Handout 11
A. How the Pentateuch Sets the Stage for the Historical Books:
In the Pentateuch –
The book of Exodus records the Israelites being freed from their slavery and being brought out of Egypt (“the exodus”) under the leadership of Moses. They then arrived at Mt Sinai, where they entered into a covenant with God (the “Sinai covenant”), and received the Law. This is described in the books of Exodus and Leviticus.
From there, they send spies to spy out the land. But the nation does not trust God, is afraid to enter the land (Num 13 & 14). So God decrees that they will spend 40 years wandering in the wilderness, until the entire generation that did not believe God dies off ( Num 26:63-65). That wandering takes place in the book of Numbers.
In the book of Deuteronomy, the 40 years of wandering has ended, and the new generation of Israelites has arrived at the Plains of Moab, just east of the Jordan river. Moses then speaks to them. He reminds them of what has happened, he repeats many of the laws, and he exhorts them to trust and obey the Lord. God designates Joshua to be the next leader of Israel (Deut 31:14-23, + Deut 34:9). Then Moses dies (Deut 34:5-8).
So as of the end of the Pentateuch –
The nation of Israel is camped on the Plains of Moab, just east of the Jordan River. Joshua is now their leader, and they are ready to enter the promised land.
Q: Will Israel honor & obey Yahweh, and receive the blessings of the Sinai covenant, or will they disobey the law, scorn God, follow other gods, incur his judgment, and be ejected from the land?
B. By Way of Definitions, what are the OT “Historical Books”?
The OT Historical Books –
The OT Historical books are the books that pick up at the end of the Pentateuch. They record the ongoing history of Israel, and what God does with and through and to Israel, until the end of the OT era. They naturally divide into two main groups:
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The “pre-exilic” historical books = the books written before the exile to Babylon. These are the books that record the events from the end of the Pentateuch until the exile; and –
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The “post-exilic” books = the books written after the exile to Babylon. These are the books that record the events from the exile until the end of the OT era.
C. The Pre-Exilic Historical Books:
The pre-exilic books are: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, and 1 & 2 Kings. Your prof sometimes abbreviates them as: “JJ-SS-KK”. Since the book of Ruth falls during the time of the Judges, it is also a pre-exilic book. Here is a summary of the time period and the main events for each of these books covers:
Joshua
The book of Joshua records the entry to the land under the leadership of Joshua. God and the Israelites drive the nations out and take much of the land. Israel is generally faithful to God, and things go well.
Judges
The book of Judges covers the period after the life of Joshua, but before Israel had kings. This is the time when ‘judges’ led Israel. Among them are: Ehud , Deborah, Gideon, and Samson. During this period, things began to go badly; Israel was not faithful to God. There came to be a pattern, a cycle:
Disobedience → leads to judgment → Israel cries out to Yahweh → He raises up a deliverer → they have a time of rest → more disobedience → leads to more judgment.
Judges 2:10-19 summarizes this cycle. Over the course of the book of Judges, things gradually get worse, not better.
Ruth
The book of Ruth takes place during the time of the Judges (Ruth 1:1). An Israelite woman, Naomi, moves to Moab with her husband and her two sons. One of her sons marries Ruth, a Moabite. Before long, Naomi’s husband and her two sons die. When Naomi returns to Israel, Ruth comes with her. In Israel, God provides a husband for Ruth, named Boaz.
The book of Ruth shows us Israelites who are faithful to God (Boaz), and a Moabite woman (Ruth) who embraces the God of Israel. And it looks forward to the birth of King David.
1 Samuel
In 1 Samuel, Israel gets its first king, Saul. Saul starts well (1 Sam 11), but he disobeys God at two significant points (1 Sam 13 and 15). As a result, God rejects Saul. David is chosen and anointed by Samuel (1 Sam 16). Saul tries to kill David (1 Sam 23), but never succeeds (Ps 18). Saul dies at the end of 1 Samuel (ch. 31).
2 Samuel
2 Samuel describes David’s reign over Israel. God promises David that a son of his will reign forever ( = the Davidic covenant, 2 Sam 7). Solomon is born.
1 Kings
Early in 1 Kings, David dies, and Solomon becomes king. In his early years Solomon builds the temple, and presides over its dedication.
But Solomon has too many wives, and they distract him from serving the Lord. As a consequence, right after Solomon’s death, the nation of Israel divides into two kingdoms (1 Kings 11):
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a southern kingdom, called Judah.
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and a northern kingdom, called “Israel.”
The division of the kingdom take`s place in 931 BC.
