History Of Ancient Israel Bi205S Session Nine Life Ministry Institute Dr. Jim Hayford, Professor FALL, 2013

EXAM #3

The Exiles & Post Exilic Period

Psalm ”By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. 2 There on the poplars we hung our harps, 3 for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us

one of the songs of Zion!” 4 How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land? 5 If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. 6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.

TIMELINE OF THE FALL & RETURN OF ISRAEL/JUDAH 722 Sargon II becomes king of Assyria Samaria falls; 722 The ten tribes of Israel go into captivity 612 Babylonians and Medes conquer Assyria 605 Nebuchadnezzar becomes king of Babylon 605 First wave of deportation of Jews to Babylon 605 Daniel is taken captive and begins to prophesy 601 Judah decides to realign itself with Egypt, Jeremiah warns 597 Jehoachin becomes king of Judah 597 Babylonians capture Jerusalem

597 Second wave of deportation to Babylon from Judah. 586 The Babylonians destroy Jerusalem and the Temple 586 Jerusalem’s walls and gates are burned with fire 586 Third wave of Jews deported to Babylon 586 Babylonian Exile begins 539 The Fall of Babylon 538 Zerrubabel leads first Wave of Exiles return to Jerusalem 525 Cyrus of Persia captures Babylon releases Jews from captivity 458 Story of Esther in Persia 457 Ezra leads Second Wave of Exiles to Jerusalem 433 Nehemiah leads Third Wave of Exiles to Jerusalem

READING

The Bigger Picture Ancient World History

Greek & Roman Assyrian, Persian, Israel Chinese Bengalese Burmese Egyptian Aztec, Mayan

World Religions

Distribution Of Religions

Religion In America

In America, 75% of those who profess Christ as their savior do not attend church regularly.

Let’s go back 2,700 years in history to the life and times of Ezra…

From approximately 722–524 B.C. the Babylonians conquered the Jewish nation and took the Jews captive into Babylon. During this captivity they violated their covenants with God and appeared to have lost the blessings promised to them as part of the Abrahamic covenant.

New Hope About fifty years after the Babylonian invasion, the Medes and the Persians united in defeating the Babylonians, who had lost their ally Egypt, and created an empire in Asia and the Middle East. This Medo-Persian empire was led by a king named

Cyrus who made policies that showed kindness to his subjects, including the Jews in Babylon. Shortly after conquering Babylon in 539 B.C., Cyrus announced that Jews in Babylon could return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple This announcement brought great

excitement to many Jews in captivity. New hope was born in the hearts of the Jews. There were three major returns to Jerusalem: one approximately under the direction of Zerubbabel, a second approximately under the direction of Ezra, under the

direction of Nehemiah. Ezra was a priest and a descendant of Aaron, the brother of Moses. He was also called a scribe, which was a person who studied, wrote, and taught the scriptures in great deal. Ezra led the second major group of Jews back to Jerusalem.

Some have called Ezra the “father” of modern Judaism because of his emphasis on studying the law (the scriptures). He led the Jews at a time when they began focusing more on becoming a people of faith rather than a nation. Ezra apparently either wrote some of the

book of Ezra or the original writer quoted directly from a record Ezra wrote. After telling the story of Cyrus allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem, Ezra told the story of a group, led by Zerubbabel, who returned and sought to rebuild the

temple and reestablish the Jewish way of life. This group became discouraged but were later encouraged to finish the temple by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. The temple is one of two important themes emphasized in Ezra. The other idea is the

importance of the law, or the sacred records we call the scriptures. Ezra tried to help the Jews become righteous from the inside out by teaching them the law. Next week we will look at Nehemiah, who led the third wave of Jews back to the land and rebuilt the walls of the city of Jerusalem.

Ezra is a great example for us, and he was a great leader. He went at the task God gave him to do with the intention of doing it by the book, and with excellence. He made prayer a priority, even fasting & prayer because of the magnitude of the mission. He was a man of integrity when it

came to money. And when the Lord granted him success he made sure he offered God an offering of thanksgiving. We can learn a lot about ministry and mission leadership from this man’s example.

The Second Temple Zerrubabel, Jewish governor in captivity was of the kingly line. He was appointed by Cyrus to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. He got the foundation laid, but grew discouraged when the Samaritans refused to help and the people of Judah grew tired.

Cyrus died and was succeeded by Darius who wanted the temple completed. He sent Ezra to complete the job. Ezra was a priest and concentrated on the spiritual developmenty of the people while the prophets Haggai and Zephaniah urged the people to complete the temple. It was

completed in 518 B.C. and was in use until 71 B.C. when replaced by King Herod The Great. It did not compare to Solomon’s Temple.

L ife L essons F rom

EZRA 8:15-35 v.15 The Levites were vital to the mission of completing the temple. vv Ezra knew the potential hazards that could take place on this 900 mile journey, so he proclaimed a fast. vv This is one of the reasons Ezra was led to proclaim a fast. This was a lot of loot! They could have easily been robbed along the way.

EZRA 8:15-35 Vv Ezra led the people in a time of thanksgiving after completing the trip.

Application When You Do Something For God, Do It Right, by that I mean in the prescribed way, “By the book” with excellence. Make Prayer A Priority. With a task of this magnitude, Ezra proclaimed a day of fasting and prayer. Always Maintain Integrity When Dealing With Financial Matters. Accountability is key.

Application When The Lord Grants Success, Be Sure To Thank Him

Learning Activity

Mapping Project Middle East Map: Identify Israel Identify Moab Identify Ammon Identify Phoenicia. Identify Judah Identify Egypt Identify Babylon Identify Ninevah Identify Susa Israel Map: Identify Jordan River Identify Sea of Galilee Identify Dead Sea Identify Jerusalem Identify Samaria Identify Northern Kingdom Identify Southern Kingdom Identify Tribal lands

FINAL COUNTDOWN November 9: Nehemiah November 16: Exam #4 Esther Learning Activity #2 Due Grades Available by November 30