Survey of Old Testament: Student's Edition

By Rick W. Harris

Throughout each of these 39 wonderful and personal books of the Old Testament, I have put together a brief background, introduction, brief summary, some practical applications, and some basic stories and those players that were involved.
We start with an introduction to the OT, then get into the Pentateuch, the History of the nation of Israel, the poetical / worship practices for this nation, the major prophets of both Israel and Judah, the 12 minor prophets to both Judah and Israel, including those postexilic prophets, and concluding with the Intertestamental period that covers the 400 silent years between Gods two covenants as He was preparing the world for His Son Jesus Christs first advent.



OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY POWER POINT LESSONS
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• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 15, 2011
• ISBN: 9781462893256

Rick W. Harris

A private Christian school teacher with 33 years teaching experience, 24 at Florida Christian School; a high school Bible teacher for the last 13 years; a BS degree in Christian education, with a minor in Bible from Faith Baptist Bible College and Seminary in Iowa; a Master’s degree in Biblical studies from Trinity International University with honors in Florida; a U.S. Marine veteran who served a tour of duty in Vietnam in 1970; wonderfully married for 16 years; currently living and teaching at Florida Christian School in Miami, Florida.

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Copyright © 2011 by Rick W. Harris.

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CONTENTS

MESSAGE TO READERS

DEDICATION

OUTLINE OF OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY

PART ONE

INTRODUCTION TO THE OLD TESTAMENT

INTRODUCTION TO THE PENTATEUCH

GENESIS—BOOK OF BEGINNINGS

EXODUS—BOOK OF REDEMPTION

LEVITICUS—YOU SHALL BE HOLY

NUMBERS—JOURNEY TO GOD’S LAND OF REST

DEUTERONOMY—THE BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE

PART TWO

HISTORY OF ISRAEL

JOSHUA—BOOK OF CONQUEST

JUDGES—APOSTASIES OF GOD’S PEOPLE

RUTH—KINSMAN-REDEEMER GIVES REST

INTRODUCTION 1 AND 2 SAMUEL—THE FIRST TWO KINGS OF ISRAEL

1 SAMUEL—THE FIRST KING OF ISRAEL

2 SAMUEL—THE SECOND KING OF ISRAEL

1 & 2 KINGS—FROM GLORY TO CAPTIVITY

1 KINGS—A KINGDOM DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF

2 KINGS—KINGDOMS TAKEN CAPTIVE

1 & 2 CHRONICLES—JUDAH DURING THE YEARS OF MONARCHY

1 CHRONICLES—HIGHLIGHTS OF DAVID’S REIGN

2 CHRONICLES—KING SOLOMON AND HIS SUCCESSORS

INTRODUCTION EZRA, NEHEMIAH, ESTHER—RETURN OF THE JEWISH REMNANT FROM EXILE

EZRA—RESTORATION AND REFORM

NEHEMIAH—THE BUILDING FOR SECURITY

ESTHER—BOOK OF PROVIDENTIAL CARE

PART THREE

POETICAL BOOKS—REFLECTIONS & WORSHIP DURING THE MONARCHIAL YEARS

JOB—KNOWING GOD BETTER THROUGH ADVERSITY

PSALMS—BLESS THE LORD, O MY SOUL

PROVERBS—WALKING IN THE FEAR OF THE LORD

ECCLESIASTES—VANITY UNDER THE SUN, BUT HOPE IS IN GOD

SONG OF SOLOMON—UNION AND COMMUNION

PART FOUR

INTRODUCTION TO MINISTRIES OF THE PROPHETS

ISAIAH—THE GLORIOUS THRONE OF JEHOVAH, THE HOLY ONE

JEREMIAH—BOOK OF JUDGMENT

LAMENTATIONS—MOURNING OVER AFFLICTION

EZEKIEL—THE GLORY OF THE LORD

DANIEL—GOD RULES THE WORLD

PART FIVE

THE TWELVE MINOR PROPHETS

MINOR PROPHETS TO ISRAEL

JONAH—GO YE INTO ALL THE WORLD

AMOS—PREPARE TO MEET GOD

HOSEA—GOD’S LOVE FOR BACKSLIDERS

PART SIX

THE MINOR PROPHETS OF JUDAH

OBADIAH—A ROCK THAT NEVER FAILS AND A KINGDOM THAT ENDURES

JOEL—THE DAY OF THE LORD

MICAH—WHO IS LIKE JEHOVAH?

