The book of Ezra

restoring the law The Bible starts with Genesis - God creates the world. By the time we get to 1 Samuel, the nation of Israel is well established and demands God to give them a King like the nations around them. Grazing too much at the world without spending time with the Lord can have disastrous effects on our spiritual life.

Israel got the King they longed for. You normally get what you insist on. Saul became the first king of Israel. David and Solomon followed. Rehoboam, Solomon's son, became the next king. His immaturity and stubbornness, coupled with dissent for his father (due to the high tax) already harboured by the Israelites soon led to a rebellion against Rehoboam and the division of the nation of Israel.

Divided we fall

Ten tribes deserted Rehoboam and formed the 'new' nation of Israel in the north while two tribes stayed with him in the south. They were called Judah.

The Assyrians eventually took Israel in the north into captivity. Judah survived for about another one hundred years before being taken captive by Babylon.

About seventy years later King Cyrus of Persia conquered Babylon and decreed that all the Israelites could return home.