When the Babylonian kings invaded a nation, they deported the conquered people. But when Cyrus of Persia captured Babylon, he permitted the conquered people to return to their own lands. Just as Jeremiah had foretold, the Jews were permitted to return to their homeland. God not only provided for his people to leave; they were commissioned to return and were given the protection and resources needed to rebuild their nation.

At the square by the Water Gate Ezra read the Teachings out loud from early morning until noon to the men, women, and everyone who could listen and understand. All the people listened carefully to the Book of the Teachings.... Ezra opened the book in full view of everyone, because he was above them. As he opened it, all the people stood up. Ezra praised the LORD, the great God, and all the people held up their hands and said, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. These Levites explained the Teachings to the people as they stood there.... Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher, and the Levites who were teaching said to all the people, “This is a holy day to the LORD your God. Don’t be sad or cry.” All the people had been crying as they listened to the words of the Teachings... Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send some of their food to others, and to celebrate with great joy. They finally understood what they had been taught. NEHEMIAH 8:3-12

    The first group to leave was led by Zerubbabel. These eager Jews rebuilt the altar and began work on the temple foundation before they became distracted and discouraged. It took the urging of a prophet named Haggai to rekindle the people’s efforts. This time idols weren’t the main culprit. Life was hard, food and clothes were in short supply, and prices were soaring because the people had their priorities twisted. Everyone was wrapped up in his own concerns with little thought for God. Haggai pricked the nation’s conscience, and work began again.

    The second group of settlers came with Ezra, a “teaching” priest. Along with restoring the nation and the temple, the people set out to restore their relationship with the God of their heritage. Ezra and the priests collected the sacred writings that had been handed down through the years. They not only gathered and copied these writings, they scheduled regular times to read the scrolls aloud and to explain them to the people. The people stood for hours, listening to the words of God, and as they understood God’s message to them, they wept and worshiped and celebrated.

    Ezra set the wheels in motion to assure their faithfulness to the forgiving God of their heritage. The goal was to develop a nation of people as faithful as Abraham, as obedient as Moses, and as close to the heart of God as David.

Reflection: What a portrayal of the power of God’s Word. When the people heard God’s message and had it explained to them, they stood for hours and listened carefully, they praised the Lord with upraised arms, they fell on their faces and worshiped him, they wept, they shared their food with others, and they ultimately rejoiced in the God of the Word. With our accessibility to the Bible, if only we could capture even a part of their pure respect and awe for God’s Word.

 

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Title: "Israel Returns"
Author: Ron Rose
Publication Date: March 30, 2003