As Jeremiah and Daniel had prophesied, In the first year of his reign, God moved Cyrus’s heart and he made this royal proclamation, “God has given me all the kingdoms on earth and so I now decree that any Jew who wishes to, regardless of where they now reside, be allowed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. They are to be provided with everything they need for this endeavor.”
Then everyone whose heart was moved by this news, men from Judah, Benjamin, and Levi, prepared for their return voyage, though many Jews stayed behind. Those who made the journey were given silver, gold, livestock, and other valuable gifts by their neighbors. Cyrus even gave them back the sacred items that had been removed from the temple by Nebuchadnezzar. As they set out towards their homeland they sang out:
When God restored the hope of Jerusalem, we were like those who dreamed.
Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.
Restore us, Lord, like streams in the Negev.
Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.
After they had settled in their ancestral home, they built an altar to God and made sacrifices on it. From then on, they regularly honored God with sacrifices on this altar. It took them a year of preparation before they began to work on restoring the temple. They used the wealth they had received to purchase wood from Tyre, much like Solomon had done. Upon the completion of its foundation they shouted out:
How lovely is your house, God.
We yearn, we grow faint, for the courts of Yahweh.
With our mouths and souls we cry out for you God.
Yahweh, our King and our God,
Blessed are those who live in your house, ever praising you.
Blessed are those who derive their strength from you.
Blessed are those whose hearts move them to become pilgrims,
For undergoing this journey increases their strength
Until they appear before you in Jerusalem.
Hear our prayer, Yahweh, listen to us, God of Israel.
Look with favor on your chosen ones.
Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.
We would rather be doorkeepers in your house
Than live in the tents of the wicked.
You, oh God, are our sun and shield,
You bestow favor and honor on us.
No good thing do you withhold from those who walk with you.
Blessed is the one who trusts in you.
The oldest among them, who were only small children when they saw the temple destroyed before being carried away by the Babylonians, wept because they were only ones who truly understood what had been lost. There was so much noise it was impossible to distinguish between the shouts and weeping.
When they heard the temple was being rebuilt, those who had already been living there, a mixture of poor Jews from Samaria and remnants of the enemies of Israel, came to the Jewish leaders and said, “let us help you rebuild the temple. We’re like you, we worship your God, even those of us whose families relocated here in the time of the Assyrian King Esharhaddon.”
But they replied, “The king of Persia has commanded we do this alone, so you will have no part in the building of this temple.” Then these longtime enemies showed their true hearts and did everything they could to frustrate the temple building efforts including discouraging the builders, bribing Persian officials to side with them, and whatever else they could think of. They continued this throughout the reign of Cyrus and with each successive king of Persia.
After Cyrus’s death, they wrote a letter to his successor, saying, “You should know that your former slaves, the Jews, have returned to their rebellious city, Jerusalem, and are restoring its walls and foundations. If they finish they will stop paying taxes to you and you will suffer for it. We are your loyal servants and would never want that to happen, so we are sending this letter. Look in your archives and you will see what a troublesome people these Jews are and why this city was destroyed in the first place.”
The king sent this reply, “I have read your letter and researched this rebellious people. I learned of their once powerful kingdom that extracted taxes from many other countries and I won’t let that happen again. See to it that their work stop so we can prevent this threat from growing.” When these men finally got the reply they were waiting for for so long they went to Jerusalem and made them stop working by force. So, after years of work, their progress was halted.
For ten more years the temple remained in squalor, so Yahweh raised up the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, to speak the word of God. It was Haggai who told them, “This is what Yahweh says, ‘Think carefully about what you are doing. You plant your crops, but the harvest is meager. You don’t have enough to eat or drink. Your clothes are threadbare. You work hard, but are still poor. You expected much when you returned here, but so far you’ve received little. Why? I have withheld my blessing from this land because my house is still a ruin, while your houses are finished. Do whatever it takes to rebuild my house to show your love for me.
’Who among you saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? It is nothing. But be strong and persevere in this labor, for I am with you. This is the promise I made so long ago when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt. The time is coming when I will again shake the world and my house will be filled with glory greater than before. And in this place I will grant peace.”
Zechariah continued, ”Yahweh also says, ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls for I will be like a wall of fire surrounding it. I will live among you and many nations will join you and become my people as well. Return to me, and I will return to you. Don’t be like your ancestors. They would not listen or pay attention. And what happened to them?”
And the people repented and said, “Yahweh has justly punished our people for what we have done.” Then they asked Zechariah, “Should we continue to mourn and fast in the fifth and seventh months as we have done for so many years?”
God spoke these words through Zechariah in response, “When you fasted over the years, were you doing it for me? And when you celebrated with feasts, weren’t you just eating and drinking for yourselves? Isn’t this the same message I gave to your ancestors when they settled this land? This is what I told them I desire. Administer true justice. Show mercy and compassion to each other. Take good care of the widow, orphan, foreigner, poor. Do not plan evil schemes. But your ancestors refused to listen and had hearts of stone, angering me. I scattered them, making them strangers among other nations.”
”But I will return to Jerusalem and it will be called the faithful city. Once again old men and women will be able to sit and relax and little boys and girls will play in the streets. This may sound too marvelous to be real, but is anything too marvelous for me to achieve? So let your hands be strong so my temple will be built. Just as I punished your ancestors for their sinfulness, I will now bless you for your faithfulness. Do not be afraid, just remember to do what is right, as I’ve taught you. Be filled with joy, Jerusalem, see your righteous and victorious king humbly riding towards you on a donkey. He will proclaim peace to all nations and his kingdom will cover the earth. And you, my people, because of the commitment I made, you will be rescued and I will restore twice as much as has been taken away. You will become an immovable rock that other nations will be unable to push against.”