The rest of the book of 1 Kings follows these two kingdoms for about 80 more years, until the death of King Ahab (he was an evil king of northern kingdom Israel). This is the time of the prophet Elijah.
2 Kings
The early chapters of 2 Kings are the time of the prophet Elisha.
The book of 2 Kings follows the spiritual decline of the northern kingdom until it is judged by God. And so it is defeated by Assyria in 722 BC (2 Kings 17).
The rest of the book records the account of Judah, and its eventual spiritual decline, until it is judged by God. And so it is defeated in 586 BC by the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar. Jerusalem and the temple are destroyed.
2 Kings ends, then, with Judah being dragged off into exile to Babylon. This is what God had warned them would happen if they scorned him, worshipped other gods, violated the laws, and thus broke the covenant.
Summary of the Pre-exilic Books:
JJ-SS-KK & Ruth describe the history of Israel, and of God’s working with Israel –
from → the time Israel entered the land under Joshua (approx. 1400 BC);
until → Judah was kicked out of the land and taken into exile to Babylon (586 BC), because they were unfaithful to Yahweh God / because they broke the Sinai covenant.
D. The Post-Exilic Historical Books:
The post-exilic books are: 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther.
Here is a summary of the time period and the main events which each of these books covers:
1 Chron
1 Chronicles begins with nine chapters of genealogies which trace the lineage of the Israelites from Adam(!) through Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, down to the time of David. The first event recorded is the death of Saul (ch. 10). The last event recorded in 1 Chronicles is the death of David.
2 Chron
2 Chronicles begins with the reign of King Solomon (chs. 1-9), and then the division of the kingdom when Solomon dies (chs. 9 & 10). Like 1 & 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles traces the history of northern kingdom Israel and of southern kingdom Judah until each is defeated.
It records the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians and King Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC.
It ends with Judah being taken into exile for 70 years (2 Chron 36:20-21).
However(!), 2 Chronicles records one more very significant event that occurred near the end of the 70 years in exile. It records the decree of the Persian King Cyrus (who conquered Babylonia) that the Jews may return to Judah, and may rebuild a temple for their God in Jerusalem.
Thus while 2 Kings ends with Judah being dragged off into exile, 2 Chronicles ends with the decree that they may return home.
Ezra
The book of Ezra has two main sections:
Chs. 1-6 record the re-building of the temple. It was completed and dedicated in 516 BC.
Then there is a 60-year gap between chs. 6 and 7.
The book of Esther takes place during this time period, during the '60 year gap'.
Chs. 7-10 resume the action. They begin in 458 BC, when Ezra the scribe returns to Jerusalem from Babylon. The rest of the book deals with the practical and religious problems that Ezra confronted in Jerusalem.
Nehemiah
The book of Nehemiah flows right on from the book of Ezra. It begins in 445 BC, when Nehemiah receives permission from the king of Persia (King Artaxerxes) to return to Jerusalem to help rebuild its walls. There is opposition from the local Samaritans (ch. 4), but eventually the walls are rebuilt (ch. 6). The rest of the book deals with the ongoing moral and religious problems that Nehemiah faced dealing with the Jews in Jerusalem. The story line in Nehemiah ends at approximately 430 BC. Chronologically, Nehemiah is the last of the historical books in the Old Testament.
Esther The book of Esther dates to approximately 480 BC, during the reign of the Persian King Xerxes.
Note: the OT calls this Persian king "Ahasuerus," which reflects the king's Persian name; "Xerxes" is what the Greeks called him, and is what he is usually called in the west.
As mentioned above, chronologically, the book of Esther takes place during the ‘60 year gap’ in the book of Ezra. The story takes place in Susa, the capital city of Persia.
King Xerxes is looking for a new queen, and eventually chooses Esther (ch. 2). He does not know that she is Jewish. There comes to be a plot against the Jews living in Persia, to kill many of them. Esther is able to appeal to Xerxes to help overcome the plot (ch. 7). The events recorded book of Esther are the origin of the Jewish festival of Purim (ch. 9), which celebrates the Jews in Persia being spared.
Summary of the Post-exilic Books:
1 & 2 Chronicles mainly re-trace Israel’s history up to the exile. But then 2 Chronicles adds the very important event that Cyrus, the king of Persia, decrees that the Jews may return to their homeland, to Judah, and may re-build the temple in Jerusalem.
Question:
Why are 1 & 2 Chronicles are considered “post-exilic”? Almost everything they record took place before(!) the exile.
Answer:
They are considered “post-exilic” books because they were written after the exile ended.
Then the other three post-exilic books, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, record significant events and developments that happened with the Jews after the end of the exile, especially, the rebuilding of the temple (Ezra chs. 1-6).