow his people to
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  Speaker 4: return home and rebuild their city. God was now taking
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  Speaker 4: his people out of their exile and restoring them. their
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  Speaker 4: rightful home. Let's listen now to the reading of God's Word.
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  Speaker 3: Dawn scattered across the Persian landscape. The air was filled
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  Speaker 3: with the smell of new spring bloom. The budding sun
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  Speaker 3: splattered colors across the sky, and King Cyrus of Persia
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  Speaker 3: basked in its morning light. The king of Persia had
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  Speaker 3: conquered all that was once Babylon. As a result, he
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  Speaker 3: had been introduced to the ways of the Jewish exiles.
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  Speaker 3: King Darius had told him of all that happened with
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  Speaker 3: Daniel in the lion's den. He had heard tales of
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  Speaker 3: the seas parting and the reign of King David. He
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  Speaker 3: had a newfound love for the exiles. As he sat
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  Speaker 3: on his rooftop basking in the glory of the new day,
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  Speaker 3: the Lord tugged on the Persian king's heart. As Jeremiah
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  Speaker 3: had prophesied years before, it was time for the people
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  Speaker 3: of God to return home. So a decree was sent
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  Speaker 3: across the land that the exiles were free to return
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  Speaker 3: to Jerusalem and and the surrounding region of Judah and Israel.
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  Speaker 3: Not only were the people free to go, but they
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  Speaker 3: were sent back with the sacred items King Nebuchadnezzar stole
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  Speaker 3: from the temple. Among the people was a man named Zerubbabel.
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  Speaker 3: He led the exiles back home and helped them settle in.
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  Speaker 3: The land seemed strange. It had been over seventy years
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  Speaker 3: since they were taken. Some people still remembered the great nation.
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  Speaker 3: Others had been born and raised as exiles in Babylon.
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  Speaker 3: Many homes were still broken, and the city of Jerusalem
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  Speaker 3: seemed to be a ghost of its former glory. Zerubbabel
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  Speaker 3: and his leaders walked the city streets filled with sorrow.
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  Speaker 3: Dust and ash had collected on the old roads, and
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  Speaker 3: they led up to the plot of ash and debris
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  Speaker 3: where the great temple of God once stood. Two years
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  Speaker 3: had passed, and the city of Jerusalem was beginning to
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  Speaker 3: look as it once had. The old dust had been
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  Speaker 3: wiped away, and new families were settling in and making
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  Speaker 3: homes for themselves. Yet the temple still loomed over the
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  Speaker 3: city like a giant grave. It depressed the people, especially Zerubbabel.
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  Speaker 3: With the new resources that had been gained, Zerubbabel decided
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  Speaker 3: it was time to restore the temple. It would be
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  Speaker 3: no easy task, as it was almost completely destroyed during
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  Speaker 3: the Babylonian siege. Every able-bodied man was put to work. Slowly,
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  Speaker 3: the temple began to regain its former image. It still
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  Speaker 3: had much to go, but the foundation itself was built
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  Speaker 3: to last. Zerubbabel and his men rejoiced. The elders and
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  Speaker 3: Levites of the city bowed with joyful tears. They praised
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  Speaker 3: God for his faithfulness. He had promised to return them
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  Speaker 3: to their home, and he did. Yet the elderly in
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  Speaker 3: the city looked upon it and wept. Their tears were
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  Speaker 3: drowned out by the noise of cheering, yet they could
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  Speaker 3: not help but mourn over what the temple once was. Yes,
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  Speaker 3: the building was restored. But the presence of God seemed
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  Speaker 3: to be far still. They wept and nobody noticed. Yet
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  Speaker 3: their tears revealed a deep need still left unmet in
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  Speaker 3: the heart of Israel. There were some in the land
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  Speaker 3: of Judah who had remained when the nation was overtaken.
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  Speaker 3: They grew up in the land, awaiting the return of
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  Speaker 3: their kin. When the remnant heard that the temple was
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  Speaker 3: being restored, they jumped in to help. We have been
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  Speaker 3: worshipping the God of Israel all our lives, they shouted
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  Speaker 3: with joy. Please let us aid you in the building
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  Speaker 3: of the temple. Zerubbabel was a good leader, but ignorant
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  Speaker 3: of the heart of God in many ways. He turned
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  Speaker 3: the remnant away, saying, This work is for us, and
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  Speaker 3: for us alone you shall have nothing to do with us.
