Ezra and Nehemiah are meant to be taken together as a single narrative, and in ancient times the two books were counted as one. The purpose of these books is to highlight the many ways God was working to restore the Israelites to their land after exile in Babylon. Ezra begins right where 2 Chronicles ends, and the events in the book take place over almost a century, with the first six chapters covering the return of the first wave of exiles, and the last four chapters beginning more than half a century later with Ezra’s arrival in Jerusalem. While Ezra focuses on the restoration of the temple and the community, Nehemiah focuses on the restoration of Jerusalem and the covenant. Though these events may seem irrelevant to us now, the theme of Ezra is faithfulness: from God himself as he remained faithful to mercifully restore his people to their land, and the faithfulness of the Israelites to the Lord, both in worship and in keeping the law. Ezra also shows how God works sovereignly through powerful rulers to accomplish his purposes, which will not be thwarted by the pressures of the kingdoms of this world. Listen as John unpacks this important narrative book that still speaks to us today.