NAHUM—WOE TO NINEVEH!

ZEPHANIAH—DAY OF DESOLATION AND DELIVERANCE

HABAKKUK—THE RIGHTEOUS LIVE BY FAITH

PART SEVEN

POSTEXILIC PROPHETS

HAGGAI—BUILD THE HOUSE, AND I WILL BE GLORIFIED

ZECHARIAH—KING OVER ALL THE EARTH

MALACHI—WILL A MAN ROB GOD?

PART EIGHT

THE INTERTESTAMENTAL PERIOD—400 SILENT YEARS!

ENDNOTES

CHARTS AND MAPS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

MESSAGE TO READERS

As a high school Bible teacher, it has always been my prayer and desire to have available in our Christian schools and churches a clear, understandable, yet very practical and applicable curriculum for our students a survey of each of the books of the Bible.

A few years back, our high school Bible curriculum was changed to include Old Testament and New Testament survey. I volunteered to put the OT material together, not really knowing all that was involved. After much prayer and soul-searching, and many hours of hard work, I have put together a survey of the Old Testament that I believe will be beneficial spiritually to the one who teaches it, and for every student who studies it.

It contains a brief summary of each book, an introduction and background, including the author, some practical applications from each book as to how the message of that day can apply to us today. I have also included some of the basic stories portrayed from each book and how they relate to us.

It is my prayer that this study of God’s OT covenant to His people will not only bring us new insights as to what went on during OT times, but what biblical principles can we learn and put to practice from them as we live our lives serving the same God that instructed Abraham to sacrifice his son and also told Moses to go and free His people from Egypt so they could be free to worship Yahweh at the very mountain Moses was called. I believe this will be a fascinating study about real people living real lives in the midst of a real God!

DEDICATION

I dedicate this OT material to my loving and understandable wife, Maria, who had to put up with my many hours of sitting in front of the computer putting this material together. It was through her love and support that this OT curriculum was completed in a timely manner in such a way as to glorify God and bless those who will use it.

