48. The Rebuilders and the Remained (Ezra; Nehemiah)

Nehemiah 2:18 And they said, ‘Let us rise up and build.’ So they strengthened their hands for the good work.

This story starts in Babylon. And the family of Jacob is trying to continue, to remember who they are, and who they were, and what they were supposed to be. And so they liked to tell stories about their history, their ancestors, Jerusalem, and God. But sometimes the stories made them sad. Because they were telling themselves stories about Moses delivering their family from Pharaoh, and yet they were captive in Babylon. And they were telling stories about David and his city, Jerusalem, and yet they had no leader, and Jerusalem was in ruins.

And they pictured God speaking like he was talking to a friend, then guiding the family of Jacob by firelight through the wilderness. They imagined their ancestors laughing and dancing and feasting together during holidays. They remember all the grand stories, the epic sagas, the important events of the last two thousand years. And they thought…