July 3 Daily Devotional

Ezra 1–6

For seventy years the captivity was to continue, so Jeremiah had foretold. When these years were come to an end, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus, the king of Persia, to make a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, saying, “The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem … Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem … and build the house of the Lord God of Israel … And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God in Jerusalem.”

Then rose up the chief men of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites, all whose spirit the Lord had stirred, to, return from Babylon to Jerusalem. And all they that were round about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with precious things. The whole congregation together numbered 42,360 souls, besides 7,337 manservants and maidservants and 200 singers. Cyrus, the king, also returned to the Jews all the vessels (5,400 golden and silver vessels) of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought from Jerusalem, that they might use them in the temple, which they were to build. Then the captives of Judah rejoiced greatly, singing, “When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them. The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad. Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south.”

The company was led by the high priest Jeshua and the governor Zerubbabel. When they came to Jerusalem, a sad sight confronted them: the ruins and devastation of the holy city. But they were not dismayed. They went to work to provide homes. An altar was built and the daily sacrifices took place again. Preparations were made for rebuilding the temple. There was no question about the location. It had to be mount Moriah, the site that had been chosen by David for the first temple. Men were sent to mount Lebanon to cut cedar trees, and at Zidon stones were prepared. And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple, the priests stood with trumpets and the Levites with cymbals to praise the Lord. And they sang one to another in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord, because he is good and his mercy endureth forever.