OUTLINE OF OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY

I. PART ONE—Introduction to OT Survey—Introduction to the Pentateuch

A. Genesis—Book of Beginnings

B. Exodus—Book of Redemption

C. Leviticus—Ye Shall Be Holy

D. Numbers—Journey to God’s Rest Land

E. Deuteronomy—Book of Remembrance

II. PART TWO—The History of Israel

A. Joshua—Book of Conquest

B. Judges—Apostasies of God’s People

C. Ruth—Kinsman Redeemer Gives Rest

D. Introduction to 1-2 Samuel

E. 1 Samuel—The First King of Israel, Saul

F. 2 Samuel—The Second King of Israel, David

G. 1 Kings—A Kingdom Divided Against Itself

H. 2 Kings—Kingdoms Taken Captive

I. 1 Chronicles—Highlights of David’s Reign

J. 2 Chronicles—King Solomon and His Successors

K. Introduction to Ezra-Nehemiah-Esther

L. Ezra—Restoration and Reform

M. Nehemiah—Building for Security

N. Esther—Book of Providential Care

III. PART THREE—The Poetical Books

A. Job—Knowing God Better Through Adversity

B. Psalms—Bless the Lord, O My Soul

C. Proverbs—Walking in the Fear of the Lord

D. Ecclesiastes—Vanity under the Sun, but Hope is in God

E. Song of Songs—Union and Communion

IV. PART FOUR—The Ministry of the Prophets

A. Isaiah—The Glorious Throne of Jehovah, the Holy One

B. Jeremiah—Book of Judgment

C. Lamentations—Mourning after Affliction

D. Ezekiel—The Glory of God

E. Daniel—God Rules the World

V. PART FIVE—12 Minor Prophets—The Minor Prophets to Israel

A. Jonah—Go Ye into all the World

B. Amos—Prepare to Meet God

C. Hosea—God’s Love for Backsliders

VI. PART SIX—The Minor Prophets to Judah

A. Obadiah—A Rock that Fails and a Kingdom that Endures

B. Joel—The Day of the Lord

C. Micah—Who is Like Jehovah?

D. Nahum—Woe to Nineveh!

E. Zephaniah—Day of Desolation and Deliverance

F. Habakkuk—The Righteous Live by Faith

VII. PART SEVEN—The Postexilic Prophets

A. Haggai—Build the House, and I will be Glorified

B. Zechariah—King over all the Earth

C. Malachi—Will a Man Rob God?

VIII. PART EIGHT—God’s Preparation for the First Advent of Christ

Intertestamental Period—400 Silent Years

PART ONE

INTRODUCTION TO THE OLD TESTAMENT

A. MAIN PURPOSE OF OT STUDY

1. To involve the student in a firsthand survey of the Bible text itself.

a. This course is given to start the student on a journey, a journey into the study of each OT book, some in detail, others just briefly.

b. We as a class will search and discover the great themes of these books.

2. To guide you into seeing how the message of each OT book is organized structurally, because in order to get the full understanding of the biblical text, we need to know not only what God said, but how He said it.

3. This is part of the reason for the charts and maps throughout each book or section of books, since they show structural organization clearly and vividly.

B. PRACTICAL SPIRITUAL APPLICATIONS

We want God to lead us into a time of personal reflection as we consider the practical spiritual applications of the book we have just studied.

C. ORIGINAL WRITING IN LOCAL SETTING

We will discuss the name of the book, the author, the date of the book, the purpose of writing, the brief summary, and some practical applications.

D. KEY VERSES

1. From each book key verses, which will be identified with the particular theme of that book.

2. The last thing we will do with each book is to apply the teachings of that particular book to our own lives and to the time we are living.

E. WHY STUDY THE OT

Five reasons why we must study the OT:

1. The Bible is incomplete without the OT.

a. "Both the OT and NT make up the inspired Scriptures.

b. "The NT was never intended to replace the OT, but it (NT) was given to complement the OT—to complete its story.

c. "Example—The OT prophecies the coming of the Redeemer; the NT reports the fulfillment of that prophecy in Jesus.

d. "The NT is the sequel to the OT’s origins; an heir to its promises, fruit of its seed, the peak of its mountain." ¹

2. The ministry of Christ would be an enigma (a perplexing or baffling matter, person; a riddle) without the OT.

a. For example, Why did Jesus say, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matt.15:24)?’

b. In what sense was Jesus the promised Messiah and King, long awaited by the Jews?

c. Why did Jesus have to die? Are His cross and crown irreconcilable (cannot be brought into agreement; incompatible)?

3. The historical setting of Christianity is furnished by the OT. ²

a. Christianity did not emerge mysteriously out of nothing—let alone from the mind of mankind.

b. God had been moving among the peoples of the world, especially Israel, for many centuries before Christ was born on this earth.

c. Then when the time had fully come (at just the right time), God sent His Son, born of a woman (Mary), born under law (Roman/sin), to redeem (‘buy back’) those under the law (sin), that we might receive the full rights of sons (through adoption) (Gal.4:4-5).

d. The OT is promise and expectation, the NT is fulfillment and completion. The Old is the marshalling (‘to arrange in order; to guide’) of the hosts to the battle of God, the New is the triumph of the Crucified One—Jesus. The Old is the twilight and dawn of morning, the New is the rising sun and the height of eternal day.

e. Even though the last book of the OT was written about 400 years before Christ’s birth, our knowing the OT is to know the religious, geographical, and, in part, the political setting of the New.

f. The OT was the Bible of Jesus, apostles, and the NT writers. When they spoke and wrote, they often quoted or referred to the OT’s history and teaching.

g. This in itself is reason enough for every Christian to be acquainted with the OT.

4. Key Revelations of God are found in the OT ³

a. The OT is mainly history, but it is sacred history. It reveals especially how God moves in and through the lives of people and the courses of nations.

b. We might also say that the OT is redemptive history, for "God actively directs human history for the purpose of redeeming (‘to buy back; to deliver from sin’) man to Himself."

c. The Holy Spirit inspired the writers of the OT to record what would adequately reveal that redemptive purpose.

d. Some important facts about redemption are mentioned in the OT.

