The people return to the building of the temple and continue with determination in the face of renewed opposition. However, because of their obedience, God turned the opposition into assistance.

The Jews have left the only stability they have known and have made the long and hard trip to Israel. But their work has only begun. Now they must rebuild. They begin in the right place restoring the ancient altar and begin work on the foundation of the temple. But opposition comes quickly. First, in the form of compromisers who want to join them for the purpose of defeating their purpose and zeal. Second, in the form of hired counselors who work to “frustrate their purpose.” For now, the adversaries win and the Jews cease work on the temple. The opposition has been too much for them. The temple lies abandoned.

The first return is a trip into the fog. They do not know exactly what will greet them. They do not fully know the condition of the land. The journey of hundreds of miles will take them weeks to complete. Yet they go because they have a higher purpose in mind. They go to rebuild God’s holy temple and to reestablish the true worship of God in God’s chosen city of Jerusalem. They go also to replant the land given to their father Abraham.

The story in this chapter shows us that God will judge sin and He will defend His honor. We know that God often delays to judge man for sin (Ecclesiastes 8:11). However, this should never be taken as weakness or lack of conviction. God delays punishment in order to give men a longer time in which to repent. The goodness of His forbearance should lead to repentance (Romans 2:4).

As the Laodicean church age draws to a close, and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ draweth nigh, the predicted departure from the truth of God is occurring at an ever increasing pace.

God gave His word to man in perfect form. If this was important to Him, He must also be concerned about passing that word to later generations in identically perfect form.

The main points of this outline (though not in the same order) are taken from verse 28: “Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.” What an example these three young Hebrew men are to all of us!

In this chapter, we see the call of Jeremiah. He complains that he is just a child and therefore too young to do such a great work. Jeremiah served as a prophet for the Lord to Judah for over 40 years. He wrote the 52 chapters of Jeremiah and the five chapters of Lamentations.

Through the cleansing of the Lord, Isaiah is made ready to accept the call to go tell the people of Israel the message of God. As you study this lesson, carefully consider what the Lord has to teach you.

Psalm 119 is the longest psalm and the longest chapter in the Bible. It contains 176 verses. The central theme of this psalm is the word of God. At least 173 of the 176 verses mention the Bible by some title or another.