After hearing the words of Zechariah and Haggai the people restarted their work on the temple. But the enemies of Judah again approached them and said, “Who authorized you to continue work on this temple? What are the names of those in charge?” But by God’s grace, they were not forced to stop working until a report could be sent to Darius, the third Persian king after Cyrus.
Their letter read, “You should know, great king, that we went to the land of Judah and saw that they have resumed work on the temple. We asked them about it and they told us they were servants of God and were only rebuilding something that existed long ago. They said that because they angered God they were handed over to Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon who destroyed the temple. But, they say that your predecessor, King Cyrus, ordered that they rebuild this temple. He supposedly even returned the gold that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple. We think the royal archives should be searched to see if Cyrus actually did any of this. Let us know what you find and what your decision is.”
After some time, Darius replied, “I have learned that Cyrus indeed issued clear instructions about the rebuilding of the temple. You must stop harrassing the Jews and hindering their work. Additionally, you will supply them with anything they need to finish their work, whether building materials or animals for sacrifices, paying for it from the royal treasury. Finally, if anyone disobeys this order they will be killed and their own house destroyed as punishment.”
So, because of this message from King Darius they were able to continue their building under the guidance of Haggai and Zechariah the prophets. Finally, more than 20 years after work had begun they finished. Then with great joy and many sacrifices they dedicated the temple to God, singing:
Praise God from the heavens.
Praise God, all you angels.
Praise God, sun and moon.
Praise God, all you shining stars.
Praise God, you clouds in the sky.
Praise God from the earth.
Praise God, you great sea creatures.
Praise God, lightning, hail, and snow.
Praise God, you mountains and trees.
Praise God, wild animals and flying birds.
Praise God, all you people.
Praise God, kings of the earth and all nations.
Praise God, princes and governors.
Praise God, young men and women.
Praise God, old men and children.
Let everyone praise only God, whose name is exalted.
God’s splendor is beyond the earth and the heavens.
God has raised up for his faithful servants, a horn of praise.
We, Israel, a people close to God’s heart,
Offer up joyful praise.
But their joy would soon be threatened once more by King Xerxes, who had succeeded his father Darius. His opulence knew no bounds, and in the third year of his reign he invited all the nobility of Persia to come to the capital of Susa to marvel at the vast wealth of the empire and gaze at the glory of its emperor. For 180 days he celebrated his greatness and then hosted a seven-day banquet for all of the elite men who had gathered there, encouraging everyone to eat and drink and revel as much as they liked within the walls of the extravagantly decorated citadel. Queen Vashti and all the noblewomen who had gathered enjoyed their own banquet elsewhere in the palace.
On the seventh day, Xerxes, having had too much wine, commanded his servants to bring Vashti before them, wearing her crown, so all of the noblemen could drink in her beauty. But she refused this summons and when the servants informed Xerxes of this, he was furious. He asked the noblemen, “According to the law, what is to be done with Vashti for disobeying the command of the king?”
One of them replied, “She has not only wronged you, oh king, but all the men of Persia. If her behavior were to go unpunished and become known to the women of this great empire they would use her defiance to justify their own. You should make an example out of her. Let it be known throughout the land that Vashti is forbidden from ever again entering the presence of the king. Also, her position as queen should be given to someone better than she. Then all the women of Persia will see what happens when they disrespect their husbands.” All the men gathered were pleased by this suggestion and so Xerxes did what was proposed and proclaimed throughout the empire that every man was to be treated by his wife as king of their household.
Once he had calmed down, he started a search for the most beautiful young women in his empire to replace his former queen. All potential matches were to be brought to the palace to live and receive further beauty treatments before a final decision would be made. One of the young women taken was Hadassah, who was known as Esther to everyone in Susa, an orphan who had been raised by her uncle Mordecai, a descendant of the tribe of Saul and a Babylonian exile from the time of Nebudchadnezzar, who worked in the palace. Before she was taken, Mordecai instructed her to keep her heritage a secret. Immediately, she was favored by those who took care of the girls in the palace and they lavished her with special attention.
The girls had to prepare for an entire year before they could see the king. If a girl pleased Xerxes, she was sent to stay with a different group of women, but she would not appear before the king again unless he summoned her by name. When the king met Esther, she pleased him more than any other young woman and he quickly made her his new queen. To celebrate, he prepared to host another banquet and declared it a holiday throughout his empire.
But while they waited for the day of the banquet to arrive, Mordecai overheard two of the Xerxes’ men planning to assassinate their king. Mordecai was able to get a warning to Esther, who in turn sent a message to Xerxes, giving Mordecai the credit for uncovering the conspiracy. When the plot was investigated and proven to be true, the king had the two men killed.
Now, among the banquet guests was a man named Haman, who was highly favored by the king. In fact, Xerxes issued a decree that anyone who came across Haman must kneel before him as he passed. He was descended from a remnant of the Amalekites who had survived Saul’s purge and so Mordecai repeatedly refused to bow to him. When Haman learned that Mordecai was a Benjaminite, he saw an opportunity to exact revenge on the people who had all but wiped out his ancestors.
So Haman went to the king and said, “There is a group of people in Persia who keep themselves separate. They don’t follow your laws and you shouldn’t tolerate them. You should order them all killed and if you do, I will make a donation to you for 10,000 talents of silver.”
The king approved and said, “Keep the money and do with them what you think is best.” Then the order was made and spread all over the empire that all the Jews were to be killed on the same day in a little less than a year. And because the Persian empire stretched over all of that part of the world, there was nowhere that the Jews could escape their sentence.
When Mordecai learned of the order he tore his clothes and went into the streets crying out with sadness. Esther sent someone to find out what was bothering him because she hadn’t heard what had happened. Mordecai told the messenger everything and gave him a copy of the order to bring to Esther along with instructions for her to beg for mercy before the king. Esther returned this message to Mordecai, “Everyone knows that if anyone approaches the king without permission they will be put to death unless he extends his scepter in approval.”