1) "God is the sovereign (‘absolute rule’) God.

2) "Man is a sinner in need of salvation.

3) "God is holy, and He judges sin.

4) "God is love, and He offers salvation to sinful man.

5) "A Savior would be born to die for the sins of man.

6) "Man is saved by faith, not by works.

7) "Israel was sovereignly chosen to be God’s channel of the redemptive message to the world.

8) "All history will culminate at the throne of the sovereign Lord.

9) "The OT is especially valuable for its inspired record about origins." ⁴

a) The first man and woman

b) The first sin committed by a human.

c) The first communications of God with man.

d) The first revelations of the way of restored fellowship to God.

e. "Miracles are also a key part of the OT, preparing us for the climatic event of the Great Miracle—the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The factuality of miracles rests solidly on the person of the miracle-worker. This is one of the many reasons why so much is revealed in the OT about who God is!" ⁵

5. OT is Spiritual Food for the Christian ⁶

a. When Paul wrote 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture is inspired by God, and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work," he was referring directly to the OT.

b. What kind of spiritual food is available from the OT?

1) Its indictments (to charge with a crime) bring conviction of sin—Jer.2.

2) Its laws and counsel show the way to please God—Ex.20.

3) Its psalms encourage praise and prayer—Psa.107.

4) Its testimonies inspire the reader to walk in paths of righteousness—Deut.31-32.

5) Its historical facts give perspective and direct the reader to learn from the God of all history—Psa.78.

6) Its prophecies warn of danger and plant hope in the hearts of all believers—Zech.14.

7) Its story of Israel’s kingdom gives background for our understanding of the millennial reign of Christ and His kingship—2 Sam.7; Zech.14.

F. THE OT FROM GOD TO MANKIND ⁷

1. The plan of writing Scriptures originated with God—2 Tim.3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:21.

2. From its very source, the Bible is a supernatural book.

3. It is the revelation of God, written by divinely inspired human authors.

4. Through the transmitting, canonization, and translation, God has preserved His Word so that today we may be completely confident of its trustworthiness.

G. THE SETTINGS OF THE OT

1. Historical Setting ⁸

a. All of the books of the OT are intimately involved in a historical strand that begins with the creation in Genesis One and ends with the last prophecy in Malachi—430 B.C.

b. The first 11 chapters of Genesis report highlights of the beginnings of man and the world.

c. At Genesis 12, the nation of Israel is divinely born at the call of Abraham; and for the remainder of the OT, the nation or individual Israelites are in view.

OT HISTORY ⁹

CHART 1

1.tif

THREE MAJOR REGIONS OF OT HISTORY ¹⁰

MAP 1

2.tif

2. Geographical Setting ¹¹

Most of the OT is action, and action involves places. This is why geography is a key ingredient of the OT setting.

a. Three Major Regions of the OT

1) The middle region—Canaan, the homeland of Israel.

a) It is strategically located at the crossroads of international traffic.

b) The land route from Egypt in the west to Babylon in the east followed the route through Canaan because the Arabian Desert was impassable.

2) To the north and east of Canaan are the lands of Syria, Assyria, and Babylonia. All three nation’s were Israel’s strongest and bitterest enemies at some time or other.

3) The ancient kingdom of Egypt was Israel’s enemy in the southwest. As we go through the OT, we will notice that the name Egypt appears hundreds of times, indicating the important part this kingdom played in Bible history.

4) There are smaller kingdoms which were a constant threat to Israel’s peace and are located around the southern and eastern borders of Canaan. Edom—south of the Dead Sea.

3. Six Major Israelite Journeys ¹²

a. The first Israelite family, Abraham, from the Ur of Chaldea to Canaan (2000 B.C.)—Gen.11:27-12:9.

b. The migration of Jacob and his family from Canaan to Egypt to join Joseph (1875 B.C.)—Gen.37:28; 46:1-34.

c. The exodus of over 2 million Israelites from the bondage of Egypt to the Promised Land of Canaan (1445 B.C.)—Exodus 12:40-41; Joshua 1:1-9; Gal.3:17.

d. The Northern Kingdom of Israel is carried away into exile to Assyria (722 B.C.)—2 Kings 18:9-12.

e. The Southern Kingdom of Judah is taken captive to Babylon (586 B.C.)—2 Kings 25:1-12.

f. Three separate large groups of Israelites return from Babylon to their homeland.

