FREE ESSAY ON EXPECTATIONS DURING EXILE AND AFTER

EXPECTATIONS DURING EXILE AND AFTER

In 586 B.C.E. the neo-Babylonian armies of Nebuchadnezzar raided and destroyed the city of
Jerusalem, forcing its people to flee. The majority of the Judean leaders and aristocracy
were relocated in Babylon, and lived in relative isolation from even their captors. The
Exile robbed them of their wealth, their homes, their nation, and even their king;
religion offered the only seed of identity for this uprooted people. So it was during
this time of Exile that a flourishing of religious texts were written and compiled, in an
attempt to explain the causes of their misfortune, and enable the people to comprehend
their suffering (Meyers, Haggai xxxviii).
In general, the Psalter reflects the true emotions of the ancient Israelites, more so
than do most Biblical texts, as it is a compilation of their "troubles and fears, their
hopes, aspirations, and reasons for confidence." (Metzger and Murphy 674 OT) In Psalm
137, an Exilic text, a wide range of emotions are shown: longing and mourning for their
lost nation (Ps 137:1-3), the sadness and confusion they felt while in the foreign land
(Ps 137:4-6), and even the desire for a violent revenge (Ps 137:7-9). The same range of
emotions can be seen in Second Isaiah, though this work was written "immediately before
the fall of Babylon (October 29, 539B.C.E.)" and displays more of the Judeans thoughts on
their future. It is a compilation of passages of hope, promises of God to fulfill His
covenant, and threats of violence for the unbelievers.
The majority of the Exilic and Post-Exilic texts call for a bloody and merciless revenge
on their captors, and it would be easy to assign this outlook for all of the Jewish
people of the time. Upon close inspection however, it becomes apparent that not all Jews
cared about a bloody justice, and that some just wanted to go home and be done with it.
Both of these views, (both bloody and not), are found in Isaiah 42 and the proximity of
the conflicting persuasions highlight their differences. In Isaiah 42:3, a pacifistic,
reserved justice is called for; "a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning
wick he will not quench: he will faithfully bring forth justice." Yet in just a few
stanzas later, there is a call for blood. "The Lord goes forth like a soldier, like a
warrior he stirs up his fury; he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty
against his foes." (Isaiah 42:13) By comparing these two quotes, it becomes readily
apparent that the idea that all Judeans wanted a violent revenge must be thrown out.
While in Exile, the Jewish people held many expectations of their future, not all of
which agreed with one another, nor were fulfilled. Returning to the Promised Land was the
main focus of Exile, and it evolved into a paradise of sorts, where everything would be
perfect. There are visions of God blessing the people restored in their land, and their
work being more than fruitful throughout the Exilic texts. "For I will pour water on the
thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my spirit upon your descendants,
and my blessing on your offspring." (Isaiah 43:3) Haggai, a text written after Cyrus'
overthrow of the Babylonians, depicts a much different scene than the one envisioned in
Isaiah. (Metzger and Murphy 1217 OT) "Therefore the heavens above you have withheld dew,
and the earth has withheld its produce. And I have called for a drought on the land and
the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the soil produced, on human
beings and animals, and on all their labors." (Hag 1:10-11) This quote describes a state
of affairs far different than what the Israelite people imagined their future to be.
The Jewish people, besides depicting a skewed view of their future, also disagreed on how
that future should be run. While in Exile they were not allowed to have a king for
obvious reasons, and due to this power vacuum, the priest was raised in status (Meyers
and Meyers, Zechariah 169). Despite the fact that Haggai and Zechariah were
contemporaries, and even cohorts, they did not agree on the place of the priest once a
king had been restored (Metzger and Murphy 1217OT). Throughout the book of Haggai, the
prophet shares all of his visions with both the governor and the high priest, except for
his very last oracle. In this oracle, he prophesies the rise of the Jewish king, and the
restoration of power to the people. He only addresses this to the governor, and not to
the priest, thereby returning the priest to the lesser position that they held pre-Exile.
On the other hand, the book of Zechariah alludes to the importance of the priest and the
king. "There shall be a priest by his throne, with peaceful understanding between the two
of them." (Zech 6:13) 
The people of Exile held many different ideas about their future and their return to the
Promised Land, yet there were common themes in all of the writings. The hope of the
people, and their faith that they would be restored to their land, was unwavering and
outstanding. During this hardship they turned to faith to unite them as a people and to
give them hope and it is evident that this at least was a universal truth for the ancient
Israelites.
Bibliography
Metzger, Bruce M. and Roland E. Murphy. The New Oxford Annotated Bible. New York: 
Oxford University Press, 1989.
Meyers, Carol E. and Eric M. Meyers. Haggai, Zechariah 1-8. Vol. 25B. The Anchor Bible
Series. 
New York: Doubleday, 1993.
Meyers, Carol E. and Eric M. Meyers. Zechariah 9-14. Vol. 25C. The Anchor Bible Series.
New York: Doubleday, 1987.