In the last session, we focused on how the Lord is faithful to His promises and how, ultimately, His people are His temple through Christ, our Lord. In this lesson, we will learn how God’s Spirit stirred up Cyrus, the king of Persia, to deliver His people out of captivity so that they could rebuild the Jerusalem temple. We’ll also read a list of returning exiles. Those mentioned in this list had waited a long time for the Lord to fulfill His prophecy to return them to their home. When the time was right, God’s Spirit stirred them through God’s promises, and they were enabled for the task. As we will see, Ezra 1–2 emphasizes the Spirit’s work in accomplishing God’s goals and purposes.