Old Testament Context: Part 3

After both Israel and Judah were conquered and their people taken into captivity, it may have seemed that the Jewish history had ended. It could easily seem that God’s redemptive plan had been defeated and that there was no hope for God and man to be reconciled. Contrary to appearances, however, God’s plan continued. The books written during this post-kingdom period of history reveal that no plan of God can be conquered. When success seems impossible, God is not hindered in the least.

DANIEL: Daniel’s story follows the people of Judah, and it actually begins prior to the end of the kingdom. Daniel was one of many Jews who were taken to Babylon in a preliminary exile during the reign of Jehoiakim. Daniel served in captivity under King Nebuchadnezzar and his son King Belshazzar. Babylon was then conquered by the Medes and Persians; Daniel continued to serve under their kings, Cyrus and Darius. The second half of the book records some of Daniel’s visions, many of which deal with the end times. As an old man who had lived most of his life in captivity, Daniel realized that the seventy years of captivity prophesied for his people were nearing their end.

EZEKIEL: Ezekiel’s story begins with about five to six years remaining for Zedekiah, Judah’s final king. The book, however, was written in captivity as Ezekiel was taken in an earlier deportment. God revealed to Ezekiel the impending destruction of Jerusalem. Ezekiel was to preach repentance to the exiles from Israel. He also gave prophecies of judgment against other nations and promises of God’s restoration of His people.

LAMENTATIONS: As the title indicates, Lamentations is a sad book. It was written by Jeremiah at the time of Jerusalem’s destruction. Jeremiah described the horrible conditions in the city, and he recognized the judgment as deserved from God as a result of the wickedness of the people. In the midst of the sorrow, Jeremiah remembered God’s goodness and asked for restoration.

EZRA: In his final days, Daniel anticipated the exiles’ return to Jerusalem. The beginning of the process is described in Ezra. Cyrus, the king of Persia, announced that refugees from Judah would be allowed to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. A total of about 50,000 people made the trip. Joshua and Zerubbabel were leaders in the efforts. There was some opposition and delay through the reigns of several of Persia’s kings, but the temple work was eventually completed. (Esther’s story takes place during the approximately 80 years of suspended work.) Ezra then went to Jerusalem with a second group and addressed the spiritual needs of the people.

HAGGAI: Haggai ministered in the years described in the earlier part of the book of Ezra. God’s people were reluctant to proceed with rebuilding the temple, and Haggai’s message from God was that it was time for them to get to work on it. God reinforced His choices of Joshua and Zerubbabel as leaders.

ZECHARIAH: Zechariah ministered at the same time as Haggai and with much the same purpose. He worked with those who were rebuilding the temple, and he spoke of both the immediate restoration of glory to Jerusalem as well as the ultimate restoration when God defeats all of His foes.

ESTHER: Esther was an exile from the nation of Judah, apparently born in captivity. By the time her story took place, she was a young lady, and the nation in charge had shifted from Babylon to Media and Persia. While Daniel served under Darius and Cyrus, Esther lived during the reign of the following king, Ahasuerus (Xerxes). Though it would seem unlikely, she became the queen, with her nationality as a Jewess not being known to the king. Haman, a pompous leader within the kingdom, came up with a plan to annihilate the Jews. God used Esther to intervene, and the Jews were spared from destruction.

NEHEMIAH: Nehemiah was cupbearer to Artaxerxes, the next king after Ahasuerus. By this time, the temple had been rebuilt, but the city of Jerusalem was still in great distress and with no walls surrounding it. Seeing Nehemiah’s burden for Jerusalem, the king allowed him to return to rebuild the city. Nehemiah faced much opposition, but the walls were rebuilt. The closing chapters of Nehemiah record the great spiritual revival that followed.

MALACHI: With the temple rebuilt and Jerusalem restored, the Jews re-established their system of sacrifices and worship. The effect of the spiritual revival quickly waned, however, and the worship became empty and ritualistic. There was no heart devotion behind their service, and Malachi’s message was to try to get the people to realize that they were not as devoted to God as they claimed to be.

Even though Jerusalem was restored and many Jews had returned to their homeland, the picture portrayed at the end of the Old Testament is somewhat bleak. The nation was surviving, but it was certainly not prospering either politically or spiritually. In those somewhat dark days, the prophets consistently mixed in a message of hope. They proclaimed that the Messiah was coming and that the Redeemer would rescue God’s people. The close of Malachi is followed by over 400 years with no new Scripture given. When God’s story resumes, however, in the New Testament, we see God’s wonderful plan being fulfilled. The Savior comes, and He accomplishes all that is necessary for God and man to be reconciled.