Israel's "Second Entry" Into The Promised Land - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Ezra 2:64,

"The whole company numbered 42,360..."

The second chapter of Ezra documents the people that returned from Babylon back to Jerusalem and Judea. The above number appears to be the total headcount, not counting their slaves (some of the returnees seemed to have done well during their captivity in Babylon).

From what we glean from the book of Numbers, Israel was maybe 2-3 million strong when they left Egypt. Following their forty year wandering in the desert (due to their lack of faith in the Lord), the Israelites entered into the promised land as we read in the book of Joshua. It was still quite a large number.

Following centuries of faithlessness on their part, the Jewish population was eviscerated through God's various judgments of the nation, particularly when the northern ten tribes were destroyed by Assyria and the southern two by Babylon with just a remnant left and carried into a seventy year captivity.

Now comes a second entry into the promised land by God's people. An entry marked by a shockingly small group compared to the first entry.

The judgment of God can be horrific!

However, from this remnant, following the work God did with the nation through his judgments, etc. the nation was eventually prepared for the coming of his Son, Jesus Christ to be born among these people in another five centuries.

Something to ponder today... what starts out as so grand in the beginning just may have to be altered by God for his own purposes as he achieves his agenda. And, the result being even more grand when he finishes. This ought to be a great topic of conversation as we view things from our perch the resurrection!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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