In 587 BC the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem and conquered the Kingdom of Judah. Disheartened and defeated, many of the Jews were exiled to Babylonia, where they would spend the next 49 years in captivity. Though they weren’t allowed to leave, the Jews weren’t mistreated and lived under relatively good conditions. When the Persians conquered Babylon in 538 BC, the Jews were permitted to leave, and while some had grown accustomed to their new life in Babylon, others had longed to return home and did so. The Old Testament’s Book of Ezra describes the return from exile as well as the mindset in recreating Israel. Though Ezra’s views of deportation seem unethical by today’s standards, his actions are justified because he had the long-term success of Israel in his heart. …show more content…
The values held among people over 2000 years ago is certainly different than those today, and while that doesn’t justify the deportation of many innocent women and children, it reflects the values of strict Jewish law at the time.
Chapter 7 in the Book of Ezra describes Ezra as someone that, “had set his heart on the study of the Lord and on teaching statutes and ordinances in Israel” (Ezra 7: 10), and with such a description, it seems unlikely that Ezra would deport non-Jews out of hatred. Ezra’s studiousness created a reputation that was impressive even to King Artaxerxes. As a result, Artaxerxes commissioned: I have issued this decree, that anyone in my kingdom belonging to the people of Israel, its priests or Levites, who is willing to go up to Jerusalem with you, may go, for you are the one sent by the king and his seven counselors to supervise Judah and Jerusalem with regard to the law of your God which is in your possession. (Ezra 7: 13-14) Ezra’s qualifications allowed him to be chosen by the King of Persia, and he was tasked with following the law to recreate the Kingdom of
Judah. Any decision made by Ezra was in accordance with the law—his verdict was tough, but just. When told that many Jews had married women of other descent and had children, Ezra tore his cloak, plucked hair from his head and beard, and sat devastated (Ezra 9:3). Ezra’s response wasn’t out of hate, but shame that his people had strayed from their values. Rather than retaliating, Ezra prayed for forgiveness and wept; additionally, the people of Israel did the same with him. Moved by their wrongdoings, the people of Israel changed their ways at the request of Shecaniah, who proposed, “Let us therefore enter into a covenant before our God to dismiss all our foreign wives and the children born of them, and those that are in dread of the commandments of our God” (Ezra 10: 3). It may seem absurd that the people of Israel would be so willing to leave behind their families, but they did so with the purpose of recreating Israel. The two Jewish Kingdoms were easy targets for larger Kingdoms, thus causing the Israelites to endure many perils. If not already evident, the destruction of Jerusalem showed how complacent and pathetic the Jewish people had become. Ezra acknowledged this and sought to create a kingdom that was reminiscent of its former glory. Therefore, Ezra acted not to create a kingdom through his vision, but to create one that was in agreement with the laws and commandments.
Israel was created as a haven for persecuted Jew as a result of the Holocaust, however, it was soon run by the military. “The new Israel seemed to be a nation where the military ruled ignoring the will of the countr...
In 586 BCE, the forces of the Babylonian Empire conquered the Jews, destroying their Temple and carrying off a proportion of the Jewish population into exile. It was during the end of the Exile, among the Jews now living in the Persian Empire, that the first
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However, even though the exiles were allowed to return to their ancestral homeland of Judah, many of the people chose not to return but to remain in the recently conquered city of Babylon. There are many contributing factors concerning why these Hebrew exiles chose to remain. Even so, it is difficult to understand why a people, who were located in Palestine for over a millennium and who had such strong religious beliefs and practices, would choose to abandon the location of their now destroyed sacred Temple and ancestral home after being exiled for only fifty years.
After seventy years of exile the Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem. Most of them gave up this option and elected to stay in Babylon. Those who stay in Babylon became ...
In August, 2005, President George W. Bush made a great mistake—forcing Israel to give up her covenant land. The U.S. government forced Israel’s leaders to evict Jewish families from their homesteads in the Gaza community. Business owners were wrenched from their
Surveying the Old Testament reveals the theme of God’s faithfulness to his people. In light of this understanding, the restoration of the Israelites prophesized in the Old Testament is essentially the fulfillment of every covenant with God. This perspective relates to the work of Christ and encourages any follower of God to trust in his faithfulness.
There are many Christians, whether you believe or not that question why they should read the Old Testament/Hebrew bible. They feel it is unnecessary because of todays’ times and how things have changed, so they think that the Bible is far behind in what is going on in today’s world. Nevertheless, the Bible is current and is never outdated; therefore, we should never assume, especially as Christians that there is nothing new we can learn from the Bible. Reasons why Christians should read the Old Testament is because we should know that the Bible is still relevant in today’s world, to know God and his nature which in turn can transform one’s life, and to get wisdom and understanding so that they can apply to their lives.
... with great profit. These people took a course of action that shook them to the core facing many challenges that would be deemed undoable, but they overcame those odds. They went against the grain by themselves, gaining so much and truly fulfilling their prophecy to aid the civilization. Exile is a beautiful thing even though the average man may view it in a negative light. It proves the one who truly deserve the title of great, and provides the fundamentals for successful civilizations.
So, some Jewish Europeans became ‘Zionists,’ and they attempted to choose a new home for the jews. The pioneers searched and searched, and put their eyes on Palestine.
Overall, the significance of the Exile left upon the Jews were astounding with the changes through their identity, life and religion. The experiences made from the Babylonian invasion to the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem taught the Jews the importance of the covenant made with God. During the exile, the Jews never lost hope in YHWH with the continuous faith and practices through their everyday life. The reestablishment of the Temple and Jerusalem were steps that were taken to renew the commitment of the covenant made with YHWH. The experience of the exile has transformed the laws, practices and faith in which remains and influences the religion from that point on.
Furthermore, Jews, unfortunately, have a history of exile. However, they were able to shed light on the situation, and stay hopeful. “Whenever Jews felt persecuted and exiled they would hope for the day of return—‘Next year in Jerusalem’ became their cry. In
Originally chosen as the “children of God”, by God. Originally a theocracy, these bedouins overcame much to live in small stretch of land that is just slightly bigger than the state of New Jersey. This small nation of people were constantly persecuted throughout history. In the beginning of their history thy were persecuted by the Egyptians, where they were kept as slaves for roughly four hundred years until they were led to freedom by Moses. For the next millennium or so, the jews were captured and freed in a repetitive cycle that became overbearing. Whether it was Rome, the Philistines, Babylon, Persia, or the Greeks, the children of Israel always seemed to make it through the torture unharmed by some greater
The Bible is translated many different ways and by many different people. Which is the correct way to translate it right? Are any of the translations or views on it right? The answer to this can be unclear. Everyone tends to interpret the bible in at least slightly different ways, and these small differences in thinking can drive people apart.