Ezra 1-2

“Then rose up … everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the LORD that is in Jerusalem” (1:5).  After decades of exile in Babylon due to their own disastrous sins, the Israelites were given a miraculous opportunity to return to Judah.  God “stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, King of Persia” to send a group back to their own land to begin rebuilding Jerusalem (1:1).  These “survivors” (v4) did not go empty-handed; they were given abundant resources for the journey.

Out of Egypt, out of Babylon, and out of sin’s bondage, God leads His people “out of captivity” (2:1). Through Christ, we are set free and given all we need to rebuild.