King Zedekiah was the last king of Judah – the last king from the lineage of David and Solomon. Zedekiah’s reign ended in 586 BC. God had promised David that He would establish his and Solomon’s kingdom ‘forever,’ so what did that mean for the future of Judah and Israel?

The Messiah King

God knew from ‘before time began’ that Israel and Judah would fail to reign – even with all the training they had received from the Lord for hundreds of years. That’s why God promised the ‘Seed’ of the woman who would destroy the ‘seed’ of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). That Seed is also known in the Old Testament as the ‘Messiah’ (מָשִׁיחַ – mashiach). The word means ‘anointed.’ Even as David was anointed to be Israel’s king, so the Messiah will rule Israel and the world forever – just as God promised David (2 Samuel 7).

Many of the prophets spoke and wrote about the coming of the Messiah, the Anointed One. Isaiah addressed the specifics of the coming of Messiah more than the other prophets, so I recommend every Christian read Isaiah carefully to see what God said would happen with His Anointed One. Other prophets to read include Micah, Zechariah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Malachi, and Jeremiah.

Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and  prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. Jeremiah 23:5

‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will perform that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah: ‘In those days and at that time I will cause to grow up to David A Branch of righteousness; He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In those days Judah will be saved, And Jerusalem will dwell safely. And this is the name by which she will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.’ Jeremiah 33:14-16

Many other prophets referred to the Messiah as ‘a Branch,’ but Jeremiah’s statement is particularly important because he prophesied during the reign of the last king in the Davidic lineage, King Zedekiah (Mattaniah). Jeremiah’s prophesy was about something God was going to do in the ‘future,’ but Judah and Israel have not had a king from Davidic lineage since Zedekiah (597-586 BC). Even though Rome appointed Herod to rule Judea from 37-4 BC, Herod was not from the Davidic lineage. His father (Antipater) was an Edomite who converted to Judaism. That means Jeremiah’s prophecy that God would ‘raise to David a Branch of righteousness’ is still future.

Christians know from both the Old and New Testaments that Jesus Christ that ‘Branch of Righteousness’ and that He will one day sit on the throne of David. The Old Testament has hundreds of prophecies concerning the Messiah that Jesus fulfilled with His First Coming (1st century AD). He will fulfill the remaining prophecies with His Second Coming (in the near future).

Post-Exile Prophets and Leaders

Judah’s exile in Babylon lasted for 70 years (‘Sabbath rest’ (2 Chronicles 36:21). God delivered Babylon into the hands of the Persians at the end of that time and put it on heart of the king (Cyrus) to allow Jews to return to Judah to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and its Temple (Ezra 1:1-11).

Sheshbazzar was the first ‘prince of Judah’ to return with thousands of Jews to Judah (Ezra chapter 1). Ezra also mentioned Zerubbabel as another Jewish leader to return with a large group of Jews from Babylon to Judah (Ezra chapter 2). They may have traveled together or Zerubbabel may have followed Sheshbazzar months later. They restored the worship of the Only True God in Judah and began rebuilding the foundation for the Temple (Ezra chapter 3). They faced opposition from non-Jews living in the area which eventually stopped the building process (Ezra chapter 4).

Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. So Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them. Ezra 5:1-2

With the help of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, Zerubbabel and Jeshua continued building the ‘house of God’ in Jerusalem years later. Those people who opposed the building sent a letter to King Darius asking him to search the king’s treasure house in Babylon to see if King Cyrus actually gave his permission to the Jews for rebuilding the Temple. King Darius issued a decree that a search be made of the royal archives. The search led to the discovery of King Cyrus’ original decree. King Darius wrote a decree commanding the opponents of the Jews to stay away and allow the Jews to build the ‘house of God.’ Darius also supported the effort with the cost being paid at the king’s expense, and commanded that whatever the Jews needed for the Temple to ‘be given them day by day without fail’ (Ezra 6:6-12). The building of the Temple was finished and dedicated. The people offered sacrifices to God and celebrated Passover together.

