Page 84 - Advanced OT Survey Student Textbook

Study Section 8: Post-exilic Historical Books

8.1 Connect

Has anybody every told you about someone else, “He just got what he deserved!” They may
say that about someone who did something really bad, and they received some sort of
punishment for their sin. But the opposite may be true. If someone does something really
nice for someone else, perhaps someone was nice in return. The Bible states it this way, “You
shall reap what you sow.” (Galatians 6:4).

For years, God had been patient with Israel and Judah, yet they persisted in their disobedience against
Him. So God brought foreign countries into their land and took them captive – Israel by the Assyrians
and Judah by the Babylonians. Israel and Judah reaped what they sowed. Judah was in captivity for 70
years, but finally the Persian king released some of the Jews to travel back to Jerusalem to rebuild. God
showed them grace. The next series of books are considered the post-exilic historical books, because
they tell us what happened either during exile, or shortly after returning to Jerusalem in freedom.

8.2 Objectives

1. The student should be able to discuss what the Post-exilic historical books are.

2. The student should be able to answer the important questions such as: what, when, where,
how.

3. The student should be able to l discuss the main message and main divisions of each individual Post-
exilic historical book.

4. The student should be able to describe the applications from the Post-exilic historical books.

8.3 Post-exilic Historical Books
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Introduction
Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther comprise a unit of three historical books of the Bible depicting
spiritual, social, political and physical condition during the period immediately following the
end of the Babylonian captivity (i.e. the post-exilic period of Israel’s historical). They cover
the period of approximately 108 years form 538 BC to 430BC.

Haggai and Zachariah ministered as Prophets during the time covered by Ezra, and Malachi ministered
as Prophets during the time covered by Nehemiah. Ezra and Nehemiah are contemporaries (see Neh. 8).
With Nehemiah and Malachi ends the Old Testament period and what follows is 400+ years of silence
broken when John the Baptist appears on the scene as the Old Testament prophet to announce the
coming of Messiah.

65 Main Contributor. Dr. Brian Gault (Prof. of Old Testament and Hebrew at Columbia International University) for
giving me permission to use most of his class notes for this Old Testament Survey. Forever grateful To God.
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