Nehemiah 7:5-73: List of Returned Exiles, Take 2

As Nehemiah prepares to take a census of the people of Judah in preparation for people to move into Jerusalem, he finds the record of those who had returned at the edict of Cyrus almost 100 years ago. Although the list had been recorded previously in Ezra 2, the list is recorded again in this place as a reminder of the faithfulness of previous generations. Now that the wall of Jerusalem is complete, the list of those who initially returned is a reminder that God has been at work in His people by not only rebuilding a city but also restoring His people in true faith in Him and the promised Savior. Rev. Jason Wagner, pastor at Hope Lutheran Church in High Ridge, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Nehemiah 7:5-73. "God Brings His People Home” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. After 70 years in exile, the LORD began to fulfill His promise to bring His people back to the Promised Land. In the years that followed, faithful clergy and dedicated laity worked together to rebuild Jerusalem physically and restore the people of God spiritually. Through it all, God was at work to keep His promise of bringing the Savior into the world in the fullness of time.