Finally, the people of Israel can celebrate Passover once again, along with the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As they do so, they are very conscious of the fact that it is the Lord who is watching over them, intervening in history to make sure that his plans are fulfilled. They are also learning that in the Persian Empire, they have rights to which they can appeal. They can continue to serve God and obey him without the need to overthrow political rulers first. They can and must pursue pure worship of God as far as possible without clashing with political rulers. The conclusion of Ezra 6:1–22 thus also encourages the people who originally received this book not to pursue political autonomy and re-establish the glory days of the kingdoms of David or Solomon, but to realize that they are the direct continuation of the pre-exile community. Even though they are small in number, they are the heirs of the promises God made to Abraham, Moses, and David, and they can worship God as a faith community while they look forward to the coming of God’s Messiah.¹