Ezra 1-2
Today we jump into the book of Ezra, which picks up exactly where II Chronicles left off. In fact, most of Ezra 1:1-3 is an almost verbatim repeat of II Chronicles 36:22-23. But since we took a very unchronological “detour” through Job, perhaps it would be useful to take a quick look back over the terrain we’ve covered to help get us back on track with the main historical narrative. Hopefully, the following table serves that purpose, along with giving us a hint of where we’re headed next.
| Period | Characters | OT Books (minus Psalms and Wisdom Literature) |
| Prehistory (?-~2100 BC) Creation The Flood Tower of Babel | Adam and Eve Noah | Genesis |
| Patriarchs (~2100-1800 BC) | Abraham (& Lot => Ammon & Moab) Isaac (& Ishmael) Jacob/Israel (& Esau/Edom) Jacob’s progeny (i.e., the 12 tribes) | Genesis |
| Slavery in Egypt (~1800-1446 BC) Exodus (~1446 BC) Wilderness (~1446-1406 BC) | Moses Aaron Miriam | Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy |
| Conquest (~1406-1350 BC) | Joshua (& Caleb) | Joshua |
| Judges (~1350-1050 BC) | Ehud, Deborah, Barak, Samson, Gideon, Jephthah, etc. Samuel | Judges Ruth I Samuel |
| United Kingdom (1050-931 BC) | Saul David Solomon | I & II Samuel I Kings I & II Chronicles |
| Divided Kingdom (931-721 BC for Northern and Southern) (721-586 BC for Southern only) | Kings of Israel (northern) Kings of Judah (southern) Elijah Elisha | I & II Kings II Chronicles Jonah Amos Hosea Micah Isaiah Habakkuk Nahum Zephaniah Joel? Jeremiah |
| Exile 586-538 BC | Jeremiah Daniel Ezekiel | Jeremiah Lamentations Obadiah Ezekiel Daniel |
| Post Exile 538-430 BC | Ezra Nehemiah Joshua Zerubbabel | Ezra Haggai Zechariah Nehemiah Esther Joel? Malachi |
We’ve seen the LORD working with His people, the people of Israel, over the course of centuries. With Moses at their head, the LORD delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt and then with Joshua brought them into the Promised Land, calling them to holiness, to be a people “set apart” for Him. At times, under occasional faithful leadership, Israel would go the right direction, but Israel’s heart was always divided. Even at her best Israel could never quite devote herself entirely to the LORD but instead persistently chose to be like the surrounding nations. With a nominal nod to the LORD, Israel adopted the practices of the other nations along with their gods, falling victim to syncretism and then all-out idolatry. The LORD dealt patiently with the people for generations, sending prophets to warn them of their need to return to the LORD, but the people would not listen. So the LORD sent all of Israel into exile, first using the Assyrian Empire against the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and then using the Babylonian Empire against the Southern Kingdom (Judah).
Recall that the result of the Babylonian conquest was utter devastation. Jerusalem was destroyed and Solomon’s Temple burned to the ground. Those with any skill were carried off into exile to the land of Babylon. Those left behind fled to Egypt. It has been about 50 years since the Fall of Jerusalem, 70 years since the first deportation to Babylon. Neighboring peoples have moved into Judea, probably including some Samaritans — partly Israeli, partly anybody’s guess.
Now the time has come for that exile to end. It is time for a “second Exodus” and a new beginning. And that brings us to Ezra, which opens into that final period of Old Testament history, “Post Exile”. What effect has the exile had? Have the people changed? Are they ready to pursue holiness? Are they ready now to walk with the LORD?
One more thing…
If you are anything like me, it’s easy to lose track of specific dates, especially for ancient history where the dates are disputed anyway and where there is absolutely no difference in my mental picture of 1406 BC and 1613 BC. When we’re talking about things that are already 2000+ years old, rounding years to the nearest 500 generally seems “good enough” to me. So to keep things simple in my own head, I think of the Old Testament timeline like this:
| 2000 BC | Abraham and the Patriarchs |
| 1500 BC | Moses and the Exodus |
| 1000 BC | The United Kingdom (Saul, David, and Solomon) |
| 500 BC | Return from Babylonian Exile |
| 0 BC/AD | Birth of Christ (I know. There is no year 0, but we’re using round numbers!) |
I hope that helps.