1. Israel: A pale shadow of her former self
The Exile & After
Israel: A pale shadow of her former self

2. Preview of Haggai & Zechariah
Why the those who returned from the exile found it hard to worship with all their hearts
Where Esther, Ezra & Nehemiah fit in relation to the exile
Who Haggai was talking about when he said, If you build it He will come!
Why Branch is a good metaphor for Messiah

3. The Exile & After Israel: A pale shadow of her former self KING Temple
from King to carpenter
Temple
from Porsche to Geo Metro
High Priest
from Urim & Thummim to Clueless
Holy of Holies
from Glory to empty

4. 2A Purpose & Nature PEOPLE 605 586 536 516 TEMPLE 1B Why an exile?
2B Life during the exile
3B Length of the Exile
PEOPLE
605
586
536
516
TEMPLE

5. Ezra's lifetime ancient history EXILE POST-Exile EZR A - 1 6 7 10 1 13
ZECHARIAH
MALACHI
1-2 CHRONICLES
HAGGAI
ESTHER 1 6 7 - 10 1 13
EZR A
NEHEMIAH
EXILE
520
516
500
464
415
Ezra's
Return 4 4
Nehemiah's
Return 5 5 4 3
Zerubbabel's
Return 8 5 6
POST-Exile

6. Very singular in purpose:
Haggai & Zechariah
Good cop / Bad cop?
Very different styles
Very singular in purpose:
To see the Temple reconstruction completed

7. TEAM Ministry Direct Indirect Practical Visionary Immediate Ultimate
Postexilic prophets: Zechariah & Haggai
Direct Indirect
Practical Visionary
Immediate Ultimate
Specific General
Detailed Conceptual
HAGGAI ZECHARIAH
God uses all personalities

8. Haggai 1:8-10 Go up into the mountains, and bring down timber
and build the temple . . .
What you brought home I blew away. Why?
Because of my house, which remains a ruin while each of you is busy with his own house!

9. Zechariah 2A The 8 Night Visions 1B Horses & Riders: God will avenge
8 During the night I had a vision—and there before me was a man riding a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine. Behind him were red, brown and white horses.
Zechariah 1:11
11 And they reported ... “We have gone throughout the earth and found the whole world at rest and in peace.”

10. Zechariah 1:15
15 but I am very angry with the nations that feel secure. I was only a little angry, but they added to the calamity.’
Zechariah 1:16
16 “Therefore, this is what the LORD says: ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt. And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem,’ declares the LORD Almighty.

11. 2A The 8 Night Visions 1B Horses & Riders: God will avenge
2B Four Horns & Craftsmen: God will punish the nations, 1:18-21
18 Then I looked up—and there before me were four horns!19 I asked the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these?”
He answered me, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem.”
20 Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen.
21 I asked, “What are these coming to do?”
He answered, “These are the horns that scattered Judah so that no one could raise his head, but the craftsmen have come to terrify them and throw down these horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter its people.”
I pray for His Kingdom to come… I don’t expect it today, but I do know it will come and that gives me hope to go out and in my little area where I have dominion to live by Kingdom principles that I’m borrowing from the future reality.

12. Zechariah 2A The 8 Night Visions
5B The Golden Lampstand: God will empower rebuilding
Zechariah 4:2-3
2 He asked me, “What do you see?”
I answered, “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it, with seven channels to the lights. 3 Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.”

13. Joshua Zerubbabel High Priest Royal Leader
Zechariah 4:6
6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.
7 “What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’”

14. 9B The Conclusion: The Crowning of Joshua the HP
6:11 Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak.
6:12 Tell him this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Here is the man whose name is the Branch,

15. Branch?
Isaiah 4:2 In that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious
Isaiah 11:1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

16. Jehoiachin
No King
From 586 to now…
“Branch”

17. Branch?
Jeremiah 23:5 “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch,
a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.
Jeremiah 33:15 ”‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land.

18. 6:11 Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak.
6:12 Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Here is the man whose name is the Branch,
and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the LORD,
and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne.
And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.

19. King
Priest
And there will be harmony between the two (offices of king and priest)

20. Israel: A pale shadow of her former self
The Exile & After
Israel: A pale shadow of her former self

21. O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Branch of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times did'st give the Law,
In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

22. Esther is a Proverbs 31 woman!
She is a model of devotion to her people and her God.
All of you women would do well to emulate her character . . .
But are we sure?

23. What exactly does God want us to see?
Historical—inform the reader about facts that happened in the past
What's good? The Bible is true and accurate
What's the problem? It leaves out many "important" historical details, because…
Moral—inform the reader about how to behave
What's good? Most of us need to behave better.
What's the problem? every story does not prescriptively tell me how to behave better, e.g. Abraham, Gen 12.
Becoming a "nice" person isn't really what God cares about most
Theological—revealing WHO God is to draw the reader into relationship with him
What's good?
What's the problem?
Reading the Bible is like going on a date… not about you working to get better, but about getting to know and fall in love with the other person.

24. ESTHER Agree or Disagree? ? God is Present Esther is a role model
Name ? Law? Worship?
Esther is a role model
foreign soil
food
“Jewishness”
contest
Mordecai = “good guy”
“Son of Kish, Shimei” / Agag