Prophets II Catholic Bible study Lesson 11

Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks
Through His Servants the Prophets

Volume II: Restoration & Redemption

Lesson 10 The Return Gets Under Way; the LORD Wants the Temple Rebuilt
the Book of Ezra 1:1–7
the Book of Ezra 6:1–5
the Book of Haggai 1:1—2:23

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for Thus Says the LORD—Volume II
cross references in Thus Says the LORD—Volume II
next lesson: Zechariah’s Hopes for a Davidic King

This online supplemental material coordinates with the lesson on pages 71–76 of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and return not thither but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
—the Book of Isaiah 55:10–11 (RSVCE)**

welcome to Volume II of our in-depth study of the biblical prophets
We invite you to check out the sample first lesson and video from Volume II of this Turning to God’s Word two-part Catholic Bible study. Our online pages link to the free related lesson videos, a glossary, and cross references in the biblical text, and include maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption contains 23 lessons and has been granted an imprimatur. It may be purchased from our website shop. The companion 28-lesson Volume I: A Kingdom Divided also is available for purchase. If you have a Bible-related question or comment, click on the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” button on any study page.

open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion study group. You can pray using your own words or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:

Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit
to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.

let’s review—the Book of Baruch 1:1–13, the Book of Baruch 2:6–15, the Book of Baruch 2:27–35, the Book of Baruch 3:8–14, the Book of Baruch 3:29–36, the Book of Baruch 4:1–4, the Book of Baruch 4:6–9a, and the Book of Baruch 4:21–23
Lesson 9 A Dislocated People Turn to the LORD looks at the deuterocanonical Book of Baruch, an Old Testament work that’s included in Catholic Bibles but not accepted as inspired Scripture by Protestants. Although the Book of Baruch claims to have been written at the time of the Babylonian Exile by Jeremiah’s scribe and loyal companion, most scholars believe that it was written much later by an unknown author. It nevertheless provides a fascinating backward look at what life was like for the captives in Babylon, and the author insistently focuses on the need for the descendants of Jacob to continue to repent. The Book of Baruch also sets up the highest Greek ideal of attainment of wisdom as a virtue on par with the highest ideal in developing Judaism, that of following God’s law.

map notes—difficulties determining when the Temple was begun
The Book of Ezra 5:16 describes the work of rebuilding the Second Temple beginning around 538 B.C. by Sheshbazzar, appointed by the Persians as governor of the territory. Scholars know little about Sheshbazzar, and some believe that he and Zerubbabel were the same person. There also is speculation that Sheshbazzar is another name for Shenazar, who according to the First Book of the Chronicles 3:17–18 was an uncle of Zerubbabel. The Book of Ezra 3:8–9, however, records that the work was begun by the high priest Joshua (called Jeshua in the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah) and the governor Zerubbabel, a direct descendant of David. Prophecies in the Book of Haggai all occur in 520 B.C., and the Book of Haggai 2:10–19 records that the foundations of the Second Temple were laid then. Regardless of when various scholars think the rebuilding of the Second Temple began and who might have been governor at the time, all scholars agree that it was completed around 516–515 B.C. Click on the map (right) to enlarge it. The original map is on page 75 of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

the Return brings with it an identity crisis (01:02:30)
In the video overview for Lesson 10, “The Return Gets Under Way; the LORD Wants the Temple Rebuilt,” Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps mentions that the descendants of Jacob had experienced a more or less stable political situation in the Old Testament prior to the Exile. That no longer will be the case moving forward in this study. As the people begin to return to Jerusalem—an event that happens in waves—the Book of Haggai describes them undergoing an identity crisis as they try to pick up their lives where things left off before the Exile. This will prove an impossible task, but a positive development of their time spent in captivity is that they’re notably more receptive to messages from the LORD delivered by the prophets.

