Part 25 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series 

In looking at Ezra and Nehemiah, David Pawson gives the background of the 3 deportations which Israel had suffered under Assyria and Babylon, and the 3 returns to the land. Years earlier, Isaiah had prophesied that a man named Cyrus would release Israel from their captors and Cyrus, of Babylon, did just that though he did it for his own agenda. Apparently both being written by Ezra, these books record the rebuilding of the social life, of the religious life and of the physical wall and buildings, though the latter suffered threats and interruptions. Zerubbabel, of the Hebrew royal line, led the first return. Now Ezra, a priest, led the second and Nehemiah, a few years later, led the third. Each made an impact on a different aspect of Israeli life. Both books look at how the leaders went about rebuilding the state and reforming the people. The tragedy was that, though the earlier sin of the people had been the catalyst for losing their land, when they got back, they went back into sin. We see that Ezra was a “Bible man” – he studied it, he lived it and he taught it.  What an example.