The Post-Exilic Books: 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther (The Amazing Collection: The Bible, Book by Book)

The Bible is simply a love letter compiled into sixty-six books and written over a period of sixteen hundred years by more than forty authors living on three continents. Although the authors came from different backgrounds, there is one message, one theme, one thread that runs throughout the entire Bible from the first book, Genesis, to the last book, Revelation. That message is God’s redeeming love for mankind–a message that is as relevant for us today as it was two thousand years ago.By the end of Second Kings, both the northern and southern kingdoms had been conquered. Israel, the northern kingdom, was conquered and scattered by Assyria. Almost 150 years later, the Babylonians destroyed Judah, the southern kingdom, and those who survived were exiled to Babylonia. The temple lay in ruins, the land was desolate, and it appeared that all hope was lost for the exiled remnant. As they struggled to surviveas aliens in a strange culture and still maintain their Jewish identity, God was working behind the scenes in unimaginable ways. He had promised that Judah would be exiled for seventy years. But He had also promised to bring His people back to the land. In the books you are about to study, you will see that God keeps His promises.During the seventy years Judah was in exile, the political world changed dramatically. The Persians defeated Babylonia and became the largest empire in the Near East. It was Persia that brought about an end to the Exile and allowed the Jews to return home, restore their temple, and build a wall around their beloved Jerusalem.The Post-Exilic Books were written after the Exile, to and about this group of God’s chosen people. First and Second Chronicles were written to the people to encourage them in the land after they returned to Jerusalem, reminding them of their identity and heritage. Ezra and Nehemiah continue the history of the Jews from where it left off in Second Kings. Esther is a beautiful story of the providential hand of God moving to protect His people. Chronologically, the Old Testament Historical Books end with Nehemiah. All the Old Testament books following Nehemiah merely fit into the time period of these historical books.