The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study match the ranges for the sets of questions in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption. Follow along as author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 10, “The Return Gets Under Way; the LORD Wants the Temple Rebuilt,” on pages 71–76 in the study book.

what’s the purpose for which the people are allowed to return to Jerusalem?
By the time of Darius, Cyrus’ original proclamation has been forgotten. The Book of Ezra 1:2 indicates that Cyrus intended that a house for the LORD be built in Jerusalem. The former captives now living there still haven’t done that. For the prophet Haggai, who’s also returned from Babylon, that the Temple hasn’t been rebuilt is a major concern. Prior to the Exile, the descendants of Jacob viewed the Temple (the house of the LORD) as evidence that God never would allow any harm to come to it or to the southern kingdom of Judah. It’s understandable that the people who’ve recently returned from Babylon wouldn’t feel a sense of urgency about reconstructing a building that failed to protect them in the past. “Procrastination Is Nothing New” on page 76 in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption, addresses the all-too-human tendency to put off doing complicated things, a failing that continues to plague present-day Christians.

WHAT DO YOU THINK about the nonviolent rescue of God’s people?
The Persian kings—first Cyrus and then Darius—allow the descendants of Jacob to return to their homeland from Babylon, where they ve been in Exile since before the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of Solomon’s Temple. This represents a second time that God rescues his people from slavery, and the first—which resulted in the Exodus from Egypt—generally receives a great deal more attention. In both cases, however, the LORD works on the hearts of the foreign rulers who hold God’s people in captivity. In the case of Pharaoh, the book of Exodus repeatedly records that God hardened the Egyptian ruler’s heart, making him unwilling to consent to God’s people leaving his country.

? What specific acts of God leading to the Exodus out of Egypt represent the LORD’s power?
? Do these actions of God seem more violent or more nonviolent?
? How does Scripture describe God influencing Cyrus, the king of Persia, to allow the descendants of Jacob to return to Jerusalem?
? Does the Return from Exile in Babylon seem more violent or more nonviolent?
? Which of these two rescues from slavery would be likely to be considered a greater manifestation of God’s power, and why?
? What examples from Scripture indicate that God’s participation in a violent solution usually fails or usually succeeds in permanently solving a problem?
? Consider why God might consider the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah failures in a spiritual sense.

a mnemonic to keep track of dominant world powers
The opening chapters in the Book of Ezra describe a major change in the geopolitical situation at the time the first waves of the Return begin. The Exile began when Babylon conquered the southern kingdom of Judah in 587–586 B.C. and took many of descendants of Jacob into captivity. After Persia conquered Babylon in 539 B.C., the Persian ruler Cyrus decreed that God’s people could return to their homeland. Seventeen years later, a new Persian ruler, Darius, reinstated Cyrus’ decree. An awareness of the dominant world powers contributes to understanding the geopolitical situation at the time that various post-exilic prophets are active. “Eat A Big Purple Grape” is a handy mnemonic (pattern of letters) to help remember which peoples control power in the region during most of the Old Testament. The initial letters of each word stand for Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece. The final world power that comes into play at the end of the Old Testament and continues beyond the New Testament is Rome, which isn’t included in the mnemonic. Egypt held sway for many centuries, followed by the Assyrians, who conquered the northern kingdom of Israel in 733–731 B.C. but fell to the Babylonians in 609 B.C. The Greeks took over the world stage when Alexander the Great ascended to the throne of his father, Philip of Macedon, in the middle of the 4th century B.C. Alexander’s Greek Empire was supplanted by the Roman Empire around 31 B.C., and the Romans continued in power through the time when the New Testament was written and on into the 4th century A.D.

a lot more information is coming about the scribe Ezra
The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah conclude a single work that originally included the First and Second Books of the Chronicles, overlapping large portions of the First and Second Books of the Kings to focus on the hereditary Davidic kingship. Many scholars question the traditional understanding of Ezra as author of these Old Testament Books. Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption will examine Ezra in more depth in Lesson 12 Ezra Combines Legal & Religious Authority. In the meantime, this lesson—about God’s desire that the Temple be rebuilt—opens with biblical text from the first six chapters of the Book of Ezra.

