Day 135: February 24, 2026 – Ezra 1-6

We have been following all along the rise and the fall of Israel. The rise was with David and Solomon, the fall was with the divided kingdoms of Judah and Israel. There were times when the kings of Judah had been righteous and had followed the way of the Lord, all the way even to the last couple of kings before the great Babylonian exile. So the people of Israel find themselves in exile for generations. Jerusalem has been utterly destroyed, razed to the ground. Along comes a king and says, so, if you want, you can go back and rebuild the temple, but only if you want.

Over 40 thousand people sign up for that project and the construction begins, but then is order to stop, but then it goes on again until the temple is finally rebuilt. That is where we find ourselves, we see the result of perseverance in the Lord.