1) 1st led by Zerubbabel (536 B.C.).

2) 2nd led by Ezra (458 B.C.). Ezra 1-2; 7:1-10; 8:1-21

3) 3rd led by Nehemiah (445 B.C.).

4. Six Major Types of Land Contour ¹³

a. Coastal Plain—this follows the coast up to Mount Carmel. Very few cities were located here during the OT times partly because of the absence of navigable harbors.

b. Lowlands—the terrain begins to ascend from the low coastal plain. Many cities were built here due to the semi-fertile soil.

c. Hill Country—the prominent north-south ridge which bisects these hills, especially in the southern half of the country.

1) Many cities were built along this ridge, especially because of the natural fortifications.

2) Jerusalem is on the ridge, just west of the northern tip of the Dead Sea.

3) The one major break in this ridge is at the Plain of Esdraelon, just southwest of the Sea of Galilee.

d. The Rift Valley—this is the most consistent feature of the north-south contour.

1) Its average width is about 10 miles. For the entire length of Palestine (Israel), the depression is below the level of the Great Sea (Mediterranean).

2) The following places are located in this valley:

a) Valley west of Mount Hermon—the Jordan River originates here, north of the Sea of Galilee.

b) Sea of Galilee—the sea is 685 feet below sea level. This beautiful area was not inhabited as heavily in the OT as in the NT.

c) Jordan River—the river is entirely below sea level, from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea. The hot and humid climate of this valley discouraged the building of cities—except Jericho.

d) Salt Sea (Dead Sea)—this is 1286 feet below sea level. The sea has no outlet, hence its dense mineral content. A few cities were located on its shores.

e) Araba—a hot, dry valley; no cities here.

f) Gulf of Araba—Solomon built a fleet of ships at the north end of this gulf.

e. Trans-Jordan Hills—the rugged hills rise sharply from the low rift valley to the high plateau. Few cities are located here.

f. Plateau—this plateau was the scene of major OT history.

1) Its rolling land was used mostly for grazing livestock.

2) Cities such as Ramon-Gilead and Damascus are located here.

5. Climate of Israel ¹⁴

a. This area is of the same latitudes as southern United States.

b. Its climate is controlled generally by the prevailing westerly winds from the Mediterranean Sea.

c. Because of the diversity of topography, the climate varies considerably from place to place.

d. Over all there are two seasons; warm, dry summers; cool, wet winters. The rainy season lasts from Nov. to March. Average temperatures ranges from 41-54 degrees F. in January and 65-85 degrees in August in Jerusalem.

e. In the regions around the Sea of Galilee, the climate is more moderate and pleasant than around Jerusalem.

f. In the OT times, most people inhabited the warmer regions.

g. Hot desert winds plague the plateau lands of east of the Jordan. This is one of the main reasons for sparse population there in OT times.

LEADING POWERS IN THE OT WORLD ¹⁵

CHART 2

3.tif

6. Leading Powers in the OT World ¹⁶

a. Throughout the OT, the Israelites were well aware of the universal truth that man does not live in isolation.

1) Israel (Palestine) was located at the center of the world powers.

2) Egypt to the SW

3) Syria, Assyria, Babylonia, Persia to the N & E.

For the most part, this central location meant conflict, for each foreign nation coveted the strategic military position which Israel offered, not to mention the economic benefits.

b. But this conflict was not outside divine providence, for God was sovereignly guiding even the foreign nations to fulfill His purposes with His chosen people.

Example—When Israel persisted in rejecting God as Lord, He sent the Babylon army into the land of Canaan to take the people into captivity. It was a military encounter, but basically it was a divine judgment.

c. The five most powerful nations which played a vital role in Israel’s history were Egypt, Syria, Assyria, Babylonia, and Persia.

d. Conclusion

Israel demanded kingly rule against God’s will, wanting to be like their neighbors:

No, but there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles (1 Sam.8:19-20); little did they know then what devastating battles would ultimately be fought when their God, whose lordship they rejected, would grant victory to their enemies!