another way to use the online glossary
Occasionally different books of biblical prophecy refer to the same person. With so many unfamiliar names in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption, it can be difficult to remember where one of these Old Testament figures was named in biblical text related to a previous lesson. If the name Cyrus of Persia rings a bell but you’re unsure where it was that you encountered that name before in this study, you can look up his name in our online glossary. You’ll not only discover that he was mentioned in the Book of Isaiah in connection with Lesson 7 Deutero-Isaiah Proclaims the End of the Exile, you’ll also learn that he is going to show up again in Lesson 18 Daniel: A Model Jew—and you’ll find out that the name Cyrus means “sun.” Our online glossary contains entries for every proper noun included in the biblical text for every lesson in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

sojourn—you could look it up in our archives
The first chapter of the Book of Ezra records the Persian King Cyrus’ proclamation that survivors of the descendants of Jacob, wherever they may be sojourning, are allowed to return to Jerusalem. The word “sojourn” means “a temporary stay,” and it occurs several places in the Old Testament. In Lost in Translation, an online column that can help readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps looks at the linguistic roots of the word “sojourn” as well as how the idea is understood in Christianity. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.

who’s Zerubbabel?
In the opening verse of the Book of Haggai, the prophet is sent to Zerubbabel, the Persian-appointed governor of Judah, and to the high priest, whose name is Joshua. The First Book of the Chronicles 3:17 lists Zerubbabel’s father, Shealtiel, as one of the sons of Jehoiachin (the penultimate king of the southern kingdom of Judah; Jehoiachin was taken into captivity by the Babylonians in the first wave of the Exile that occurred in 597 B.C.). Zerubbabel is thus identified as a descendant of David, something that will be important in Lesson 11 Zechariah’s Hopes for a Davidic King.

biblical vocabulary—signet ring
In the Book of Haggai 2:23, the LORD announces through the words of the prophet: “On that day, says the LORD of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, says the LORD, and make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you, says the LORD of hosts.” Historians have found evidence in Mesopotamia of cylindrical seals dating back as far as 3500 B.C., when they were used to impart a mark of authenticity. (Ancient Mesopotamia was a region that in the present day comprises part of Iran, Kuwait, Turkey, and Syria.) Archeologists trace the development of signet rings to Egyptian Pharaohs, who had their personal seal attached to a ring. In addition to being used to identify decrees and belongings, signet rings also indicated status. The prophet Haggai appears to be suggesting that Zerubbabel will become as closely identified with the LORD as a signet ring might be.

Zerubbabel & Joshua share limited rule
It’s significant that the prophet Haggai addresses his words from the LORD to both Zerubbabel and Joshua, since earlier prophets spoke God’s messages primarily to the kings ruling over the descendants of Jacob—and sometimes to the entire community of God’s people. Haggai’s prophecy indicates the difficulty the former captives are experiencing trying to return to their way of life prior to the Exile. They still appear to be attempting to return to the idea of being ruled by a king figure and a high priest.

the LORD weighs in
The former captives have failed to rebuild the Temple at Jerusalem. During the Exile, the religion of Judaism emerged from traditional Hebrew roots. Because it was impossible to practice the old rites in Babylon (animal sacrifices were required to be offered in the presence of God, either in the tabernacle in the wilderness or later at the house of the LORD at the Temple in Jerusalem), Judaism began emphasizing the importance of the law. The effects of this change will be far-reaching. The prophet Haggai shifts the focus away from Babylon and Persia and back to Jerusalem. God wants there to be no more delay in rebuilding the Temple. In the Book of Haggai, the prophet pushes for the descendants of Jacob to rebuild the Temple for two reasons: 1) so there will be a place where proper sacrifice can occur and 2) so that God will have a place to dwell among his chosen people.