Mordecai sent word back, “Do not think that just because you live in the king’s house you will escape this fate. God will find some way to rescue our people, even if you and most of your people are killed. Don’t you think that God put you in this position for this exact reason?”
She replied, “Gather all the Jews in the city and spend three days fasting for me, and I will do the same. Then I will approach the king even though it is against the law. If I die, I die.”
So on the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace waiting to catch the king’s eye. When he saw her, he extended his scepter and she approached him. He said, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? I would give you up to half the kingdom.”
“If it pleases you, come with Haman to a banquet I have prepared for him.”
The king commanded, “Bring Haman at once, so we can do what Esther asks.”
That night at her banquet Xerxes asked Esther what it was that she really wanted. She replied, “If I have pleased you, spare my life and the lives of all my people. We have been sold to our deaths.”
“Who is it that did such a thing?”
“The enemy of my people, the vile Haman!”
Haman was terrified as the king got up in a rage and left the room. Knowing the king had already made up his mind, he threw himself down on the couch where Esther was sitting and begged for his life. When the king returned with his guards he was furious to see Haman lying on Esther’s couch and he ordered his immediate execution.
Esther explained to Xerxes that Mordecai, the man who had once saved his life, was also an Jew as well as her uncle. Xerxes had Mordecai summoned and when he arrived he was given the ring of honor that had once belonged to Haman and put in charge of everything that Haman had owned.
Esther then begged the king to send out another command overruling the first one, which he did immediately, going so far as to give the Jews permission to defend themselves against any who might try and do them harm. When this word reached the people they were filled with joy and celebrated all over Persia. In the years that followed, Many people from various nations became Jews in that time because they could see they were blessed by God.
As Daniel had prophesied, Xerxes personally led the great Persian invasion of Greece with one of the largest armies ever assembled. Though he was successful at the Battle of Thermopylae, and his army overran much of Greece, he suffered a devastating defeat at Salamis and Plataea and was forced to retreat, forever shifting the balance of power away from the Persian empire.
Xerxes was eventually succeeded by his son, Artaxerxes, who had a Jewish cupbearer named Nehemiah. One day, Nehemiah’s brother came to visit him in Susa. He had been among those who went back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and had come to inform his brother of everything that had happened there. Nehemiah was excited to hear his brother’s report about the temple’s completion, but when he learned that Jerusalem’s walls and gate were still in ruins, he was greatly distressed. When he was alone, Nehemiah prayed, “Great and awesome God of heaven, hear my prayer for your people. I confess our sins and the sins of our ancestors. We have been wicked and ignored your law given to Moses. You warned us this would happen if we abandoned you, but you also said if we returned to you then we would be saved.”
When Nehemiah returned to Artaxerxes’ service his sadness was obvious. The king asked, “Why do you look so sad? You’re not sick. It must be something else.”
Nehemiah was afraid to answer honestly, but he mustered up his courage and said, “Why shouldn’t I be sad? The city of my ancestors is in ruins.”
The king was moved by his honesty and asked, “What is it you want?”
Praying that God would give him boldness he replied, “If it pleases you, oh king, if I have earned your kindness, send me to Jerusalem so I can rebuild it.”
Artaxerxes said, “This request I grant. I will make you governor over all of Judah and you may remain there until I call you back to my service.”
Nehemiah continued, “Before I leave, will you write me a letter of safe passage I can show to anyone who tries to hinder my journey. Also, may I have a letter of requisition so that I can acquire the building materials needed once I arrive?” Again, the king agreed to his request and even sent him with soldiers for protection on the dangerous journey.
When he arrived he carefully examined all of the walls to see the extent of the damage. He soon began the repair work along with many other volunteers from Jerusalem including the remnant of the Gibeonites who yet lived in the land. But the same people who had once frustrated the temple rebuilding efforts now focused their efforts on stymying this new project. They mocked the workers, saying, “What are you doing? Do you seek to rebel against King Artaxerxes? Your people are weak. You’ll never finish. You can’t rebuild this rubble pile. Even a fox climbing that wall would make it crumble again.”
They replied, “God will give us success in our efforts.”
The work of clearing the rubble and rebuilding the walls was grueling and by the time they reached half their original height, the workers had grown exhausted. Seeing their work progress, the enemies of Israel became furious and plotted to attack the city while it was still vulnerable and many of its people, exhausted. Nehemiah was forced to post armed guards at night where the walls were still unfinished and during the day he had to split his workforce, with half of the men rebuilding, and the other half standing guard. Because they were spread so thin they used trumpets to communicate if there was danger so they could run to each other’s defence. Nehemiah told the guard, “Do not be afraid of our enemies! Remember your great and awesome God will protect you when you defend your homes and families.”
Many family groups worked to rebuild the sections of the walls and gates. In spite of the difficult work they were undertaking together, there were some Jews who took advantage of their poor neighbors during this time. Nehemiah called everyone together and said, “What you are doing isn’t right. Shouldn’t we live lives that show our great respect for God, lives that are above criticism from neighboring nations? I am your governor, yet I share the portion of food that is allotted to me and do not seek to acquire your land for myself, though my predecessors treated you harshly. We are all in a tough situation and we need to rely on each other’s kindness, not profit off each other’s misfortune. Anyone who has done this needs to right these wrongs.” And the people knew in their hearts that what Nehemiah was saying was true and they agreed to make things right.
As work on the walls neared completion, the enemies of Israel once more schemed for how they could bring ruin upon them. They repeatedly sent letters to Nehemiah asking to meet with him. But Nehemiah suspected that this was a trap and refused, saying he was too busy with the walls. Finally, they threatened to tell Artaxerxes that Judah was preparing to revolt against him and declare Nehemiah as their new king.
