Day 104 – Ezra: return from exile timeline
“So the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, the Temple servants, and some of the common people settled in villages near Jerusalem. The rest of the people returned to their own towns throughout Israel.” Ezra 2:70 NLT
Babylonia, the once mighty nation that had destroyed Jerusalem and carried the people of Judah into captivity, had itself become a defeated nation. Persia was the new world power, and under its new foreign policy, captured peoples were allowed to return to their homelands. The people of Judah and Israel returned to their land in three successive waves.
Year: 538 BC
Estimate number of people: 50,000
Persian ruler: King Cyrus
Jewish leader: Zerubbabel
Accomplishment: The Temple of the Lord was rebuilt, but only after a 20-year struggle through opposition and threats.
Year: 458 BC
Estimated number of people: 2,000 men and their families
Persian ruler: King Artaxerxes I
Jewish leader: Ezra
Accomplishment: With the physical Temple built, Ezra looked at the spiritual disobedience of the people, addressed it, and through repentance guided the nation back to God’s Word.
Year: 445 BC
Estimated number of people: small group
Persian ruler: King Artaxerxes I
Jewish leader: Nehemiah
Accomplishment: The city of Jerusalem was rebuilt, and a spiritual awakening followed. But the people still struggled with ongoing disobedience.
Prayer: Thank You, Lord, that we can see through the timeline sketch that Your Temple was the priority, which is where our focus should be, too. Secondly, the spiritual well-being of our lives and to constantly examine our hearts for sin and repent of it and to study and follow Your Word diligently. And last, the complete restoration of the city, representing our families and communities. Through one act of obedience, Your saving grace reaches nations. Amen.