don’t get confused by how different versions of the Temple are identified
The Temple that the prophet Haggai is encouraging the descendants of Jacob to rebuild in Jerusalem after the Babylonian Exile usually is referred to as the Second Temple. It replaces the Temple built by Solomon and then later destroyed by the Babylonians in 587–586 B.C. About 20 years prior to the birth of Jesus, Herod the Great began a major rebuilding of the Second Temple that took about 46 years to complete. This is the Temple that the Jews mistakenly believe that Jesus is referring to in the Gospel According to John 2:18–21. You can read more in “A Tale of Two Temples” on page 74 in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

? Read the Gospel According to John 2:18–21. What Temple is it likely that Jesus was referring to in that passage?
? It’s significant that when the former captives finally began rebuilding the Second Temple in Jerusalem, they largely ignored the plan envisioned by the prophet Ezekiel and instead followed the plan given to Moses in the book of Exodus. What does this suggest about the Temple in Ezekiel’s apocalyptic vision? If necessary, refer to Lesson 5 Ezekiel’s Vision of a New Temple. You can learn more about construction plans for the tabernacle in the wilderness in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus. To learn more about Solomon’s Temple, refer to Lesson 25 Solomon Builds the Temple in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King.

how is this relevant?
The prophet Haggai’s emphasis on rebuilding the Temple sets up the infrastructure for sacrificial worship. Equally important, it establishes a sacred space in which God can be present to his people. To learn more about sacred space, check out Matthew’s video overview of this lesson. Each lesson in the study book Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption also contains commentaries designed to make it easier to reflect on ways that God’s Word applies to present-day Christians.

? What was the major function of the Temple at Jerusalem?
? In what way was this similar to the major function performed in Catholic churches today?
? In what way did it differ?
? How has God’s dwelling place on earth changed since the Old Testament?
? Consider what might have brought about that change.
? What can Christians do to make God more welcome in the world?

the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this Catholic Bible study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however, including the primary passages from this lesson: the Book of Ezra 1:1–7, the Book of Ezra 6:1–5, and the Book of Haggai 1:1—2:23.

ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing extra information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out persons and places mentioned in the biblical text under multiple names or spellings. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun that appears in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

to learn more, read more Scripture
It can help to check out the cross references listed in Scripture, but looking them up is time-consuming. To make that part easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. That list can be found at the top of every online study page accompanying this study, and it includes links to each of the cross references in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.

ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This listing includes significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf.

wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following links are to readings from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open one of the links and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV readings provide an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical texts. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

the Book of Ezra 1:1–7 (NIV)
the Book of Ezra 6:1–5 (NIV)
the Book of Haggai 1:1—2:23 (NIV)

close with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers you can follow our four easy steps, or you can use the following prayer based on this lesson’s biblical texts.

Lord of hosts, you rule the cosmos,
direct heavenly beings, and protect those who love you.
Stir up our spirits and give us courage,
for it’s always the right time to worship you
and to do your will.
We ask this in union with the Holy Spirit
and with your Son, Jesus Christ,
who obediently followed your will as he awaited his hour. Amen.

you also may like our study of the book of Exodus
You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus, a 28-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, provides an in-depth look at how significant events in biblical history that occurred thousands of years ago to descendants of Jacob remain relevant and even critical for present-day Christians to understand. The deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and the giving of Ten Commandments are examined along with the development of Moses’ relationship to God. Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.

start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption. You can find information on this website about beginning a Turning to God’s Word Bible study at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I are available to answer your questions and address any of your concerns. Contact us if you’d like to start one of our studies or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer

*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?

Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). All Scripture links for the online study pages of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption are to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) translation. The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.

The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces these with more accessible English. A handful of more significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.

Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSVCE and RSV2CE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.

You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.

**The Book of Isaiah 55:10-11 (RSV2CE) reads: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I intend, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”