Many years later King Artaxerxes of Persia approved of Ezra returning to Judah from Babylon.

And I, even I, Artaxerxes the king, issue a decree to all the treasurers who are in the region beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, may require of you, let it be done diligently. Ezra 7:21

However, what Ezra found in Judah upon his arrival was a great disappointment –

When these things were done, the leaders came to me, saying, ‘The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, with respect to the abominations of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed is mixed with the peoples of those lands. Indeed, the hand of the leaders and rulers has been foremost in this trespass.’ So when I heard this thing, I tore my garment and my robe, and plucked out some of the hair of my head and beard, and sat down astonished. Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel assembled to me, because of the transgression of those who had been carried away captive, and I sat astonished until the evening sacrifice. Ezra 9:1-4

It did not take long for the Jews to return to their sinful ways of mixing with pagans. The people, including some of the priests and Levites, had actually intermarried with pagan women – which was forbidden by God. Ezra rebuked them for their sin and they responded correctly –

And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, ‘We have trespassed against our God, and have taken pagan wives from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope in Israel in spite of this. Now therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and those who have been born to them, according to the advice of my master and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with you. Be of good courage, and do it. Ezra 10:2-4

Nehemiah followed Ezra years later from Babylon. He was the ‘cupbearer’ for King Artaxerxes. Nehemiah expressed his strong desire to return to Judah to help rebuild the city of Jerusalem. Nehemiah faced much opposition as he guided the rebuilding of the wall around the city, but he was able to accomplish it with God’s help. Nehemiah joined Ezra and other Jewish leaders in calling God’s people to obey the Mosaic Law. The people confessed their sins and made a covenant with God. Nehemiah the governor joined other leaders in placing ‘their seal on the document‘ (Nehemiah chapters 9 and 10). They all made many promises to God, including to ‘not neglect the house of our God.’ I recommend you read the rest of Nehemiah to learn about the many promises Judah made to God. I also recommend you read the writings of the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, to learn more about the return of the exiles to Judah as well as the promise of the Messiah who would rule and reign as King.

The Future King

As you read these passages of Scripture from the last prophets, remember that they prophesied after the last king from David’s lineage sat on the throne in Jerusalem. Since no other Davidic king has been on Israel’s throne since Zedekiah in the early part of the 6th century BC, these prophecies about God coming to His people to rule over them is ‘future.’

Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,’ says the Lord. ‘Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. And the Lord will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem. Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused from His holy habitation! Zechariah 2:10-13

‘Hear, O Joshua, the high priest, You and your companions who sit before you, For they are a wondrous sign; For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH. For behold, the stone That I have laid before Joshua: Upon the stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave its inscription,’ Says the Lord of hosts, ‘And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. In that day,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘Everyone will invite his neighbor Under his vine and under his fig tree.’ Zechariah 3:8-10

‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying: ‘Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, And He shall build the temple of the Lord; Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the glory, And shall sit and rule on His throne; So He shall be a priest on His throne, And the counsel of peace shall be between them both. ’ Zechariah 6:12-13

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.’ Zechariah 9:9-10

And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall haveno rain; they shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. In that day ‘HOLINESS TO THE LORD’ shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the Lord’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the Lord of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts. Zechariah 14:16-21

Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,’ Says the Lord of hosts. Malachi 3:1

Free eBooks

You can download the first 13 chapters of this series here.

You can download chapters 14 – 24 of this series here.

You can download chapters 25 – 30 of this series here.

Next Time

Malachi’s prophecy concerning the ‘messenger’ and the ‘Messenger’ segues beautifully into the writings of the New Testament. However, before we move to the ‘training to reign’ in the NT, I’d like to share some important lessons from the OT that I haven’t touched on before. We’ll look at that next time as our special series continues – Train to Reign.

“Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

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