7. Everyday Life in Canaan in the OT ¹⁷

a. The OT was written by Orientals about Orientals. People of Western cultures need to keep this in mind to better appreciate the Bible stories and testimonies coming out of those ancient times.

b. The following is a list of the local settings of the OT text. The best outcome of this list may not be so much the learning of new facts as becoming alert to the Oriental flavor of the OT.

1) Oriental town or city—walls, gates, towers, narrow streets, busy marketplaces; location of a city preferably on an elevated site, such as Jerusalem on Mount Zion; fields and grazing areas outside the city limits

2) Water supply—wells, cisterns, streams, reservoirs

3) Houses—average size of the common people—one room; roofs constructed of beams overlaid with reeds, bushes, and grass; earth floors, mud-brick walls, few windows on the street side, fireplace on the floor in the middle of the room; furnishings—mats and cushions, storage chest, lamp stand, hand mill for grinding grain; cooking utensils, goatskin bottles, broom

4) Domestic Animals—dogs, donkeys, mules, horses, camels, sheep and goats

5) Food—barley and wheat bread, oil, buttermilk, cheese, fruits (olives, figs, grapes, raisins, pomegranates), vegetables, grain, honey; eggs, meat, poultry, fish was eaten but not regularly; fish was a major food source around the Sea of Galilee; generally, the people ate two meals a day—breakfast and a late dinner (about 5 pm)

6) Dress—both men and women—inner garment (tunic); girdle for the tunic; outer garment (mantle) used as shelter from wind, rain, cold, heat, and as a blanket at night; turban (head); sandals. Women only—longer tunics and larger mantles, veil (entirely covering the head in public), elaborate ornamentations (earrings and bracelets)

7) Education—children were educated mainly by their parents in Hebrew religion and Scripture, reading and writing, practical skills; advanced training for leaders—such as in school of the prophets and by tutors

8) Worship—by the family in each home; called worship meetings in public areas; temple worship in Jerusalem—regular participations by residents of the vicinity; participation at the annual religious feasts by Israelites far and near

9) Trades and professions—agriculture (grain, grapes, olives, figs), sheep-raising, fishing, hunting, pottery, carpentry, masonry, metal work, tent making, merchants, physicians

10) Women’s tasks—grinding grain, weaving, making clothes, washing, care of flocks, carrying water, cooking, housecleaning, rearing and educating the children—the children of the home, especially the girls (they helped in these daily chores)

11) Travel—usually in groups, for the sake of safety; the mode—most often by animals, sometimes by foot; meals—lunch brought along as the main source; overnight lodging—at homes, sometimes inns

8. The Heaven-Earth Setting ¹⁸

a. As much as the OT concerns people and nations, with all of their frailties and sins, it is unique along with the NT in that the dimension of miracle controls its story.

b. In its pages, heaven touches earth.

c. God comes down and works through man.

d. This heaven-earth setting pervades the entire book.

He who wants to know what God is communicating in the temporal, local setting must accept and believe the supernatural dimension, for the message is meaningless without it.

H. KEY REVEALED TRUTHS IN CORRECTLY APPROACHING THE OT

1. Without the right approach and clear guideposts, it is easy to get lost when studying the many and different historical facts of the OT.

2. It is also easy to become discouraged and confused over difficult or obscure portions of the text.

3. But these problems can be avoided when you keep in mind these key revealed truths which underlie all the details of the whole OT story.

4. Let’s look at some of these very important truths.

a. God always acts in conformity to His name. ¹⁹

1) One of the main purposes of the OT is to reveal who God is. He is eternal Spirit, alive and personal; holy, righteous, just, loving, merciful, gracious, true, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, and immutable.

2) All of these divine attributes are absolutely perfect eternally concurrent (taking place, existing, or running parallel at the same time).

3) When He sends awful judgment for sin, because He is a holy God, He does not nullify His grace, for God never acts contrary to His manifold (having many parts, forms or applications) nature.

4) In our human limitations, we may not always understand His workings, and may at times even ask such questions as Why did a loving God permit the ravages of war in OT times?

