Hello, thank you so much for joining me today, forgive him 15.

The title of today's post, A Tim Lesson.

As the book of Ezra opens, Cyrus, King of Persia, modern day Iran,

has allowed a remnant of Israelites to return to Jerusalem for the purpose of rebuilding

their temple. Seventy years prior, because of their apostasy, God had allowed Israel to be taken

into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Later, toward the end of the 70-year exile, they came under Cyrus's rule when he conquered Babylon.

God then moved on the heart of Cyrus, a pagan and idolatrous king, to permit this return.

He even stirred the king's heart to help them raise the

needed funds for the rebuild. Also, King Cyrus returned to them all the vessels and utensils

that Nebuchadnezzar had plundered from Israel's temple and placed in the temple of his gods.

These articles totaled 5,400 gold and silver pieces.

That's a chunk of change.

Here in Ezra, a remnant returned to Jerusalem under Zerubbable's leadership and began work on the temple.

Ezra tells us, Ezra 3, 10 through 13 from the message,

when the workers laid the foundation of the temple of God, the priests in their robes stood up with trumpets

and the Levites with symbols to praise God

in the tradition of David.

All the people boomed out hurrahs or hurrahs,

praising God as the foundation of the temple of God was laid,

as many were noisily shouting with joy,

many of the older priests, Levites, family heads who had seen the first temple,

when they saw the foundations of the temple laid,

...