the promised land from exile, which we are referring to as “the second exodus.” Additionally, the first two lessons are an overview of what led up to the second exodus.
SUMMARY OF THE SECOND EXODUS
The word exodus means departure. Don’t confuse the phrase second exodus with the great exodus in the book of Exodus where God used Moses to deliver Israel out of Egyptian captivity. In the great exodus, God empowered Moses through astonishing miracles in the land of Egypt: the 10 plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, and relocating approxi- mately 2 million of his people. Unlike the great exodus, the second exodus was not accompanied by astounding miracles; nor was it a single mass migration of people. Rather, waves of Jewish returnees occurred over the course of about 100 years. Though not highlighted by displays of God’s mighty power in the same ways as under Moses’ leadership, the return of the exiles to the promised land showcased God’s steadfast love and providence for Israel as He faithfully kept the covenants He had made with their forefathers.
The second exodus is recounted primarily in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.
Ezra waves one and two led by Zerubbabel and Ezra
Nehemiah wave three led by Nehemiah
When the exiles returned to Jerusalem, they discovered a city in ruins. The walls of Jerusalem had been torn down by the Babylonians, and the most significant building in the city, the temple of God, was burned and leveled to the ground. The returning exiles were called by God to rebuild the temple and the city. However, soon after they started, they were met with opposition from the local non-Jewish inhabitants, so their building campaign stopped. God then sent the prophets Haggai and Zechariah with words of rebuke and hope. They motivated the Israelites to rebuild the temple and to make God’s house a pri- ority. The prophets’ words are found in the short books bearing their names. Though the temple in Jerusalem was eventually rebuilt, most of the Jewish nation remained living on foreign soil. For example, the book of Esther narrates important events involving God’s people who were still living in exile at that time. When we study the book of Esther, we will get insight into what Jewish life was like under foreign rule. The final wave of exiles returning to Jerusalem came under the leadership of Nehemiah, a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. Though the newly built temple stood for about 70 years, the walls of Jerusalem remained in ruins. Hence, God called Nehemiah to rebuild the city walls.
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