5) By faith we must see God as the never-changing One, who is holy but always acts in love, and who is loving but never violates His holiness.

6) There is absolutely no alternative to this approach!

b. All history is in God’s sovereign control! ²⁰

1) There are no accidents in world history. God directs or permits the course of events in a person’s or nation’s career according to His sovereign and perfect will.

2) Whenever you have unanswered questions about the OT history (such as Why?), rest confidently in the truth that God is Lord of all history, in whose will every event fulfills His perfect purposes.

c. Israel was God’s divinely called and favored nation. ²¹

1) God called Abraham to be the father of the nation of Israel, and then God made the nation (Gen.12:1-2).

2) Humanly speaking, it was not an act of favoritism in the sense that out of the many existing nations God picked one of basic and essential superiority to be His exclusive favorite (Deut.10:14-17).

3) And yet it is true that God sovereignly chose from the world’s population one man, Abraham, to be the nation’s father.

4) If you are disturbed about why God would elect one nation to be the object of His special blessings (Gen.12:2) over all the other nations, keep in mind that sovereign election also applies to His saving of individuals (Eph.1:4-5).

5) Even though you cannot fully comprehend it, be assured that God, in the exercise of His rightful sovereignty over the entire universe, never violates His attribute of justice in the expression of His love!

d. God wanted to use Israel as His channel of communication to the rest of the world. ²²

1) God has always used people to communicate to others the message of salvation. In the NT times, He started with His disciples, to whom Christ gave the Great Commission, You shall be MY witnesses, both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). The same principle of believer reaching out to unbeliever applies today.

2) Back in OT times, God wanted Israel to enjoy the fullest blessings of fellowship with Him in this life, and thus be a living witness of this to the nations around them.

3) Israel, for the most part, failed God’s purposes during the 1500 years of its OT career, and that is one reason why relatively few stories of evangelistic outreach to foreign nations appear in the OT.

4) God did not overlook these foreign nations, but neither was He able to use His chosen nation Israel to the extent that He desired.

e. Redemption is the key subject of the OT revelation. ²³

1) From the time of Gen.3, when Adam and Eve sinned and broke fellowship with God, to the last words of Malachi, the message centered on how sinful man can be redeemed (to pay for the sins of humanity with death on the cross) and reconciled to God.

2) The OT makes it very clear that God seeks to save all sinners, not only Israelites.

3) Their spiritual deliverance is infinitely more important than any physical help. God uses even the severest of measures, such as war and captivity, to bring them to conviction of sin, repentance, and faith.

4) Another clear redemptive truth in the OT is that man is saved by faith, not works.

5) If we find that a large portion of the OT text is about the attempt of the Israelites’ to appear religious, we may conclude that God wants us to see the futility of depending on works for salvation.

6) Because redemption is the key subject of the OT, we may expect that each of the 39 books contributes measurably to this theme.

7) We may also expect that at times the biblical writers omitted details which had no direct relation to that theme. The Holy Spirit was responsible for such selectivity in inspiration.

f. The OT constantly points forward to the coming Savior and King, Jesus Christ. ²⁴

1) If redemption is the key subject of the OT, and if Christ (the anointed One, the Messiah) is the Redeemer of the world, then we may expect to find many OT passages pointing to Christ.

2) It should be pointed out that OT references to the person and work of Christ often appear in the form of type and symbol, not necessarily in direct predictive language.

3) Christ was literally, according to the flesh, Son of David, the Son of Abraham, the promised seed, the Heir of David’s throne.

g. Miracles in OT times were one of God’s ways to reveal Himself. ²⁵

1) Jesus performed miracles during His earthly ministry to vindicate His claim of being the Christ, the Son of God, with the ultimate purpose that people might be saved through faith in Him.

2) In OT times also, the Lord revealed Himself through miracles, that men might turn their hearts to Him.

3) Since the creation of man, a common purpose of all biblical miracles has been to show the nature of the Lord of Heaven as He has been moving among people on earth.

4) Anyone who disbelieves these miracles is refusing to listen to God’s voice!

h. There is a progression of revelation in the Bible. ²⁶

1) The most obvious test of progression in the Bible is to compare the first book (Genesis) and the last (Revelation).

