This autumn our church are going to be looking at two books of the bible which take us into the period of history after the Jews return from exile in Babylon and Persia where they had been dispersed to due to their sin and rebellion against God. A bit of historical background to show how the books fit in the timeline o redemptive history might be helpful.
The big picture is that when God brought the Israelites back out of slavery in Egypt under the leadership of Moses and then Joshua, he promised them that if they remained faithful to him in the land then they would enjoy covenant blessings. However, the penaty for sin would be curses including famine, pestilence and eventual exile into slavery again.
The people enjoyed covenant blessing under the reign of King David and to some degree his son, Solomon who God allowed to build a temple for his name, representing his presence with the people. However, decline began as Solomon’s heart was turned by multiple wives and his wealth to idolatry. After his death, the kingdom split in two with only the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin remaining loyal to David’s heirs. The Northern kingdom although larger and in the best place to prosper on the major trade routes, became a political basket case with multiple cues. Both kingdoms descended into further sin and idolatry.
Timeline
- 721BC Northern Kingdom of Israel falls to Assyria. Isaiah’s prophecies coincide with this and warn of the future fall of the Southern kingdom too. Assyria’s main rival is Babylon and eventually are superseded by the Babylonians
- The Babylonian’s under Nebuchadnezzar II attack Judah and lay siege to Jerusalem in 587BC. Jerusalem falls in 586BC. Jeremiah prophecies in the run up to the fall of the city.
- Many of the Jews are taken into exile including Daniel and his friends. Daniel prophesies. He looks forward to the end of exile and what will happen after. Another prophet speaking at that time Ezekiel.
- By 539BC Babylon itself had fallen to the Persian Empire which at its height would stretch from Egypt to India. Daniel continues to serve the Persians as an old man, just as he had served Nebuchadnezzar as a young man.
- It is at some point whilst the Jews are exiled in Persia that a young woman named Esther rises to prominence as Queen. Working out the exact date is difficult as unsurprisingly the Persians were uninterested in maintaining records of events that counted against them and the names of kings and officials may differ when Hebrew nicknames are employed. It is possible that the events in Esther took place after the Jews began to return.
- Between 538-520 Jews begin to return to Judah and Jerusalem with Zerubbabel as governor. This is during the early part of Cyrus the Great’s reign. In a famous edict around and 539 Cyrus encouraged people groups to return to their lands and rebuild temples. The Bible reports this with the emphasis on a proclamation to worship Yahweh and build a temple for him.
- 520BC, it seems that work is stalling due to opposition and Hagga prophecies about this time to stir the people back to action. Darius has succeeded Cyrus as emperor.
- Rebuilding was complete around about 515BC. This was still in the lifetime of some who had gone into exile and seen the old temple destroyed. The new doesn’t at this stage compare well to the grandeur of Solomon’s temple and this causes saddness (c.f. Ezra 3).
- Ezra-Nehemiah tells the account of the return and rebuilding including the temple and through under Nehamiah to the rebuilding of the city walls in about 445/4BC. It is possible that Ezra wrote the whole account although some assume that Nehemiah himself wrote the part concerning his own involvement which now forms a separate book of Scripture in Christian Bibles. Ezra himself had arrived in Jerusalem as a priest and teacher in 458BC.
The books and the canon
We use the word “canon” to refer to how the books of the Bible fit together as a whole. If something is “canonical” then it belongs in Scripture. It is helpful to see where the books fit in to understand their genre and purpose.
The modern Christian Bible divides what we call the Old Testament into Law (the Pentateuch), History, Wisdom Literature, Major Prophets (the big books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel and Daniel). And minor prophets (12 smaller books including Jonah, Micah and Malachi).
In our Bibles, Nehemiah is found in the historical books and Haggai, the minor prophets. From that perspective, we see Nehemiah as recording God’s perspective on how history had unfolded, to help us see his providential sovereignty and learn from the example of God’s people. Haggai is seen as directly bringing God’s word to bear on specific situations including at the time and predicting forwards.
However, those divisions may not be completely helpful. First, because the different genres often spill over into each other. The Torah/Law includes a lot of narrative as do the prophetic books whilst prophecy shows up in the historical narratives. Moreover, the Jews did not divide the scriptures up that way. Indeed, perhaps for discussion another time, they didn’t think in terms of “old testament”, they had one covenant with God, one testament.
The Hebrew Scriptures are divided up then between the Torah (the first five books of the Bible Genesis -Deuteronomy), Prophets and writings. Notice that the distinction is not between major and minor prophets although “the twelve” were seen as a distinct unit within the prophetic books and were even seen to belong on the same single scroll. There is therefore meant to be a theological/thematic link uniting them rather than just that they were smaller books.
Most of the history books are included as part of the prophetic body. A This encourages us to see Joshua through to 2 Kings as not simply retelling the story but as prophesying and this helps us to think about what prophecy is. It is not simply about predicting the future, positive words of encouragement, words of knowledge or warnings although it can be all of those things. Rather, prophecy is giving God’s word, his perspective and assessment on what is happen. It’s what enables history to stop being mystery and become revelation. It’s what brings a sense of “nowness” to God’s word and plans. This is what we should look for in Haggai.
Now, Ezra-Nehemiah is a little different. With Chronicles (and possibly sharing an author, it was included in “The Writings” section along with the wisdom literature. This suggests that these books offer a more reflective stance, the kind that the passage of time allows. Chronicles does this overtly by looking back at history already told. Whilst in a more contemporary time frame, Ezra and Nehemiah do have a sense of distance from the glory days pre exile. The people are living in a reflective age, a now and not yet between return from exile and the coming of the Messiah/outpouring of the Spirit.
The books and us
Christians can be tempted to go to these books in the run up to building projects. Although our church is actively looking for a physical home, our aim is not to have a couple of series to encourage people to get behind building plans. Rather, there is a sense in which these books are there to build faith and that’s what we want to see happen.
As mentioned above, there is a “now and not yet” and a stepping back to reflect element to where these books fall. That’s a helpful way to think of our situation too. We live in the now and not yet between Christ’s salvation work on the Cross and his return. We want to know what it means to live as God’s people in such times. We also love experiencing the “nowness” of what God is saying and doing. Expect that tone in Haggai. However, sometimes we need that different perspective gained by a little distance. We want space to reflect. Nehemiah will help us to do this.
Faithroots 