Israel has begun the return to Jerusalem.
After 400 years of exile, God has purposed to rescue his people and return them to the City of David. They are in exile, of course, as a result of their continued disobedience; consequences they have faced as a result of their selfish decisions.
The story of Ezra is the story of a priest called to rebuild Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem.
There is a tremendous amount of work that goes on “behind the scenes” in order to finish a project of this magnitude. What may not be readily apparent are the things that God is doing behind the scenes to accomplish his work.
Or the people He may be using.
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, who has put it into the king’s heart to bring honor to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem in this way and who has extended his good favor to me before the king and his advisers and all the king’s powerful officials. Because the hand of the Lord my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me.”
Ezra 7:27-28 (NIV)