Captives in Babylon

Why has time been taken to illustrate this relational discourse between the faithful in the midst of apostasy? Because we need to trust God’s ways in dealing with us, and other folk, through THIS age of apostasy. Nothing has changed, the faithful are and will be rewarded with and in His Presence!

This erosion through assimilation eventually caused Israel to be disciplined by going into exile for a predetermined 70 years – that is the equivalent to having to go sit in the corner until we get control of our attitude! We’ve all heard mothers saying, “I brought you into this world and I can take you out.” Well God brought Israel into the Land CONTINGENT UPON THEIR FAITHFULNESS TO HIM and He took them out of the land because of their unfaithfulness! Israel went and sat in the corner for 70 years. God has had me sit in a few corners and I’m thankful for each and every one them, how about you? 

Israel was God’s appointed people to bring clarity to the world, but because of their unfaithfulness God allowed the king of Babylon (king of confusion) to conqueror them and hold them captive in the state of Babylon (confusion). God had Israel sit as captives in the epitome of what He called them to bring order to UNTIL they longed for the extraordinary robust and true identity He so freely gave.

Israel’s time in Babylon was one of their most formable periods as a nation. Those who really didn’t care about their relationship with God were lost to complete assimilation in the exile. But those who were grieved that they had offended God un-assimilated themselves! They re-learned how to be separate. They began the divisionary process back to clarity! Shabbat and the tithe were re-instated and one of their biggest literary accomplishments was written in Babylon, the Babylonian Talmud. 

As a side note, the Babylonian Talmud was written as a method of how to out-wit deception and not be diluted by assimilation. Why? Because that is why they were there. After Israel’s predetermined 70 year exile, Israel return to the land - not all, but a faithful remnant. And it was from this faithful remnant that God began to build and multiply His nation.

Israel returned to the Promise Land after their 70 year exile in 539 BCE and in time rebuilt the Second Temple, which is why this particular time period is called the the Second Temple Era or intermediate time period. 

However, Israel would never be the same again. Sadly they would not be a sovereign nation again until May 14, 1948, the dawning of the return from their second exile. But from the time in between their first and second exile, which is called the intermediate time period, Judaism went through a lot of changes. 

During this intermediate time period, there were three different bodies of faith that ruled Israel, the Essenes, Pharisees and the Sadducee's. 

The Essenes were a deeply spiritual bunch who kept themselves completely separate from the cultures of the nations within and outside Israel. Their focus was a strict observance to the Torah and are even acclaimed to having a strong spiritual influence on the early Church. However, their most notorious gift to the world be the preserved Scriptures contained in the Dead Sea Scrolls hidden away in jars of clay during the close of the intermediate period. Thank God for these fellas!

The Pharisees, which means separatists, started out as a grass-roots movement for the nation and communities to have localized spiritual leadership. Much like our pastors of today, they taught the people the Scriptures. We could consider them the spiritual leaders of the people. The Pharisees however, claimed that the Oral Law was inerrant and equal with the Torah itself. Jesus later confronted their claims on several occasions that the Mishnah was not equivalent to the Scriptures, calling their teachings traditions. 

He didn’t say these traditions were without significance, but should not alter or replace primary truth, but be secondary to Torah. Localized leadership, teaching centers and tremendous works of study were all intended as aids to teach the people how to remain in a faithful relationship to the Lord – much like the heart and intent behind Bible studies today. By and large, they were responsible for rebuilding Israel’s faith community during the intermediate period. after the first exile between their second exile.

After Israel's second exile, the Pharisees began the teaching and formation of rabbinical Judaism -- and would survive as the most practiced sector in Judaism today. Later after Israel's second exile, the Pharisees in fear of the Oral Law being lost in their now second exile, penned as the Mishnah inclusive of rabbinic commentary in the 2 CE. 

The Sadducees - were experts in Law. We could think of them as high ranking lawyers or justices. The Sadducees were brilliant people, however the prize of their intellect became of value more than a humble relationship with God and because of it, they became masters at rationalization. 

They were the first to open and allow Hellenized thought in the door. Their disbelief in the resurrection was the beginning of their assimilation. This particular departure from God’s end-game plan gave ease to their justifying scores of rationale that somehow their brilliant assimilation and compromise would be different than all the ones before them. Subsequently, the assimilation and of Hellenized views became the ruin upon Israel once again and most importantly, missed Messiah's first coming. 

By making this fundamental departure, they left the mandate of God that Israel teach the nations Who God is and what His will is, but they absorbed the nations’ teachings instead.

By the way, that is how we all rationalize our compromises.