Nehemiah replied, “Nothing you are saying is true. You are just making all this up,” and he continued his work.
When the work was finally completed all the people of Jerusalem and the surrounding region gathered to listen to Ezra the priest read the law of Moses aloud. As they listened, the people were crying, but Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levites told them, “This is a Holy day. Don’t weep. Go and enjoy the good food we have here. The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Then they went and ate and celebrated having come to understand what had been read to them.
That same month the people gathered together again and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors to God, saying,
“We stand and praise you, everlasting God. Blessed be your name above all others. You are the only God, creator of everything. You chose Abram and named him Abraham. You saw the faithfulness in his heart and made a promise to him that you have kept because you are good. You saw our suffering in Egypt. You made a name for yourself with miraculous signs. You saw our peril at the Red Sea and divided it so we could pass on dry ground then you destroyed our enemies in it. You led us by a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. You spoke from heaven on Mt. Sinai, giving your law to Moses. You fed us with food from heaven and water from a rock. You gave us the land promised to Abraham.
But our ancestors were stubborn and did not obey you. You are forgiving, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love. You did not abandon them even when they made an idol out of gold. For 40 years you took care of their every need in the desert. You gave them a kingdom of their own and defeated their enemies. You gave them cities and farmland they did not build for themselves. But they rebelled against you in terrible ways. So you delivered them into the hands of their enemies. But when they cried out you sent judges to rescue them. But again and again they turned from you, until they were scattered throughout the nations by the Assyrians and the Babylonians. Now we, their descendants, have been allowed to return here and rebuild your temple and your city. You have always been righteous and faithful and we, because of our wickedness, are now slaves in a land we once called our own. We are in great distress. So all of us here now make these promises to you.
“We promise not to marry anyone from the surrounding nations, as was commanded, so we will not be tempted to worship their false gods. We will once again remember the Sabbath, not doing any business on that day. We will no longer neglect God’s house. Indeed, we will keep all of the laws of Moses from now on.”
After 12 years, Nehemiah was required to return to Susa by Artaxerxes. When he was finally allowed to return to Jerusalem, he was furious by what greeted him. He saw that one of the priests had turned a storeroom in the temple courtyard into a residence for an influential Ammonite. So he threw the man, along with all of his belongings out of the temple and commanded that the storeroom be purified and the temple items be placed in it once more.
He saw that the Levites had not been given their share of food and had abandoned their positions in the temple to work in the fields. So he said to the leaders, “Why has the house of God been neglected?” and gathered the Levites, stationed them at their posts, and assigned trustworthy men to be responsible for making sure their needs were met in the future.
He saw many people working on the sabbath. So he rebuked them, saying, “What is this wicked thing you are doing? Didn’t our ancestors do the same thing, bringing destruction down upon themselves and this city? Do you really want to stir up God’s wrath?” and he locked the doors of the city and had the Levites stand guard so that no one could work in the surrounding fields on the sabbath.
He saw some of them had married Ammonites and Moabites; half their children couldn’t even speak Hebrew. So he rebuked them, saying, “Was it not because of marriages such as this that Solomon, the wisest king of all, was led to sin in his old age? Now you think you can do the same?” Then he made them swear an oath never to marry or allow their children to marry idolatrous people.
Nehemiah’s voice was soon joined by the voice of Malachi, last of the prophets called by God before the great silence. He spoke the words of God to the people, “I have loved you like a father, but if you are my children, why do you not honor me? You priests have shown me contempt.”
But the priests protested, “How have we shown you contempt?”
God continued to speak to them through Malachi, “When you offer diseased or injured animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? How would a king respond if you offered him these gifts? I would rather you shut the doors of this rebuilt temple than offer these sacrifices that mean nothing to you or me. I am God. I will be honored and I will make my name known in every nation. And though you know what is expected, you sniff contemptuously and say, ‘what a burden!’ Should I accept this from you?
“If you priests don’t listen and don’t choose to honor me you risk the curses that were brought down upon your ancestors when they were carried away. I made a covenant with Levi, who stood in awe of me and walked in righteousness. True teachings came from his mouth and he kept many from sin. This is what a priest ought to do. You are my messengers. People look to you to teach them what is right. But you have turned away from your calling and caused many to stumble, disgracing your ancestor, Levi.
“As for the rest of the people, you have done a detestable thing by leaving your spouses and marrying those who worship other gods. You come to the temple, wailing, ‘Why does God no longer look on us with favor?’ It is because you have betrayed your spouses, whom you made promises to, and shown contempt when you should have guarded their hearts.
“I am here to put you on trial. I testify against those of you who are unfaithful to your spouse. I testify against liars and cheats. I testify against those who take advantage of widows, orphans, and foreigners. I testify against those who have said, ‘What do we gain by futilely serving God, following the law, and carrying on like mourners for our sins.’ I testify against those who steal from me.”
But the people asked, “How are we stealing from you?”
God replied through Malachi, “You do not give one-tenth back to me as you were taught by your ancestor. Test me in this. Bring the whole tenth to the temple storehouse and see if I don’t throw open the gates of heaven and bless you so abundantly you can’t contain it.
“I don’t change. This is why you, the descendants of Israel, still survive, though you repeatedly turn away from me. Return to me and I will return to you. The day is coming when the wicked will burn like chaff in the fire. The day is coming when my messenger will prepare the way. Then your king will appear. He will refine you like gold in a crucible. The sun of righteousness will rise and heal you with its rays. Then what you offer me will be righteous.” When Malachi finished speaking, those who honored God spoke among each other and wrote these words down as a reminder to pursue holiness in every generation.
