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God Brought His People Home (Ezra 1-3)
The Bible is described as a book about God fulfilling His promises to His people, and in Ezra 1–3, we see how God fulfilled the promise He made to bring His people home after 70 years in captivity. God used King Cyrus of Persia to issue a decree that allowed the Israelites to return home.
Just as the prophecies of Daniel remind us of God’s control over the kingdoms of the world, so do the first few verses of Ezra. We learn how God “roused” the spirit of King Cyrus to move him to release the Israelites. God’s control over kings and kingdoms was even more evident because Cyrus didn’t send the Israelites home empty-handed. They returned with resources provided by the king and their neighbors. Only God could reverse the Israelites’ fortunes in such a quick way—from exiles with nothing to a returning remnant with resources to rebuild.
God often works through a remnant of people, no matter how small that group may be. Once this remnant of God’s people returned to their homeland, they set about the process of rebuilding Jerusalem and the temple. At the center of their rebuild, the leaders of the people rightly recognized the importance of worship. Just a few months after returning from exile, they began rebuilding the altar of God so they could restart their worship according to God’s commands. They knew the rebuild would only succeed when God's people turned to Him in proper worship, turning away from their sin and obeying Him.
Before the foundation of the temple was laid, the leaders rebuilt the altar, demonstrating their desire for God's people to atone for their sin. Through opposition and uncertainty, they established a place for the priests to offer burnt sacrifices on behalf of the people.
Lets pray together: Gracious God, we thank You for faithfully restoring Your people to Jerusalem. Open our hearts to comprehend Your unwavering promises and to discover salvation in Your Son, Jesus. Amen.
Family Discussion Questions:
- Why did the people begin to rebuild the temple?
- (Parent prompt: The temple was the dwelling place of God's spirit among His people. It was a place where God's people offered sacrifices for their sins, worshipped, and prayed to Him.
- How did we see God work through people to accomplish His plans?
- (Parent prompt: According to God’s will King Cyrus gave the decree for the temple to be rebuilt. God moved the people’s hearts to be generous and give gifts for the rebuilding temple.
- Some people were sad because they missed the old temple. How can we respond when situations don’t turn out like we hope?
- (Parent prompt: Because we live in a broken world, we will experience times when we are disappointed, sad, uncertain, or even afraid. We can honestly confess our feelings to God, knowing He loves and cares for us. And we can ask Him to help us trust Him and remember that He is faithful no matter what. Even when we face struggles, those who trust in Jesus have the joy of their salvation.
Christ Connection:
This is the big idea of how this week’s Bible story points to Jesus.
- Babies & Toddlers: Everyone who believes in God will one day live with Him, be happy, and worship Him forever in heaven.
- Younger Preschool: God kept His promise and brought His people home. One day, God will bring all His people together to a new, perfect place where no one will cry anymore, and everyone will be happy and worship God forever.
- Older Preschool: God kept His promise and brought His people back to Jerusalem. One day, God will bring all His people together in a new, perfect place where no one will cry anymore, and everyone will worship Him forever.
- Kids: Just as God promised, He brought His people back from exile to Jerusalem. One day, God will bring all His people together—all who trust in Jesus to save them from sin. There will be no crying that day. The people will worship Him in the new heaven and new earth.
Key Passage
Isaiah 25:9 - On that day it will be said, “Look, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he has saved us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him. Let’s rejoice and be glad in his salvation”.
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(Content by Lifeway Christian Resources, Used with permission.”)
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