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  Speaker 3: The remnant was shocked and hurt at his words. Cast aside,
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  Speaker 3: they steeped in bitterness towards the returned exiles. Zerubbabel made
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  Speaker 3: a great error in turning them away. He had failed
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  Speaker 3: to understand that the Lord desired that every nation should
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  Speaker 3: be welcomed into the family of God, especially those who
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  Speaker 3: share the name of Abraham. The people of the land
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  Speaker 3: were discouraged and became enemies towards the exiles. They bribed counselors,
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  Speaker 3: vandalized their building sites, and wrote accusations against them to
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  Speaker 3: the king. They sowed lies and rumors that Israel planned
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  Speaker 3: to rebel against Persia once it regained its strength. This
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  Speaker 3: proved to be a great barrier to thriving as a nation.
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  Speaker 3: So for a while, King Cyrus ordered for the rebuilding
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  Speaker 3: project to cease until he was sure of their true
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  Speaker 3: intentions and loyalties. Cyrus was a generous king, but no fool.
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  Speaker 3: He would not give power to a nation that planned
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  Speaker 3: to war against him. Before the temple was to be repaired,
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  Speaker 3: the relationship with Persia must be repaired first. So King
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  Speaker 3: Darius was able to broker peace between Persia and Israel. Ezra,
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  Speaker 3: a scholar of the word of God and proclaimer of truth,
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  Speaker 3: was appointed to teach the people the law of God.
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  Speaker 3: As the temple was slowly restored, so the word of
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  Speaker 3: God went forth among the people. The temple restoration was completed,
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  Speaker 3: and it stood proud among the people of Judah and Benjamin.
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  Speaker 3: They stood in awe of its majesty and awaited the
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  Speaker 3: connection with God to be restored as well. Ezra knew
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  Speaker 3: this would take time, He knew that the word of
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  Speaker 3: the Lord had to dwell richly in the hearts of
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  Speaker 3: men and women. It would be a task that would
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  Speaker 3: take a lifetime. Slowly the culture of Israel and Judah
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  Speaker 3: began to reform. Sacrifices were made in the temple and
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  Speaker 3: God's law was proclaimed in the courts. Yet there was
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  Speaker 3: something missing. There was a lingering emptiness that all in
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  Speaker 3: the land felt. There was a longing for the presence
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  Speaker 3: of God to be near and felt the temple was
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  Speaker 3: supposed to be that place where God would meet with
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  Speaker 3: his beloved yet there was a hidden sense that something
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  Speaker 3: greater was coming something that the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel
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  Speaker 3: spoke of not just a rebuilding of the temple of
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  Speaker 3: God not just a rebuilding of the city streets Not
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  Speaker 3: just a rebuilding of the schools and teachings. No, there
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  Speaker 3: needed to be a rebuilding of the heart. Their hearts
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  Speaker 3: of stone needed to be replaced with hearts of flesh.
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  Speaker 3: This would not come to pass until much later, until
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  Speaker 3: the true presence of God dwelled in the city streets
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  Speaker 3: of Jerusalem. One day the fullness of God would re-enter
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  Speaker 3: the temple, but it would not be via sacrifices or incense.
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  Speaker 3: It would be through the footsteps of the Messiah.
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  Speaker 4: As we begin today's reading, there is a change in
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  Speaker 4: the air. Persia had conquered all of Babylon. Their ruler,
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  Speaker 4: King Cyrus, had become well acquainted with the Jewish people
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  Speaker 4: and knew of what God had done through his servant
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  Speaker 4: Daniel and others. His heart was soft and kind towards
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  Speaker 4: the exiles, a sign that God was working in his
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  Speaker 4: life to accomplish his sovereign purpose and will. After more
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  Speaker 4: than 70 years away from their homeland, It was finally
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  Speaker 4: time for the remnant of Israel to return home. Here again,
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  Speaker 4: we see God's overarching will and purposes being accomplished, not
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  Speaker 4: just through his chosen people, but also through rulers that
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  Speaker 4: he had placed in positions of power to carry out
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  Speaker 4: his plans. And so Cyrus issued a decree, releasing all
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  Speaker 4: the exiles to return to Jerusalem and the regions of
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  Speaker 4: Judah and Israel. It was just as God had spoken
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  Speaker 4: through the prophet Jeremiah. These exiles were seeing the fulfillment
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  Speaker 4: of God's promise to give his people a hope and
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  Speaker 4: a future. That's one of the great verses of the
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  Speaker 4: Bible in Jeremiah 29, 11. What's incredible is that Cyrus
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  Speaker 4: didn't merely send the people away and wish them the best.
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  Speaker 4: He allowed them to take back the sacred elements from
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  Speaker 4: the temple, things carried off by Nebuchadnezzar so many years before.
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  Speaker 4: So another sign of God's faithfulness and His hand of
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  Speaker 4: provision we see in all of this. The returning Jews
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  Speaker 4: were led by a man by the name of Zerubbabel.
