10 Things You Should Know About the Exile
This article is part of the 10 Things You Should Know series.
1. Israel’s exile is the major theological catastrophe of the Old Testament.
Israel’s exile to Assyria and Babylon occurred over a series of events from 722 BC to 582 BC. You can read about them in 2 Kings 17 and 2 Kings 24. And although forced deportation is awful enough in its own right, these waves of exile were coupled with two other deeply significant events: the toppling of David’s dynasty and the destruction of Solomon’s temple. In 2 Samuel 7 we read of how God had given his people “rest” in the land, and in turn promised to David that he would have a kingdom forever and a son to build God’s temple. Subsequently, Solomon is that first royal heir, and he builds God’s temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 1‒10). Thus marks the pinnacle of God’s saving purposes to date: God’s people in God’s place under God’s king and worshipping in God’s sanctuary. All of that is an affirmation that the Lord God is truly for his people, and with his people, and saving his people. What then is the exile but a stripping away of all of that? Because of the sins of their kings (1 Kings 14:15; 2 Kings 21:9), the people are driven out of the land, deprived of a king, and made to watch their temple crumble—all of which begs the terrible question as to whether God has abandoned his people and/or been defeated by the Assyrian and Babylonian gods. The OT “exile,” therefore, is a collection of disasters that create an unthinkable theological quandary. It must be resolved!
2. The Bible’s theology of exile long predates Israel’s historic exile.
Yet, the OT’s theology of exile does not start in 2 Kings. Rather, Israel’s exile is a microcosm of a much larger exile. In Genesis 3:24, Adam and Eve are ejected “east of the garden of Eden” because of their sin (Gen. 2:17; 3:6). Israel’s experience of exile, therefore, is representative of all humanity’s exile from our original home in God’s glorious presence. This is why Israel’s exile matters to everyone, even if we are not Israelites. For it is only through Israel’s return from exile that we too can return to the true presence of God. We also learn from Adam and Eve’s expulsion from Eden that there is a critical theological link between exile and death. They are told that they will die the day they eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:17). But on the day they eat of that tree, they do not die—strictly speaking. But they are expelled from the garden, and later they do die (Gen. 3:23–24; 5:5). We can conclude, therefore, that exile is a form of death, and death is a condition of being in exile. And such is the state of the world under “the curse” of sin (Gen. 3:17).
3. Return from exile motifs are all over the Old Testament.
The theology of exile and return is subsequently baked into the entire OT. The calling of Abraham demonstrates this in Genesis 11‒12. As he moves westward from Ur to “the land,” he is symbolically coming back to the presence of God. In turn, the language of Eden is used throughout Exodus by Joshua to describe the land promised to Israel (see esp. Ex. 3:8; Lev. 26:11‒12). Thus, Joshua’s entrance into the land is symbolic of a return to the garden of Eden (see esp. Josh. 1:13; 21:43‒45). Equally, insofar as the tabernacle is meant to look like and commemorate the garden of Eden (Ex. 24‒25), the ceremonies of the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16 comprise a liturgical return from exile—the high priest bearing Israel, and by extension all humanity, back into the presence of God. The point of all this is that Israel’s calling, escape from Egypt, entrance into the land, and worship practices all remember Adam and Eve’s exile from Eden and create the hope for all humanity’s return to the presence of God someday.
Return from Exile and the Renewal of God's People
Nicholas G. Piotrowski
Focusing primarily on the journeys of Abraham, Joseph, and Jesus, Nicholas G. Piotrowski examines exile stories throughout Scripture, showing how they illustrate humanity’s ultimate need for a Savior.
4. Return from exile is often associated with resurrection.
Throughout the OT these symbolic returns from exile are often accompanied with resurrection symbolism. Two examples will have to suffice. When Israel escapes from Egypt, it is said that they “go up” or “go out” (Ex. 3:8, 12, 17; 6:6, 11, etc.), which is the same language used of “going up/out” of the grave in other OT texts (cf. Gen. 46:4; Ps. 18:15‒16; Jonah 2:2, 6). Thus, Israel is metaphorically resurrected in their exodus! Also, when the prophets speak of Israel coming out of their Babylonian exile, they describe it as a resurrection of the nation (see Isa. 25 and Ezek. 37). In both of these cases, an atoning sacrifice is necessary to precipitate the return and resurrection (Ex. 12; Isa. 53).
5. Jeremiah says the exile will last 70 years, but Daniel says it will last 70 x 7 years.
The most famous prediction of the duration of Israel’s exile comes in Jeremiah 29:10, “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place.” I say this is famous not because we know it very well, but because other biblical authors often refer to it. See 2 Chronicles 36:21, Ezra 1:1, and Daniel 9:2. But it is striking that upon seeing that those 70 years are ended, Daniel prays that the Lord will return his people to the land (Dan. 9:3‒19). But then the angel Gabriel appears to Daniel and says, “Seventy weeks [or “Seventy sevens”] are decreed about your people and your holy city . . . . ” That means that while the exile will end in one sense (Ezra does lead many home), it is ordained by the Lord actually to extend the conditions of the exile to seventy times seven years! I don’t think that number is meant to pinpoint a precise date, but to speak of a lengthening of the exile (and all it meant under #1 above) to a further horizon while all still under God’s sovereign timing.
