Ezra 8 is a chapter of transition. Ezra and his fellow Jews prepare to make the 5-month journey from Babylonia to Jerusalem carrying an expensive gift for the Temple. With the help of God, they make the journey safely and deliver the gift to the priests in Jerusalem. Ezra 8 sets the stage for Ezra’s future work in Judah, calling the people to repentance, which will be discussed in chapters 9 and 10.

In Ezra 7, we are finally introduced to Ezra, a scribe and priest living in Babylonia. He decides to return to Judah to teach the people the commands and statutes of God. Artaxerxes, King of Persia, gives Ezra his blessing, and sends him back to Jerusalem with silver, gold, and provisions for the Temple of God. He instructs Ezra to teach God’s laws to the people and punish anyone who refuses to obey it.

King Darius ordered a search to be made in the royal archives to confirm that his predecessor, King Cyrus, decreed the rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple. When the fact was confirmed, Darius ordered the adversaries of the Jews to stop opposing them. The Temple was completed in Darius’ 6th year. The Jews dedicated the building and celebrated the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread.

After about 10 years of the Temple site sitting stagnant, Zerubbabel and Jeshua, with the encouragement of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, started working on the Temple again. They were confronted by Tattenai, a governor of the land, who demanded to know if they had royal authority for the project. When the Jews told him they did, he wrote to Darius, the king of Persia, to double check.

In Ezra 4, the non-Israelite inhabitants of Judah approach Zerubbabel and ask if they can participate in the Temple rebuilding project in Jerusalem. When their request is denied, they get angry and try to hinder the progress of the Jews. When a new king of Persia, Artaxerxes, ascends to the throne, they write him a letter, framing the Jews in a bad light, and convince him to make a royal decree halting the Temple project.

In Ezra 3, the returned exiles gather in Jerusalem to rebuild the Altar of Burnt Offerings and to reestablish the daily sacrifices at the Temple site. A few months later, they return, and Jeshua and Zerubbabel head up the Temple rebuilding project, beginning with the foundation.

After King Cyrus’ decree freeing the people of Judah to return home (Ezra 1), God’s people prepared to leave Mesopotamia and return to the Promised Land. Ezra 2 is an accounting of the people who made the journey, 49,897 in all. Several groups of people are highlighted including the priestly families, the Temple servants, the gatekeepers, and the families of the Tribe of Levi.

Ezra picks up where the Book of 2 Chronicles left off. At the end of 2 Chronicles, Jerusalem was destroyed, the Temple was demolished, and the people of Judah were taken into captivity by the Babylonians. Several decades later, the Babylonians were conquered by the Persians. The new Persian king, Cyrus, made a decree freeing the people of Judah to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. Ezra 1 documents the decree of Cyrus and the support he gave to the families of Judah to expedite the Temple project.  

When Cyrus King of Persia released the Jews from their Babylonian captivity around 538 BC, Sheshbazzar was appointed governor of Judah. He led the exiled people of Judah out of Mesopotamia and back Jerusalem. Sheshbazzar was instrumental in reconstructing the Jerusalem Temple. The original Temple, the Temple of Solomon, had been destroyed when the Babylonians conquered the city 50 years earlier (around 586 BC).

Here is one biblically rooted quality you can cultivate in your life as a Christian woman to nurture more resilience, spiritual fruit, and vitality in your life

Stop being so nice, and instead, start being kind.

Hear me out..

There are many reasons I trust my bible as a Christian woman and health care provider. Scientific foreknowledge happens to be just one of them. Today we will explore an example of scientific foreknowledge, with an example of medical wisdom in the Bible that stands the test of time and is evidence as to why we should never be afraid to question the medical system.

Proverbs 31 is a record of the wisdom of Lemuel. Lemuel was a king who is mentioned only in this chapter of the Bible. The most famous section of Proverbs 31 is Lemuel’s words about a virtuous wife. He describes the virtuous woman in detail, describing how she is a blessing to her town, her husband, and her children.  

Proverbs 30 is a record of the proverbs of Agur, son of Jakeh. Nothing else is known about Agur from the Bible. In chapter 30, Agur expresses his humility before God, makes a request of the Lord, and then gives his students a series of lists of things he has observed over his lifetime. Each list contains 4 things that fit into the respective category.  

Proverbs 29 continues the short proverbs of Solomon that began in chapter 10. Solomon’s proverbs are recorded in Proverbs chapter 10 through chapter 29. These proverbs are typically short and concise statements of wisdom for the medication of the reader.

Proverbs 28 continues the short proverbs of Solomon that began in chapter 10. Solomon’s proverbs are recorded in Proverbs chapter 10 through chapter 29. These proverbs are typically short and concise statements of wisdom for the medication of the reader.

Proverbs 27 continues the short proverbs of Solomon that began in chapter 10. Solomon’s proverbs are recorded in Proverbs chapter 10 through chapter 29. These proverbs are typically short and concise statements of wisdom for the medication of the reader.

Proverbs 26 continues the short proverbs of Solomon that began in chapter 10. Solomon’s proverbs are recorded in Proverbs chapter 10 through chapter 29. These proverbs are typically short and concise statements of wisdom for the medication of the reader.

Proverbs 25 continues the short proverbs of Solomon that began in chapter 10. Solomon’s proverbs are recorded in Proverbs chapter 10 through chapter 29. These proverbs are typically short and concise statements of wisdom for the medication of the reader.

Proverbs 24 continues the short proverbs of Solomon that began in chapter 10. Solomon’s proverbs are recorded in Proverbs chapter 10 through chapter 29. These proverbs are typically short and concise statements of wisdom for the medication of the reader.

I have hesitated to write on this topic because it is so tender and taboo, but due to the amount of requests I have had from clients to speak on this topic from the perspective of a Health Practitioner with over ten years of clinical experience, I decided to finally write an article about it in hopes to shine light on how we can help those in church with porn addiction.

Though it is complex, there are ways in which we as the church can support those in our lives who suffer from porn addiction, and it begins by understanding the human body and it’s innate wisdom and design.

In this article, we'll explore porn addiction through the lens of physiology and biblical principles, and discuss how the church can play a crucial role in supporting those struggling with this.

My hope is that you read this article with an open heart and mind, and with an understanding that I am writing through the lens of love, compassion, and deep concern.

Bridging Faith and Physiology: Addressing Porn Addiction in Christian Communities. Find the article below!