Recap/review

We complete this week’s recap by surveying the role of the return from exile in redemptive history.

Overview of Biblical material

Ezra, Nehemiah

Judah returns from exile in three waves:

70 years after Judah’s exile, the Persian (recall that Persia overtook Babylon) King Cyrus sent some exiles, led by Zerubbabel, back to Jerusalem. (538 BC)
With Ezra in 458 BC.
With Nehemiah in 445 BC.

See Isa 44:28 and Jer 29:10-14.

Despite opposition from the non-Jewish inhabitants of Judea, the wall and temple were rebuilt under Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah.

Cf. Esther (the events in Esther occur during this time, but relate to life in exile) as well as the post-exilic prophets—Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi.

Role within redemptive history

We summarized the role of the return from exile in redemptive history as follows: God brings many of his people back from exile. However, this is clearly not the ultimate realization of the new-creational kingdom of which the New Covenant spoke.

Explanation

On Sunday, January 24th, 2016, I began a Core Seminar on Redemptive History & Biblical Theology at my church, Lake Drive Baptist Church. During the course of this series I’ll be sending out emails recapping lessons and directing recipients to resources for further study.

Rather than just share these recaps with my church family, I’ve decided to share them here on the blog for anyone else who might be interested. I will be posting them occasionally over the next couple of months on a weekly basis or so.

See previous posts:

Recap/review

This week we finished our survey of (a) the exile and New Covenant as well as (b) the return from exile. As in previous times when we covered two redemptive-historical stages, we will break them up into two recap posts.

First, we will recap the exile and New Covenant.

Overview of Biblical material

The prophets (Isaiah–Malachi); Esther

God speaks through the prophets delivering a message of judgment, namely exile, as a consequence of Israel’s perpetual sin and rebellion (e.g., see 2 Chron 36:15-16).
Israel (northern tribes) are taken into captivity (exile) by Assyria. See 2 Kings 7:6-23.
Judah (southern tribes) are taken into captivity (exile) by Babylon (eventually taken over by Persia). See 2 Chron 36:15-21.
But, nonetheless, God is faithful to his people (e.g., he preserves them from annihilation [Esther]).
And through the prophets, not only does he foretell judgment, but he also gives hope of eventual restoration.

Role within redemptive history

We summarized the role of this stage in redemptive history as follows:

Due to disbelieving disobedience, God’s people—Israel —experience the covenant-bound curses. They experience the opposite of the covenant-bound, new-creational kingdom blessings.

However, God promises a New Covenant in which he will deal with these covenant-bound curses, eradicate his people’s disbelieving disobedience, and thereby finally and actually bring about his new-creational kingdom.

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