God raised up Cyrus, king of Persia, to fulfill the promises and prophecies He had made concerning the return of the Jews from captivity. Through Jeremiah, God had said that the land of Judah would be desolated because of her sins; her people would be led away to serve Babylon for seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11-12). God also said that after the seventy years of captivity, He would bring His people back (Jeremiah 29:10). The book of Ezra begins with these words:

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? His God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem. (Ezra 1:1-3.)

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah give the account of this return from captivity and the building efforts in Jerusalem. The construction of the temple, the house of God (Ezra 3:1-6:22), was integral to restoring Old Testament worship.

In the New Testament, God’s temple is no longer a physical edifice, but rather His people. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, saying, “ye are God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:9). The apostle went on to describe how his work was to lay the foundation of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:10-11). God’s laborers would build on that foundation by converting people to Christ; some people would be more resilient building materials than others by the way in which they endured fiery trials (1 Corinthians 3:12-15; cf. Ephesians 6:13; 1 Peter 4:12).

As God’s people in Ezra’s time were to go and build God’s house, Christians today are to build up the church. God regards His people, His temple, as precious. Paul went on to write, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).

We sing a song with the kids which says, “We’re building up the temple of the Lord.” As God’s building, God’s edifice, we are to edify one another (Romans 14:19; 1 Corinthians 14:26; Ephesians 4:12, 16, 29; 1 Thessalonians 5:11). Instead of tearing down and defiling God’s temple, let’s build each other up and pursue holiness. O, Brother, won’t you help us? O, Sister, won’t you help us?