Though Nehemiah and Malachi passionately pursued the holiness of Israel so that they might not turn away from God again as their ancestors had, it was clear to them, as it is clear to all who pursue God in each generation, that their earnest intentions, their heartfelt prayers, their constant sacrifices, their zealous pursuit of the law, the only ways they knew to draw near to God, could not rescue them from the slavery of sin they had been born into since the fall of Adam and Eve. And their hearts cried out to God that, through some miracle, they might still be set free by something greater that was yet to come.
When God restored the hope of Jerusalem, we were like those who dreamed.
Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.
Restore us, Lord, like streams in the Negev.
Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.
After they had settled in their ancestral home, they built an altar to God and made sacrifices on it. From then on, they regularly honored God with sacrifices on this altar. It took them a year of preparation before they began to work on restoring the temple. They used the wealth they had received to purchase wood from Tyre, much like Solomon had done. Upon the completion of its foundation they shouted out:
How lovely is your house, God.
We yearn, we grow faint, for the courts of Yahweh.
With our mouths and souls we cry out for you God.
Yahweh, our King and our God,
Blessed are those who live in your house, ever praising you.
Blessed are those who derive their strength from you.
Blessed are those whose hearts move them to become pilgrims,
For undergoing this journey increases their strength
Until they appear before you in Jerusalem.
Hear our prayer, Yahweh, listen to us, God of Israel.
Look with favor on your chosen ones.
Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.
We would rather be doorkeepers in your house
Than live in the tents of the wicked.
You, oh God, are our sun and shield,
You bestow favor and honor on us.
No good thing do you withhold from those who walk with you.
Blessed is the one who trusts in you.
The oldest among them, who were only small children when they saw the temple destroyed before being carried away by the Babylonians, wept because they were only ones who truly understood what had been lost. There was so much noise it was impossible to distinguish between the shouts and weeping.
When they heard the temple was being rebuilt, those who had already been living there, a mixture of poor Jews from Samaria and remnants of the enemies of Israel, came to the Jewish leaders and said, “let us help you rebuild the temple. We’re like you, we worship your God, even those of us whose families relocated here in the time of the Assyrian King Esharhaddon.”
But they replied, “The king of Persia has commanded we do this alone, so you will have no part in the building of this temple.” Then these longtime enemies showed their true hearts and did everything they could to frustrate the temple building efforts including discouraging the builders, bribing Persian officials to side with them, and whatever else they could think of. They continued this throughout the reign of Cyrus and with each successive king of Persia.
After Cyrus’s death, they wrote a letter to his successor, saying, “You should know that your former slaves, the Jews, have returned to their rebellious city, Jerusalem, and are restoring its walls and foundations. If they finish they will stop paying taxes to you and you will suffer for it. We are your loyal servants and would never want that to happen, so we are sending this letter. Look in your archives and you will see what a troublesome people these Jews are and why this city was destroyed in the first place.”
The king sent this reply, “I have read your letter and researched this rebellious people. I learned of their once powerful kingdom that extracted taxes from many other countries and I won’t let that happen again. See to it that their work stop so we can prevent this threat from growing.” When these men finally got the reply they were waiting for for so long they went to Jerusalem and made them stop working by force. So, after years of work, their progress was halted.
For ten more years the temple remained in squalor, so Yahweh raised up the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, to speak the word of God. It was Haggai who told them, “This is what Yahweh says, ‘Think carefully about what you are doing. You plant your crops, but the harvest is meager. You don’t have enough to eat or drink. Your clothes are threadbare. You work hard, but are still poor. You expected much when you returned here, but so far you’ve received little. Why? I have withheld my blessing from this land because my house is still a ruin, while your houses are finished. Do whatever it takes to rebuild my house to show your love for me.
’Who among you saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? It is nothing. But be strong and persevere in this labor, for I am with you. This is the promise I made so long ago when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt. The time is coming when I will again shake the world and my house will be filled with glory greater than before. And in this place I will grant peace.”
Zechariah continued, ”Yahweh also says, ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls for I will be like a wall of fire surrounding it. I will live among you and many nations will join you and become my people as well. Return to me, and I will return to you. Don’t be like your ancestors. They would not listen or pay attention. And what happened to them?”
And the people repented and said, “Yahweh has justly punished our people for what we have done.” Then they asked Zechariah, “Should we continue to mourn and fast in the fifth and seventh months as we have done for so many years?”
God spoke these words through Zechariah in response, “When you fasted over the years, were you doing it for me? And when you celebrated with feasts, weren’t you just eating and drinking for yourselves? Isn’t this the same message I gave to your ancestors when they settled this land? This is what I told them I desire. Administer true justice. Show mercy and compassion to each other. Take good care of the widow, orphan, foreigner, poor. Do not plan evil schemes. But your ancestors refused to listen and had hearts of stone, angering me. I scattered them, making them strangers among other nations.”
”But I will return to Jerusalem and it will be called the faithful city. Once again old men and women will be able to sit and relax and little boys and girls will play in the streets. This may sound too marvelous to be real, but is anything too marvelous for me to achieve? So let your hands be strong so my temple will be built. Just as I punished your ancestors for their sinfulness, I will now bless you for your faithfulness. Do not be afraid, just remember to do what is right, as I’ve taught you. Be filled with joy, Jerusalem, see your righteous and victorious king humbly riding towards you on a donkey. He will proclaim peace to all nations and his kingdom will cover the earth. And you, my people, because of the commitment I made, you will be rescued and I will restore twice as much as has been taken away. You will become an immovable rock that other nations will be unable to push against.”
After hearing the words of Zechariah and Haggai the people restarted their work on the temple. But the enemies of Judah again approached them and said, “Who authorized you to continue work on this temple? What are the names of those in charge?” But by God’s grace, they were not forced to stop working until a report could be sent to Darius, the third Persian king after Cyrus.
