he Exile of Judah and the Restoration of the Jews

Chris Stewart

Grand Canyon University:

Old Testament History
 Due to the idolatry and other sins of Judah they were brought into captivity to the

Babylonians. God promised them through the prophets that they would return once again

to the land of their fathers. In this paper we will discuss three main points: First, what

was God’s purpose in bringing Judah back from the Exile into Babylon? Second, what

tasks were important for them to complete in light of their restoration to the Land of their

Fathers? Lastly, what interpretation did the exilic and post-exilic prophets give to this

epoch?

What was the Lord’s purpose in returning them to the Land of

Canaan?

When the Lord God brought Judah back from the Exile into Babylon it was with

the purpose of re-establishing His Covenant with the people. All other nations whom the

Lord had seen fit to destroy through the medium of the nations had gone into captivity

and, eventually, lost their identity. Only Israel/Judah had the appropriate covenant with

the Lord that they would not be lost to the annals of history nor lose their individuality as

a people.A When the Lord brought them back He had a variety of purposes in doing so.

Let us look at three of these reasons:

First, He wanted to bring them back so that He could fulfill His Covenant with the
A Even the “Lost Tribes” would be found and return to the Fold (Jer. 31:8, 50:9)
Fathers - that He would give them the land to be their possession forever. He could not do

this if the people were not brought back nor if they did not know their own identity. This

is largely why Ezra had the people counted and the priests who had lost their genealogy

during the Exile were not allowed to officiate as their fathers had in the temple

(Nehemiah 7:64).1

A second reason for the Lord bringing the people back to the Land was so they

could re-build the temple up to Him in order that they could glorify His holy name.

Though the people looked upon the new temple with sorrow as they remembered the

temple which had been built up by Solomon during his reign, Haggai told the people that

they had great cause to rejoice in the Lord, for He had brought them back as He had

promised. The people were also told that the Lord would once again establish His

Covenant with them and that His presence would be in the temple in an even greater

measure.2

Finally, a third reason for their being brought back into the Land was so that the

promises of a Savior and Messiah could be fulfilled even as He had promised (Micah

5:2).

What tasks were important for them to complete upon their return?

There were at least two main tasks for them to complete upon their return to the

land of their fathers. The first of these tasks was to build up to the Lord a temple so that

they would have where to worship Him and to perform His required sacrifices and
oblations. The second task was that they were to replenish the land of its decimated

population. Both of these are in accordance to the ultimate plan which the Lord God has

set up for the redemption and salvation of His people.

The importance of the temple’s restoration is seen in the prophet Haggai’s demand

that the people build the temple before they even completed the construction of their

houses and the walls of the city (Haggai 1:4-6).3 This demand to build the temple even

before building their own houses is a direct counter to a statement of David’s concerning

the building of the temple in his time.

In the situation concerning David he states that he has “an house of cedars” and

then says, “But the ark of the covenant of the Lord remained under curtains.” (1 Chron.

17:1) Flavius Josephus speaks concerning this, saying: “Now when the king saw that his

affairs grew better almost every day, by the will of God, he thought he should offend him,

if, while he himself continued in houses of cedar, such as were of great height, and had

the most curious works of architecture in them, he should overlook the ark while it was

laid in a tabernacle, and was desirous to build a temple to God, as Moses had predicted

such a temple should be built.”4

Now why was the restoration of the temple so much more important after the

Exile than it had been previously? The answer is exceedingly simple - previously the

children of Israel had had a tabernacle in which was housed the Ark of the Covenant.

Now, however, the temple and the tabernacle were both gone; there was nowhere for the

people to go where-in to perform the sacrifices as they had been commanded by the Lord

God. The temple was the mark of the Gathering of the Tribes (Isa. 2:2-3; 18:1-3).
 The second task that was given to them to complete upon their return was that

they were to complete the walls of the city and to re-establish the bounds of the nation.5

Isaiah tells us that the walls of the city were constantly before His eyes even as the

children themselves are before Him (Isa. 49:15-16). The walls of a city are built up as a

protection against the influence of outsiders. They were there to protect in times of war,

siege, or famine.6

Therefore, these two tasks placed before Judah upon their return were to allow

them protection against their enemies - both physical and spiritual.7

What was the interpretation of this epoch provided by the exilic

and post-exilic prophets?

According to Dr. Gerald Winkleman the prophet Ezekiel’s message to the exiled

Israelites/Jews was one of peace and comfort. The Lord promises them that they are the

focus of His holy covenant and promises, not the land where-in they dwelt.8 Merrill

(2008) tells us that this message provided by the prophets and appointed servants was one

of an expansion of the covenant promises.9 No longer were the children of Israel confined

to the land of their fathers, though they would return, but they were provided the world

entire as their place of refuge (Gen. 18:18, 22:18, 26:4; Acts 10; see also Module 3
essay).

Conclusion:

In conclusion we can see that the prophets and others who were authorized to

speak in the name of God taught that the promises of Jehovah were not only poignant and

immutable, but the promises were more complex than that they had known. This period

in the history of Israel leads to the Intertestamental Period, a period in which there were

no prophets recorded, if, indeed, any spoke at all. It is also during this period that the

literal covenant promises were to be considered more spiritual in nature; when the

promises would not be concerning a literal possession of land, but of one in the future

(Heb. 11:10, 12:22, 13:14; Rev. 11:2, 21:2, 18). Again, in accordance with these, the Lord

Jesus Christ would come to teach and prophecy about 400 years after these events,

teaching the children of Israel/Judah that the Law was fulfilled in Him; that He came to

expound upon and exhort the people to repentance and belief upon His name (Matt. 5:17;

Luke 24:26-27 (13-32); John 3:4-16, 6 entire).

1 Eugene H. Merrill; “An Historical Survey of the Old Testament;” pg. 297-300; 2008

2 Ibid pg. 292; 2008. See also Merrill (2008) pg. 300.

3 Ibid.; pg. 292; 2008

4 Josephus; “Antiquities of the Jews 7:4:4;” Whiston

5 Merrill; “An Historical Survey;” pg. 298-299; 2008

6 See C. Michael Stewart; “Gratitude Determines Latitude;” pg. 43

7 See Kevin Christensen; “The Temple, the Monarchy, and Wisdom;” “Glimpses of Lehi’s Jerusalem;” pg. 463-469 for a
discussion on the fallen angel mythos and their relation to sin and the temple ordinances of salvation and protection.

8 Dr. Gerald Winkleman; Module 8 Lecture; 2009

9 Merrill; “An Historical Survey;” pg. 283; 2008