◄ Ezra 2 Devotional Commentary ►
Ezra 2:1
In Ezra chapter 1, we read how the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, the Persian king, to fulfil prophecies from Isaiah and Jeremiah. Centuries before, Isaiah had identified Cyrus as the king who would decree the return of Jewish exiles to reestablish their land and rebuild the temple, while Jeremiah prophesied that Israel's exile in Babylon would last for 70 years.
Both books of Ezra and Nehemiah detail the fulfilment of these read more...
Ezra 2:68
Following the 70 year long Babylonian captivity, there were three main occasions when Jewish exiles returned to Jerusalem. The first group of returnees came back with Zerubbabel, when a great caravan of people accompanied him. The important issue that faced this group was the rebuilding of the Temple so that sacrifices could once again be made to the Lord, as the Law commanded.
Many decades later, a second group returned with read more...