Their letter read, “You should know, great king, that we went to the land of Judah and saw that they have resumed work on the temple. We asked them about it and they told us they were servants of God and were only rebuilding something that existed long ago. They said that because they angered God they were handed over to Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon who destroyed the temple. But, they say that your predecessor, King Cyrus, ordered that they rebuild this temple. He supposedly even returned the gold that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple. We think the royal archives should be searched to see if Cyrus actually did any of this. Let us know what you find and what your decision is.”
After some time, Darius replied, “I have learned that Cyrus indeed issued clear instructions about the rebuilding of the temple. You must stop harrassing the Jews and hindering their work. Additionally, you will supply them with anything they need to finish their work, whether building materials or animals for sacrifices, paying for it from the royal treasury. Finally, if anyone disobeys this order they will be killed and their own house destroyed as punishment.”
So, because of this message from King Darius they were able to continue their building under the guidance of Haggai and Zechariah the prophets. Finally, more than 20 years after work had begun they finished. Then with great joy and many sacrifices they dedicated the temple to God, singing:
Praise God from the heavens.
Praise God, all you angels.
Praise God, sun and moon.
Praise God, all you shining stars.
Praise God, you clouds in the sky.
Praise God from the earth.
Praise God, you great sea creatures.
Praise God, lightning, hail, and snow.
Praise God, you mountains and trees.
Praise God, wild animals and flying birds.
Praise God, all you people.
Praise God, kings of the earth and all nations.
Praise God, princes and governors.
Praise God, young men and women.
Praise God, old men and children.
Let everyone praise only God, whose name is exalted.
God’s splendor is beyond the earth and the heavens.
God has raised up for his faithful servants, a horn of praise.
We, Israel, a people close to God’s heart,
Offer up joyful praise.
But their joy would soon be threatened once more by King Xerxes, who had succeeded his father Darius. His opulence knew no bounds, and in the third year of his reign he invited all the nobility of Persia to come to the capital of Susa to marvel at the vast wealth of the empire and gaze at the glory of its emperor. For 180 days he celebrated his greatness and then hosted a seven-day banquet for all of the elite men who had gathered there, encouraging everyone to eat and drink and revel as much as they liked within the walls of the extravagantly decorated citadel. Queen Vashti and all the noblewomen who had gathered enjoyed their own banquet elsewhere in the palace.
On the seventh day, Xerxes, having had too much wine, commanded his servants to bring Vashti before them, wearing her crown, so all of the noblemen could drink in her beauty. But she refused this summons and when the servants informed Xerxes of this, he was furious. He asked the noblemen, “According to the law, what is to be done with Vashti for disobeying the command of the king?”
One of them replied, “She has not only wronged you, oh king, but all the men of Persia. If her behavior were to go unpunished and become known to the women of this great empire they would use her defiance to justify their own. You should make an example out of her. Let it be known throughout the land that Vashti is forbidden from ever again entering the presence of the king. Also, her position as queen should be given to someone better than she. Then all the women of Persia will see what happens when they disrespect their husbands.” All the men gathered were pleased by this suggestion and so Xerxes did what was proposed and proclaimed throughout the empire that every man was to be treated by his wife as king of their household.
Once he had calmed down, he started a search for the most beautiful young women in his empire to replace his former queen. All potential matches were to be brought to the palace to live and receive further beauty treatments before a final decision would be made. One of the young women taken was Hadassah, who was known as Esther to everyone in Susa, an orphan who had been raised by her uncle Mordecai, a descendant of the tribe of Saul and a Babylonian exile from the time of Nebudchadnezzar, who worked in the palace. Before she was taken, Mordecai instructed her to keep her heritage a secret. Immediately, she was favored by those who took care of the girls in the palace and they lavished her with special attention.
The girls had to prepare for an entire year before they could see the king. If a girl pleased Xerxes, she was sent to stay with a different group of women, but she would not appear before the king again unless he summoned her by name. When the king met Esther, she pleased him more than any other young woman and he quickly made her his new queen. To celebrate, he prepared to host another banquet and declared it a holiday throughout his empire.
But while they waited for the day of the banquet to arrive, Mordecai overheard two of the Xerxes’ men planning to assassinate their king. Mordecai was able to get a warning to Esther, who in turn sent a message to Xerxes, giving Mordecai the credit for uncovering the conspiracy. When the plot was investigated and proven to be true, the king had the two men killed.
Now, among the banquet guests was a man named Haman, who was highly favored by the king. In fact, Xerxes issued a decree that anyone who came across Haman must kneel before him as he passed. He was descended from a remnant of the Amalekites who had survived Saul’s purge and so Mordecai repeatedly refused to bow to him. When Haman learned that Mordecai was a Benjaminite, he saw an opportunity to exact revenge on the people who had all but wiped out his ancestors.
So Haman went to the king and said, “There is a group of people in Persia who keep themselves separate. They don’t follow your laws and you shouldn’t tolerate them. You should order them all killed and if you do, I will make a donation to you for 10,000 talents of silver.”
The king approved and said, “Keep the money and do with them what you think is best.” Then the order was made and spread all over the empire that all the Jews were to be killed on the same day in a little less than a year. And because the Persian empire stretched over all of that part of the world, there was nowhere that the Jews could escape their sentence.
When Mordecai learned of the order he tore his clothes and went into the streets crying out with sadness. Esther sent someone to find out what was bothering him because she hadn’t heard what had happened. Mordecai told the messenger everything and gave him a copy of the order to bring to Esther along with instructions for her to beg for mercy before the king. Esther returned this message to Mordecai, “Everyone knows that if anyone approaches the king without permission they will be put to death unless he extends his scepter in approval.”
Mordecai sent word back, “Do not think that just because you live in the king’s house you will escape this fate. God will find some way to rescue our people, even if you and most of your people are killed. Don’t you think that God put you in this position for this exact reason?”
