“Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other” (Isa 45:22).
Strange as it may seem, we’ve come to the end of Old Testament history. The following books (Job–Malachi) overlap the previous books (Genesis–Esther) with rich layers of Hebrew poetry and prophecy. The only writing later than Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther is the prophecy of Malachi, and then four centuries will roll while heaven is silent. During those years, the Greeks will defeat Persia, and in turn be defeated so that, when the New Testament opens, the Roman eagle is fluttering over the Holy City. Yet these dramatic days, just reviewed, are not simply the account of a returned remnant who, against all odds, rebuilt their ancient capital. They are much more significant than that! Unknown to them, they were actually building the stage on which would be enacted the world’s greatest love story. It would not be long until old Salem’s tawny walls and crenulated ramparts would hear the cry, “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” (Mt 21:9), and then, tragically, soon after, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!” (Jn 19:15). For there, heaven’s King in disguise would come to walk their streets, heal their sick, correct their misplaced worship, reveal His Father’s heart, and eventually give His life. What is history’s chief lesson? When I was a boy, I’d make a scribble on paper, and my father would then, with a few deft strokes, turn it into something meaningful. So God does His work, taking our often careless, even rebellious, acts and turning them, surprisingly, into His sublime purposes. It was their selfish and senseless act to crucify Him, but God, with masterly strokes of grace, turned it into the gift of salvation for any who place their trust in Him.