Sunday, April 26, 2020

Back to Judah to build the foundation

In the book of Ezra, chapter 1, the new king of Persia, King Cyrus, upon taking over from the former Babylonian Empire, proclaimed that all of those displaced from the kingdom of Judah may return back to their homeland.  This was done as prophesied that they would be taken from the lands of Judah for seventy years.

And when King Cyrus came to power and made the proclamation, it was exactly seventy years.

King Cyrus also offered the goodwill of their neighbors to provide silver, gold, goods, and livestock as an offering to the Lord as they made their way back home.  Even every single article taken from the Temple of the Lord by Nebuchadnezzar was given back.

In chapter 2 was a long meticulous list of the families and their descendants who were exiled.  Even those whose genealogical records could not be found were given over to the priests of Judah, so they could be cleansed.  Upon arrival back to Jerusalem, many of the family heads gave freewill offerings to the house of God, in order to rebuild the Lord's Temple on the original site.

When we come to chapter 3, they offered burnt offerings to the Lord, even before the foundation of the Lord's Temple had been built.  They burned offerings day and night, and during all of the holy occasions appointed by the Lord.  By the time the foundation was laid, everyone took up positions of praise to the Lord.  There was a wide range of emotions, from weeping to shouts of joy.  The sounds of their praise could be heard from far, far away.

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