This 18 part series explores the main moments in the Bible. This is a long story that takes place over thousands of years. It’s the story of all the ways that God has been trying to rescue and bless and love God’s people since the beginning of time. It’s the story that has been passed down and shared with billions of people. It’s a story that was written for everyone to hear, and at the same time it’s a story written specifically just for you. This chapter of the story is about Restoration.
After many long years in Exile, the Israelites were eventually returned to their promised land. It wasn’t the same as before, and Israel would never again be the great nation it once was, but as you may well know, the joy of coming home is still a special kind of jubilation.
But along with the return to their homeland also came the difficult work of rebuilding. The People of God not only had to rebuild their villages and their Temple, but they also had to rebuild themselves as the gathered community of the One True God. A man named Ezra led the efforts to rebuild the community. He reminded them of the commandments and the rituals and the practices that had once been the distinguishing factor of the people of Israel.
The rebuilding process took lots of hard work and lots of prayer, but with God’s help and Ezra’s guidance, The People of God were able to live once again as God intended them to live. They were restored to their homeland. They were reminded of the essential practices of their faith, so that they could once again live as God’s People and show the world what God is all about.
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