She replied, “Gather all the Jews in the city and spend three days fasting for me, and I will do the same. Then I will approach the king even though it is against the law. If I die, I die.”
So on the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace waiting to catch the king’s eye. When he saw her, he extended his scepter and she approached him. He said, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? I would give you up to half the kingdom.”
“If it pleases you, come with Haman to a banquet I have prepared for him.”
The king commanded, “Bring Haman at once, so we can do what Esther asks.”
That night at her banquet Xerxes asked Esther what it was that she really wanted. She replied, “If I have pleased you, spare my life and the lives of all my people. We have been sold to our deaths.”
“Who is it that did such a thing?”
“The enemy of my people, the vile Haman!”
Haman was terrified as the king got up in a rage and left the room. Knowing the king had already made up his mind, he threw himself down on the couch where Esther was sitting and begged for his life. When the king returned with his guards he was furious to see Haman lying on Esther’s couch and he ordered his immediate execution.
Esther explained to Xerxes that Mordecai, the man who had once saved his life, was also an Jew as well as her uncle. Xerxes had Mordecai summoned and when he arrived he was given the ring of honor that had once belonged to Haman and put in charge of everything that Haman had owned.
Esther then begged the king to send out another command overruling the first one, which he did immediately, going so far as to give the Jews permission to defend themselves against any who might try and do them harm. When this word reached the people they were filled with joy and celebrated all over Persia. In the years that followed, Many people from various nations became Jews in that time because they could see they were blessed by God.
As Daniel had prophesied, Xerxes personally led the great Persian invasion of Greece with one of the largest armies ever assembled. Though he was successful at the Battle of Thermopylae, and his army overran much of Greece, he suffered a devastating defeat at Salamis and Plataea and was forced to retreat, forever shifting the balance of power away from the Persian empire.
Xerxes was eventually succeeded by his son, Artaxerxes, who had a Jewish cupbearer named Nehemiah. One day, Nehemiah’s brother came to visit him in Susa. He had been among those who went back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and had come to inform his brother of everything that had happened there. Nehemiah was excited to hear his brother’s report about the temple’s completion, but when he learned that Jerusalem’s walls and gate were still in ruins, he was greatly distressed. When he was alone, Nehemiah prayed, “Great and awesome God of heaven, hear my prayer for your people. I confess our sins and the sins of our ancestors. We have been wicked and ignored your law given to Moses. You warned us this would happen if we abandoned you, but you also said if we returned to you then we would be saved.”
When Nehemiah returned to Artaxerxes’ service his sadness was obvious. The king asked, “Why do you look so sad? You’re not sick. It must be something else.”
Nehemiah was afraid to answer honestly, but he mustered up his courage and said, “Why shouldn’t I be sad? The city of my ancestors is in ruins.”
The king was moved by his honesty and asked, “What is it you want?”
Praying that God would give him boldness he replied, “If it pleases you, oh king, if I have earned your kindness, send me to Jerusalem so I can rebuild it.”
Artaxerxes said, “This request I grant. I will make you governor over all of Judah and you may remain there until I call you back to my service.”
Nehemiah continued, “Before I leave, will you write me a letter of safe passage I can show to anyone who tries to hinder my journey. Also, may I have a letter of requisition so that I can acquire the building materials needed once I arrive?” Again, the king agreed to his request and even sent him with soldiers for protection on the dangerous journey.
When he arrived he carefully examined all of the walls to see the extent of the damage. He soon began the repair work along with many other volunteers from Jerusalem including the remnant of the Gibeonites who yet lived in the land. But the same people who had once frustrated the temple rebuilding efforts now focused their efforts on stymying this new project. They mocked the workers, saying, “What are you doing? Do you seek to rebel against King Artaxerxes? Your people are weak. You’ll never finish. You can’t rebuild this rubble pile. Even a fox climbing that wall would make it crumble again.”
They replied, “God will give us success in our efforts.”
The work of clearing the rubble and rebuilding the walls was grueling and by the time they reached half their original height, the workers had grown exhausted. Seeing their work progress, the enemies of Israel became furious and plotted to attack the city while it was still vulnerable and many of its people, exhausted. Nehemiah was forced to post armed guards at night where the walls were still unfinished and during the day he had to split his workforce, with half of the men rebuilding, and the other half standing guard. Because they were spread so thin they used trumpets to communicate if there was danger so they could run to each other’s defence. Nehemiah told the guard, “Do not be afraid of our enemies! Remember your great and awesome God will protect you when you defend your homes and families.”
Many family groups worked to rebuild the sections of the walls and gates. In spite of the difficult work they were undertaking together, there were some Jews who took advantage of their poor neighbors during this time. Nehemiah called everyone together and said, “What you are doing isn’t right. Shouldn’t we live lives that show our great respect for God, lives that are above criticism from neighboring nations? I am your governor, yet I share the portion of food that is allotted to me and do not seek to acquire your land for myself, though my predecessors treated you harshly. We are all in a tough situation and we need to rely on each other’s kindness, not profit off each other’s misfortune. Anyone who has done this needs to right these wrongs.” And the people knew in their hearts that what Nehemiah was saying was true and they agreed to make things right.
As work on the walls neared completion, the enemies of Israel once more schemed for how they could bring ruin upon them. They repeatedly sent letters to Nehemiah asking to meet with him. But Nehemiah suspected that this was a trap and refused, saying he was too busy with the walls. Finally, they threatened to tell Artaxerxes that Judah was preparing to revolt against him and declare Nehemiah as their new king.
Nehemiah replied, “Nothing you are saying is true. You are just making all this up,” and he continued his work.
When the work was finally completed all the people of Jerusalem and the surrounding region gathered to listen to Ezra the priest read the law of Moses aloud. As they listened, the people were crying, but Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levites told them, “This is a Holy day. Don’t weep. Go and enjoy the good food we have here. The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Then they went and ate and celebrated having come to understand what had been read to them.
