Ezra 2
Daily Devotional from Ezra 2--
Verse 1b
“They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town.”
Did you know that the commute from Babylon to Jerusalem was 900 miles? That’s about 4 months of travel on foot for the people to get back to their homes! Based on what we see in this passage, we know that the first thing some of the families did when they arrived in Jerusalem was give freewill offerings to the house of God. I would say, besides the exhaustion from traveling so far, they were probably feeling immense gratitude toward God for freeing them from captivity in Babylon.
I love to look into the context of these passages to understand what the people’s experiences might have been. I admire the Israelites’ offerings to God. All I want to do after a trip is take a nap, and I’m usually just in the passenger seat! I am challenged by this passage to examine my heart. The Israelites were freed from captivity in Babylon; Jesus freed me from captivity to death and darkness. My response should be the utmost gratitude! Take some time today to reflect on what God has done for you and express your gratitude to him!
Zoe Deming
Verse 1b
“They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town.”
Did you know that the commute from Babylon to Jerusalem was 900 miles? That’s about 4 months of travel on foot for the people to get back to their homes! Based on what we see in this passage, we know that the first thing some of the families did when they arrived in Jerusalem was give freewill offerings to the house of God. I would say, besides the exhaustion from traveling so far, they were probably feeling immense gratitude toward God for freeing them from captivity in Babylon.
I love to look into the context of these passages to understand what the people’s experiences might have been. I admire the Israelites’ offerings to God. All I want to do after a trip is take a nap, and I’m usually just in the passenger seat! I am challenged by this passage to examine my heart. The Israelites were freed from captivity in Babylon; Jesus freed me from captivity to death and darkness. My response should be the utmost gratitude! Take some time today to reflect on what God has done for you and express your gratitude to him!
Zoe Deming
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