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  Speaker 4: But as joyous as this return was, it wasn't all easy.
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  Speaker 4: There was so much work to be done. Years of wars, pillaging,
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  Speaker 4: and neglect had left Judah and Israel in a sad state.
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  Speaker 4: God's temple lay in ruins. So they set to work,
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  Speaker 4: rebuilding what was lost. Of course, they weren't alone. There
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  Speaker 4: were those who had stayed behind, kinfolks who were now strangers.
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  Speaker 4: They were eager to help rebuild the temple and the city,
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  Speaker 4: but Zerubbabel's heart harbored pride and bitterness. Rather than accept
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  Speaker 4: the help and fellowship, he turned away from those still
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  Speaker 4: in the land. His attitude, unfortunately, sowed division and animosity,
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  Speaker 4: stunting the flourishing that God wanted for his people. This
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  Speaker 4: is the reason we must be very careful. about creating
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  Speaker 4: divisions and separations between us and others, especially in the
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  Speaker 4: family of God. As Jesus prayed in John 17, we
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  Speaker 4: should ask for unity and pray that God keeps us
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  Speaker 4: together in the work that he's called us to do.
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  Speaker 4: The seed of bitterness grew and undermined the process of
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  Speaker 4: rebuilding to the point that King Cyrus halted any efforts
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  Speaker 4: for fear of a revolt against his kingdom. King Darius
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  Speaker 4: intervened on behalf of Israel and helped restore peace, and
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  Speaker 4: efforts to restore the temple resumed. But all the restoration
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  Speaker 4: would be for nothing if there was not a change
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  Speaker 4: in the hearts of God's people. They needed to return
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  Speaker 4: to God, to know God's law and obey it. And
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  Speaker 4: so Ezra was sent to Jerusalem because as we read
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  Speaker 4: in Ezra 7 verse 10, for Ezra had devoted himself
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  Speaker 4: to the study and observance of the law of the
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  Speaker 4: Lord and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.
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  Speaker 4: It is so very important that God's people have a
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  Speaker 4: man of God like Ezra who will teach and explain
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  Speaker 4: his word and impart godly wisdom straight from the scripture.
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  Speaker 4: Today's reading reminds us that we too must be careful
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  Speaker 4: to hear, study, and obey God's word, for this is
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  Speaker 4: the only path to flourishing, to an abundant life. Slowly
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  Speaker 4: but surely, Israel and Judah began to return to a
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  Speaker 4: place of devotion to God. Homes were rebuilt, including the
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  Speaker 4: temple of God, God's house. But the land would never
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  Speaker 4: return to its former glory as in the days of
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  Speaker 4: David and Solomon. Yet a time was coming when God
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  Speaker 4: would send someone far greater than his temple and his courts,
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  Speaker 4: one greater than Solomon, God's very presence. Jesus would come
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  Speaker 4: to the earth as the Messiah to fulfill all of
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  Speaker 4: the promises of God. and God would now dwell in
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  Speaker 4: the hearts of his people. In the Old Testament, God
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  Speaker 4: had a temple for his people, but now in Christ,
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  Speaker 4: God has a people for his temple. For you, we
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  Speaker 4: are the temple of God because of what Christ has
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  Speaker 4: done for us. Dear God, thank you for today's reading,
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  Speaker 4: which reminds us that you are faithful to your promises,
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  Speaker 4: always and forever. Thank you that we can live in
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  Speaker 4: a house not made with hands, but a temple made
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  Speaker 4: by your hands, the work of the Holy Spirit. We
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  Speaker 4: pray that our lives would be a sanctuary of your presence,
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  Speaker 4: that we would live flourishing and an abundant life, that
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  Speaker 4: you may be glorified in all that we do, that
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  Speaker 4: Jesus would be first, and that your kingdom would advance.
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  Speaker 4: In Christ's name, amen. Thank you once again for listening
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  Speaker 4: to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham
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  Speaker 4: from Dallas, Texas. You can download the Pray.com app and
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  Speaker 4: make Bible study and prayer, the priority of your life.
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  Speaker 4: If you enjoyed this broadcast, let me encourage you to
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  Speaker 4: share it with someone you know, someone that you care about,
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  Speaker 4: because sharing God's Word is a powerful influencer in people's lives.
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  Speaker 4: Be a witness and tell people about the Word of
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  Speaker 4: God and the testimony of Jesus. And let me encourage
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  Speaker 4: you to go to jackgraham.org, that's jackgraham.org, for many resources
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  Speaker 4: that are free and fully available to you if you
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  Speaker 4: just check them out. Again, that's jackgraham.org. God bless you.