That same month the people gathered together again and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors to God, saying,
“We stand and praise you, everlasting God. Blessed be your name above all others. You are the only God, creator of everything. You chose Abram and named him Abraham. You saw the faithfulness in his heart and made a promise to him that you have kept because you are good. You saw our suffering in Egypt. You made a name for yourself with miraculous signs. You saw our peril at the Red Sea and divided it so we could pass on dry ground then you destroyed our enemies in it. You led us by a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. You spoke from heaven on Mt. Sinai, giving your law to Moses. You fed us with food from heaven and water from a rock. You gave us the land promised to Abraham.
But our ancestors were stubborn and did not obey you. You are forgiving, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love. You did not abandon them even when they made an idol out of gold. For 40 years you took care of their every need in the desert. You gave them a kingdom of their own and defeated their enemies. You gave them cities and farmland they did not build for themselves. But they rebelled against you in terrible ways. So you delivered them into the hands of their enemies. But when they cried out you sent judges to rescue them. But again and again they turned from you, until they were scattered throughout the nations by the Assyrians and the Babylonians. Now we, their descendants, have been allowed to return here and rebuild your temple and your city. You have always been righteous and faithful and we, because of our wickedness, are now slaves in a land we once called our own. We are in great distress. So all of us here now make these promises to you.
“We promise not to marry anyone from the surrounding nations, as was commanded, so we will not be tempted to worship their false gods. We will once again remember the Sabbath, not doing any business on that day. We will no longer neglect God’s house. Indeed, we will keep all of the laws of Moses from now on.”
After 12 years, Nehemiah was required to return to Susa by Artaxerxes. When he was finally allowed to return to Jerusalem, he was furious by what greeted him. He saw that one of the priests had turned a storeroom in the temple courtyard into a residence for an influential Ammonite. So he threw the man, along with all of his belongings out of the temple and commanded that the storeroom be purified and the temple items be placed in it once more.
He saw that the Levites had not been given their share of food and had abandoned their positions in the temple to work in the fields. So he said to the leaders, “Why has the house of God been neglected?” and gathered the Levites, stationed them at their posts, and assigned trustworthy men to be responsible for making sure their needs were met in the future.
He saw many people working on the sabbath. So he rebuked them, saying, “What is this wicked thing you are doing? Didn’t our ancestors do the same thing, bringing destruction down upon themselves and this city? Do you really want to stir up God’s wrath?” and he locked the doors of the city and had the Levites stand guard so that no one could work in the surrounding fields on the sabbath.
He saw some of them had married Ammonites and Moabites; half their children couldn’t even speak Hebrew. So he rebuked them, saying, “Was it not because of marriages such as this that Solomon, the wisest king of all, was led to sin in his old age? Now you think you can do the same?” Then he made them swear an oath never to marry or allow their children to marry idolatrous people.
Nehemiah’s voice was soon joined by the voice of Malachi, last of the prophets called by God before the great silence. He spoke the words of God to the people, “I have loved you like a father, but if you are my children, why do you not honor me? You priests have shown me contempt.”
But the priests protested, “How have we shown you contempt?”
God continued to speak to them through Malachi, “When you offer diseased or injured animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? How would a king respond if you offered him these gifts? I would rather you shut the doors of this rebuilt temple than offer these sacrifices that mean nothing to you or me. I am God. I will be honored and I will make my name known in every nation. And though you know what is expected, you sniff contemptuously and say, ‘what a burden!’ Should I accept this from you?
“If you priests don’t listen and don’t choose to honor me you risk the curses that were brought down upon your ancestors when they were carried away. I made a covenant with Levi, who stood in awe of me and walked in righteousness. True teachings came from his mouth and he kept many from sin. This is what a priest ought to do. You are my messengers. People look to you to teach them what is right. But you have turned away from your calling and caused many to stumble, disgracing your ancestor, Levi.
“As for the rest of the people, you have done a detestable thing by leaving your spouses and marrying those who worship other gods. You come to the temple, wailing, ‘Why does God no longer look on us with favor?’ It is because you have betrayed your spouses, whom you made promises to, and shown contempt when you should have guarded their hearts.
“I am here to put you on trial. I testify against those of you who are unfaithful to your spouse. I testify against liars and cheats. I testify against those who take advantage of widows, orphans, and foreigners. I testify against those who have said, ‘What do we gain by futilely serving God, following the law, and carrying on like mourners for our sins.’ I testify against those who steal from me.”
But the people asked, “How are we stealing from you?”
God replied through Malachi, “You do not give one-tenth back to me as you were taught by your ancestor. Test me in this. Bring the whole tenth to the temple storehouse and see if I don’t throw open the gates of heaven and bless you so abundantly you can’t contain it.
“I don’t change. This is why you, the descendants of Israel, still survive, though you repeatedly turn away from me. Return to me and I will return to you. The day is coming when the wicked will burn like chaff in the fire. The day is coming when my messenger will prepare the way. Then your king will appear. He will refine you like gold in a crucible. The sun of righteousness will rise and heal you with its rays. Then what you offer me will be righteous.” When Malachi finished speaking, those who honored God spoke among each other and wrote these words down as a reminder to pursue holiness in every generation.
Though Nehemiah and Malachi passionately pursued the holiness of Israel so that they might not turn away from God again as their ancestors had, it was clear to them, as it is clear to all who pursue God in each generation, that their earnest intentions, their heartfelt prayers, their constant sacrifices, their zealous pursuit of the law, the only ways they knew to draw near to God, could not rescue them from the slavery of sin they had been born into since the fall of Adam and Eve. And their hearts cried out to God that, through some miracle, they might still be set free by something greater that was yet to come.
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