Holiness is the definitive attribute of God. It calls us to have a high view of him and exalt him. When we encounter his holiness, our unholiness is revealed and we are undone. We are in desperate need of atonement which the holy God initiates and grants us by his own doing. After our transformation, our right response is eagerness for obedience and for holiness.

Israel's second return from exile in Babylon now complete, a new threat emerges when it is discovered that many of the returnees have entered into marriage with the pagan peoples of the land. The seriousness of sin within the covenant community is evident in the prayer Ezra prays when he heard the news. As appalling as sin within the community may be, there is still hope for God's people so long as they persist in seeking God for mercy and wisdom.

God has again stirred a Persian king to permit a remnant of exiles to return to the land of Israel. Ezra takes courage from this evidence of God's grace and gathers the people for the journey. The story of this second return from exile demonstrates that it is only by grace that God's people are able to persevere in faithful obedience to God and his will.

God has been providentially working to return his people from exile, working in the heart of pagan kings and the heart of his covenant people. His faithfulness to his covenant includes a return to the true covenant worship of the covenant God, raising a man to lead his covenant people to return to the Law in the covenant city. Indeed, without studying, doing and teaching the Law, and for us today the gospel, true worship will often falter and give way to fallacies and idolatry.

The rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem finally complete, the sixth chapter of Ezra reflects on how it all came about. In spite of the many attempts to halt the work, the providential power of God is made plain in the events of history. By tracing the evidence of God’s providence, we see that God’s kingdom advances on earth in a way that is meant to maximize the joy of God’s people forever.

The people of God can quickly lose their hope when faced with opposition to their faith. God sends his prophets to rekindle hope and to call his people to action. When we respond to God's prophets with obedient faith, we can be certain of God's protective presence as we carry out our calling and advance his kingdom on earth.

God uses prophecy to rekindle hope among his people and to advance his kingdom through their faithful obedience to his will.

Once the Jews who had returned from exile in Babylon began to rebuild their temple, they faced opposition from the people who were already living there before they returned. These adversaries succeeded in halting the construction of the temple for the next 15 years. The same kind of opposition against God's people has continued throughout history, a satanic hostility that wars against Israel's temple, God, and kingdom.

Having returned to their homeland, the people of Israel made it a priority to reestablish the routines of worship. They had learned how important worship was to maintain their distinctive identity as the people of God. Although their worship would not look exactly the same as it had before the exile, the praise of God's goodness and love for them would sustain them in the challenges that lay ahead.