Expert: Brenda Martin - 12/21/2008

Question
What was God's purpose in bringing the Jews back to Judah? What interpretation did the exilic and post-exilic prophets give to this era?

Thank you!

Answer
HI Kathleen, you asked--"WHAT WAS GOD'S PURPOSE IN BRINGING THE JEWS BACK TO JUDAH?"

To restore pure worship---Chapter 62 of Isaiah is full of these promises.

Babylon is overthrown in 539 B.C.E. Thereafter, King Cyrus of Persia issues a decree enabling God-fearing Jews to return to Jerusalem and restore Jehovah’s worship. (Ezra 1:2-4) In 537 B.C.E., the first returning Jews are back in their homeland.

Later, though, they again drifted away from pure worship. Eventually, they rejected Jesus as the Messiah, and Jehovah finally abandoned them as his chosen nation. (Matthew 21:43; 23:38; John 1:9-13)

"WHAT INTERPRETATION DID THE EXILIC AND POST-EXILIC PROPHETS GIVE TO THIS ERA?"

BEFORE

Before their exile, prophets warned the people that because of engaging in disgusting practices, its capital city, Jerusalem, would be destroyed, and the people taken captive to Babylon. (Jeremiah 7:32-34)

The city of Jerusalem will be destroyed, and its inhabitants will be taken captive. The desolation however will not be permanent. After a time, true worship will be restored. This is the basic message of Isaiah 36:1–66:24.

The Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar was used as Jehovah’s instrument to deal out His vengeance to the disloyal kingdom of Judah and the neighbouring nations.

Chapters 1 to 24 of Ezekiel, contains warnings of the certain destruction of Jerusalem.
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DURING

Cyrus did not at once release the exiled Israelites. He took over the kingship of Babylon and held the Jews captive about two years more, till 537 B.C.E. Thus seventy years were fulfilled! This was just as had been foretold in Jeremiah 25:11. And 2 Chronicles 36:20, 21

The prophet Daniel lived in Babylon throughout the 70-year period of Jewish captivity. Sometime during the 68th year of the exile, Daniel discerned from Jeremiah’s prophecy that Israel’s sojourn was nearing its end. (Jeremiah 25:11; 29:10; Daniel 9:1, 2)

Daniel turned to Jehovah in prayer—a prayer of repentance on behalf of the entire Jewish nation. Daniel relates: “I proceeded to set my face to Jehovah the true God, in order to seek him with prayer and with entreaties, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. And I began to pray to Jehovah my God and to make confession.”—Daniel 9:3, 4.

Daniel uttered his prayer some two hundred years after Isaiah penned the prophetic prayer found in chapters 63 and 64 of his book.

Undoubtedly, many sincere Jews prayed to Jehovah during the difficult years of exile. The Bible, however, highlights Daniel’s prayer, which evidently represented the feelings of many faithful Jews. Thus, his prayer shows that the sentiments of Isaiah’s prophetic prayer were indeed the sentiments of faithful Jews in Babylon.

The Israelites were in no doubt why they have been taken into exile, but they also had been told it was temporary—

Daniel told them—“Seventy (year-) weeks have been appointed over you people and over your holy city, to restrain the apostasy and to make an end of sin, and to atone for the error, .etc…” Daniel 9:24-27

In the early years of his prophetic career, Ezekiel proclaimed God’s certain judgments against unfaithful Jerusalem and warned the exiles against idolatry. (14:1-8; 17:12-21)

The captive Jews were showing no real signs of repentance. Their responsible men made a practice of consulting Ezekiel, but they paid no attention to the messages from Jehovah that Ezekiel conveyed to them. They went right ahead with their idolatry and materialistic practices. The loss of their temple, their holy city, and their dynasty of kings came as a terrific shock, but it awakened only a few to humility and repentance.—Ps. 137:1-9.

Chapters 33 to 48 of Ezekiel, consists of prophecies of the restoration, culminating in the vision of a new temple and holy city. For the most part, the prophecies are arranged chronologically as well as topically.

(33:1–37:28). The people are saying, “The way of Jehovah is not adjusted right.” So Ezekiel must make it clear to them how wrong they are. (33:17)

AFTER

The repentant ones among the exiles are in need of encouragement and hope. Jehovah transports Ezekiel in a vision to the land of Israel and sets him down on a very high mountain. Here, in vision, he sees a temple and “the structure of a city to the south.” An angel instructs him: “Tell everything that you are seeing to the house of Israel.” (40:2, 4)

The pronouncements, the visions, and the promises that Jehovah gave to Ezekiel were all faithfully related to the Jews in exile. While many scoffed at and ridiculed the prophet, some did believe. These benefited greatly. They were strengthened by the promises of restoration. Unlike other nations taken into captivity, they preserved their national identity, and Jehovah restored a remnant, as he foretold, in 537 B.C.E. (Ezek. 28:25, 26; 39:21-28; Ezra 2:1; 3:1) They rebuilt the house of Jehovah and renewed true worship there.

The principles set out in Ezekiel are also invaluable to us today. Apostasy and idolatry, coupled with rebellion, can only lead to Jehovah’s disfavour. (Ezek. 6:1-7; 12:2-4, 11-16) Each one will answer for his own sin, but Jehovah will forgive the one who turns back from his wrong course. That one will be granted mercy and will keep living. (18:20-22)

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and other prophets as with one voice, foretold Judah’s exile and their miraculous deliverance from exile. (Jeremiah 25:11, 12) Judah’s deliverer, Cyrus, was named well before he was even born!—Isaiah 44:26–45:1.

Moses and Solomon, centuries before, had spoken of restoration that would follow captivity. (De 30:1-5; 1Ki 8:46-53)

Other prophets also gave reassurance of a deliverance from exile.(Amos 9:13-15; Zeph 2:7; 3:20)

Haggai is the first of three prophets who served after a faithful remnant returned from Babylonian exile in 537 B.C.E. Haggai may have been in the first group of returnees. With Governor Zerubbabel and High Priest Joshua and in cooperation with the prophet Zechariah, Haggai tried to motivate the Jews to overcome external opposition and their own apathy linked to materialism. They needed to accomplish what they had come back for: the rebuilding of Jehovah’s temple. Haggai’s four straightforward messages, given in 520 B.C.E., emphasized Jehovah’s name and sovereignty. Haggai’s forceful messages stimulated the people to resume their temple building.

Zechariah. Like his contemporary Haggai faced the challenge of stirring up fellow worshippers to keep at the work until the temple was completed. Zechariah worked hard to strengthen the people to tackle that monumental task. In the face of the self-indulgent attitude of the people around him, he strove to stimulate strong faith and corresponding action. And he was successful.

Long before the exile, the prophet Amos had rebuked wealthy ones in Israel for their “houses of ivory” and for their “lying down on couches of ivory.” (Amos 3:15; 6:4) The fancy houses and decorated furniture did not last. Those things were plundered by enemy conquerors. Yet, years later, after an exile of 70 years, many of God’s people had not learned from this.

We can safely say all of the prophets were in agreement in their “interpretation” all spoke with one voice as they were directed by God to do. The people were well warned about their conduct & its consequences, they chose not to heed the warnings, and they were taken captive because of their apostasy to true worship, later a repentant remnant returned to restore that pure worship.

I hope this is ok, but if not I’m happy to answer anything I may have missed.

All the best
Brenda