6. With Jesus’s birth, teachings, and miracles the return from exile has begun.
The NT, therefore, opens with this ongoing exile emphasis (cf. Matt. 1:11‒12; 2:15, 18). But Jesus’s ministry is the dawning of the end-of-exile light (compare Matt. 4:12–17 with Isa. 9:1–2)! He heals diseases and raises the dead (compare Matt. 11:2‒6 with Isa. 35:1‒7). He offers “rest” from a heavy “yoke” (compare Matt. 11:28‒30 with Isa. 9:4 and Jer. 6:16). And he feeds his people on the mountains of Israel (compare Matt. 14:13‒21 with Ezek. 34:11‒14). All of these teachings and actions are clear prophetic signs that the exile is about to truly end through Christ.
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7. Jesus’s death and resurrection together are the climactic return-from-exile events.
I commented above that “exile is a form of death” and that “death is a condition of exile.” Conversely, throughout the OT the return from exile is described as a kind of resurrection. With that sort of background in place, Jesus’s death and resurrection can easily be seen as his own personal exile and return. Only his return to the presence of God is not like a resurrection, but a true historical bodily resurrection. Thus, all those images of return and resurrection in the OT were always pointing to Christ’s climactic work. Two NT texts help us understand this. In the context of describing the meaning of Christ’s death, Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” As we saw above, the OT “curse” is that of exile. Then in Hebrews, we learn how Jesus has now gone into the true sanctuary of God (Heb. 8:1‒5). Thus, in Jesus’s death he has become the Christian’s substitutionary victim of exile as he pays the consequence of death on behalf of his people for their sins. And in the resurrection and ascension, he representatively entered into the true sanctuary of God on behalf of his people. Because sin leads to exile and death, Jesus has endured the exile and death due his people on their behalf. And because return from exile means resurrection into the presence of God, Jesus has been raised to minister in the heavenly sanctuary on behalf of his people.
8. Jesus’s ascension, the gift of the Spirit, and the creation of the church are return-from-exile effects today.
But the story of return from exile does not end there. The world continues to feel the effects of Jesus’s return-from-exile mission as his people are born again, evangelize others, and persevere in their faith. Paul tells us that we experience Jesus’s resurrection power when we put our faith in Jesus. Romans 6:4 says, “[J]ust as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (see also Gal. 2: 20). And Peter too says that God “has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). Thus, Jesus’s personal return-from-exile resurrection power is extended to his people. We can say, therefore, that Christians participate on Jesus’s return-from-exile experience through our union with him (see also Eph. 1:20; 2:5‒6; Col. 3:1‒3). Related, whenever we evangelize unbelievers, we are extending Jesus’s come-out-of-exile summons to the world (compare my comments in #6 above on Matt. 4:12‒17 with Matt. 28:18‒20). In this way, the rest of the world also experiences Jesus’s end-of-exile ministry. And finally, Romans 8 and Hebrews 3‒4 use a lot of the language of the exodus to describe how Christians persevere in their walk. Insofar as Israel’s exodus and eventual entrance into the land are also return-from-exile motifs (see #3 above), then so too are the struggles of the Christian life. Our head—the Lord Jesus Christ—has gone before us into the glorious presence of God, and in that sense, we can say we too have returned from exile. But it is also true that experientially, in this life, we are returning from exile. And to God’s great praise and our comfort, he is with us in our return-from-exile trek through this life.
9. The Bible’s theology of exile and return is only finally resolved in the last chapters of Revelation.
Our full and final return from exile will only be complete when Jesus returns and resurrects our bodies (1 Thess. 4:13‒16). Then we will enter into the new heavens and the new earth, a cosmic Edenic homecoming (Rev. 21‒22)! This beautiful passage in Revelation 21:1‒4 says it all:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Into this new reality, “the kings of the earth will bring their glory” (Rev. 21:24). And so the Bible’s long exile-and-return drama ends as Christ’s people enter into a geographic location where we will dwell with God forever. All because Christ has “died, and behold [is] alive forevermore” (Rev. 1:18)!
10. A biblical theology of exile is deeply relevant for forming the Christian life.
This biblical theology of exile and return is vital for Christians to understand. For one, it helps us read our Bibles better, and that is always good. Notice all the bits of the biblical narrative that I referenced throughout #1‒9 above: Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, exodus, Sinai, tabernacle, land, David, temple, Solomon, the prophets, Jesus’s birth and teaching and miracles, Jesus’s death and resurrection, regeneration, evangelism, perseverance, and our future hope. The Bible’s drama of exile and return helps us organize and make sense of all that together. Secondly, this biblical understanding of exile and return gives us a theology of history. And that is very important too. It tells us where we are in God’s world and when we are in God’s plans. We are one step out of exile and one step back into Eden! Christ is our “sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf” (Heb. 6:19–20; cf. also Heb. 10:20)—and very soon, we are destined to follow him there! In a world profoundly confused about who they are, what is good, what is true, what is beautiful, and what is the meaning of life, this theology of homecoming is beautifully refreshing, inspiring, motivating, hope-giving, grounding, and identifying. Friend, if you’re still reading this, rejoice with me in the return-from-exile salvation Christ has brought, and open up your mouth to call others out of exile with you!
Nicholas G. Piotrowski is the author of Return from Exile and the Renewal of God’s People.
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