From Jonah to Ezra What happened to the Ninevites? To Israel? The book of Jonah took place between 770 – 750 B.C. o Reign of Jeroboam II - 793-753 B.C.

From Jonah to Ezra• What happened to the Ninevites? To Israel?

The book of Jonah took place between 770 – 750 B.C.o Reign of Jeroboam II - 793-753 B.C.o Assyrian ruler: Assur-Dan III (773-756 B.C)

• Assyrians conquer the Northern Kingdom in 745-705 B.C. Hoshea assassinates Pekahiah to become the last King of Israel

• Babylonians Exile Judah in 580s B.C.

So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul, king of Assyria, the spirit of Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, and he took them into exile ….I Chronicles 5:26

Exile of Israel – 2 Kings 15 -17Exile of Judah – 2 Kings 21-25

Sunday School Spring 2015

• 13 Week Study

• Primary Commentary - Ezra & Haggai by Robert Fyall• Part of the J.A. Motyer John Stott series

• Secondary Commentaries • J Vernon McGee• Dave Pratte• Warren Wiersbe• Robert Bryce• Charles Swindoll

• Online Material will be posted on the website

The Book of Ezra

Ezra – Introduction / Overview• Author: Ezra

• Parts of the book are written in first person, other parts are written in third person• It is believed he also wrote Nehemiah and 1 & 2 Chronicles • His name translates from the Hebrew as “treasure” or “helper”

• Descendent of Aaron the chief priest and scribe

• Access to official Persian / Babylonian documents & papers

• Ezra 1–6 covers the first return of Jews from captivity, led by Zerubbabel• a period of twenty-three years beginning with the edict of Cyrus of Persia and ending at the

rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem (538–515 BC).

• Ezra 7–10 picks up the story more than sixty years later, when Ezra led the second group of exiles to Israel (458 BC)

Ezra – Introduction / Overview• Judah has ceased as an independent nation

• We see: • the rebuilding of the new temple• the unification of the returning tribes• shared common struggles and challenges to work together• Spiritual revival and living in obedience to God• One of the great Old Testemant Intercessory Prayer

• Ezra 9:5-15, Daniel 9, Nehemiah 9

• Two main issues:• Struggle to restore the temple • Need for spiritual reform

CYRUS539-530

Ezra1-4:5,24

CAMBYSES

530-522ARTAXERXES

464-424

Ezra 4:7-23Ezra 7-10

DARIUS522-486

Ezra 5-6

XERXES486-464

Ezra 4:6False accusations files

530 520 510 500 490 480 470 460600 500

538Templeprojectbegun

536 Workon

Templestopped

605 NebuchadnezzarRansacksJeruselum

597 Nebuchad.attacks Jeruselum;

clears Temple,takes everything;1st Deportation

586 2ndDeportation,

Nebuchadnezzarrburns Temple

to ground

5823rd

Deportation516

TempleCompleted

458Returnof Ezra

433Prophecyof Malachi

445Return ofNehemiah

486-464Story ofEsther

520 Work on Temple resumed byZerubbabel & Joshua, encouraged by

Haggai & Zechariah; Haggai & ZechariahProphesy

539Return of

Zerubbabel& Jeshua

Chronology of the Persian Period

PERSIAN KING DATES BIBLICAL CORRELATIONCYRUS 539-530 Return of Zerubbabel and

Jeshua (Ezra 1-3)

CAMBYSES 530-522 Rebuilding at Jerusalem stopped (Ezra 4)

DARIUS I 522-486 Haggai and Zechariah prophesy (520)

Temple Completed (516) (Ezra 5-6)

XERXES 486-464 Story of Esther (Esther 1-9)ARTAXERXES I 464-423 Return of Ezra (458)

(Ezra 7-10)Return of Nehemiah (445)

(Nehemiah (1-2)Prophecy of Malachi (433)

Chronology of the ProphetsTO ISRAEL TO JUDAH TO FOREIGN NATION

ASSYRIAN AGE Amos ca. 760Hosea ca. 760-730

Isaiah ca. 740-700Micah ca. 737-690

Jonah ca. 770

BABYLONIAN AGE Habakkuk ca. 630Zephaniah ca. 627

Jeremiah ca. 627-580Daniel ca. 605-530Ezekiel ca. 593-570

Nahum ca. 650

PERSIAN AGE Haggai ca. 520Zechariah ca. 520-

518Joel ca. 500

Malachi ca. 433

Obadiah ca. 500

Ezra – Setting the stage• If you were returning home after your town had been

devastated, what would you rebuild first? Why

• Why do you think it was important for the Israelites to re-establish their base of worship right away?

Read 2 Chronicles 36:5-21• How many years have elapsed between the deportation of

Judah to Babylon and Ezra 1:1?

Ezra – Setting the stage• Why did the three last Kings of Judah fail?

• Why did God allow the destruction of Jerusalem and the Nation of Judah?

• Our God is a God of second chances. Where the Israelites warned about their behavior? By who? What was their reaction?

• Who was the statement that may have set the stage for the return of the Israelites? (Daniel 10:1)

Chronology of the History Books

JOSHUA 1406-1380 BC JUDGES 1380-1050 RUTH 1200-1150

1 SAMUEL 1100-1010 2 SAMUEL 1010-971

1 KINGS 971-853 2 KINGS 853-560

1 CHRONICLES 1010-971 2 CHRONICLES 971-539

EZRA 539-450 NEHEMIAH 445-410

ESTHER 483-474

Artaxerxes I

Haggai

Temple Completed

516 BC

Return under Ezra in the 4th Year of

Artaxerxes I

458 BC

Return under

Nehemiah

444 BC

KINGS OF PERSIA

Darius Hystaspes

Xerxes

Babylon Falls & Jews

allowed to return to the Land

539 BC

Cyrus

Cambyses

Zechariah