2) Genesis records origins and God’s first words to man.

3) Revelation prophesies end times, and shows Christ enthroned forever as King of kings and Lord of lords.

4) What happened in the years between, particularly up to the close of the 1st century A.D., is the progressing story of how God was revealing more and more of Himself and His redemptive work to men.

5) Let’s look at one progression.

a) In the Garden of Eden, God first showed His authority over Satan and announced the coming of Christ, as the seed of the woman Eve, who would ultimately deal Satan the deathblow (He shall bruise your head—Gen.3:15).

b) With Noah, He established a covenant guaranteeing protection of the earth from any future universal flood (Gen.9).

c) To Abraham, He promised blessing for the new nation of Israel which He would make (Gen.12).

d) Through Moses, He instructed His people how to live pleasing to Him (Ex.20).

e) Through the prophets, He foretold in detail Christ’s birth and ministry (Isa.9:6).

f) Through John the Baptist, He announced the inauguration of Christ’s public ministry (John 1).

g) To the apostles and NT writers, He revealed the full and deep truths of the new life in Christ (Eph.1-3).

h) And in the final visions, which He gave to John at Patmos, were of Satan cast into the lake of fire forever (Rev.20), and of Christ sitting on the throne in the New Jerusalem saying, It is done! (Rev.21).

6) Intimately involved in this historical progression were the ever enlarging and deepening revelations which God gave to man (doctrinal progression).

7) When we study the OT we must keep this in mind, otherwise we might force upon an early book of the OT a teaching which is not there, or fail to see in a later book of the NT a truth that is really there.

8) This does not mean that in studying the OT we should not interpret it in light of events which took place hundreds of years later in the NT.

9) When we see the truth of the NT we should always be looking with anticipation of that truth in the OT.

10) This is how Jesus and the NT writers applied the OT.

i. The OT is God’s voice to us today, ancient as the book is. ²⁷

1) If we discard a message only because it is ancient, we would reject the NT as well.

2) But God’s Book—both Old and New—is timeless in its application.

3) That is why Paul wrote in his second letter to Timothy—All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

4) So it is correct to say that all spiritual lessons coming from passages in the OT have something to say, directly or indirectly, about these two timeless, vital life truths: the way to God, or our walk with God.

I. A CONCLUDING THOUGHT ²⁸

In approaching the Bible, we need to remember that it is sacred ground. We must approach it with humble hearts, ready to hear what the Lord God has to say. The history of negative criticism is but further evidence that unless we do approach the Bible in a receptive attitude, we shall fail to understand it. Nor need we be ashamed to acknowledge that the words of Scripture are of God. The attempt to explain them as anything less than Divine is one of the greatest failures that has ever appeared in the history of human thought.

The challenge of studying the OT is a thrilling one indeed. This is because of who its Author is, what He has written, and to whom He has written it.

MY PRAYER

It is my prayer as your teacher that this survey of the OT will introduce you to many fascinating and inspiring stories and journeys as we explore these wonderful 39 books written by God to us!

Priceless are the promises to him who delights in the Scriptures!

Psalm 1:3—You will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.

THE PENTATEUCH

GENESIS—DEUTERONOMY

THE ORIGINS OF THE HUMAN RACE & EARLY CENTURIES OF ISRAEL’S LIFE

A. INTRODUCTION TO PENTATEUCH ¹

1. The first five books of the Bible are known as the Pentateuch.

2. They record the origins of the human race, of the chosen Hebrew nation, and of other related institutions and things.

3. The one who disregards these books as myths or obsolete stories is rejecting the foundations of God’s written revelation about Himself and mankind.

B. BACKGROUND TO PENTATEUCH

1. The Pentateuch ²

a) Titles that the Jews used to refer to the first five books of Scripture:

1) Torah—means the "Law"

2) Pentateuch—means "fivefold vessel"

b) Question—What do these titles indicate as to the main subject of the books; the form of communication and authorship?

2. Unity—Both the internal and external evidence support the view that these first five books of the OT were written by one author, with one unifying theme.

3. Author—Except for a few parts (such as the reporting of his own death), Moses wrote the five books of the Law.

a) Moses does