I recently taught a 4 part overview of the Old Testament, describing most OT books in 3-6 sentences. Some folks found this quite informative and edifying. The discussion is arranged mostly in the order of books as found in the Hebrew Bible: The Torah, The Prophets, and The Writings. The highlights in the text represent places where the handout that was distributed had blanks.
Review of the Old Testament
M. Scott Bashoor (c) 2013
I. The
Old Testament reveals God’s workings in the world, primarily through his chosen
nation Israel, in preparation for the comings of Christ
as Lord and Savior of the world.
A. The
Old Testament was written over a 1000 year period.
1. The
oldest portion of the Old Testament is the Torah, written by Moses around 1400 BC.
a. Now,
the Torah begins by recounting the creation and many other events long before
Moses’ day.
b. But
the material was written to the generation of Israelites poised to enter the Promised Land.
2. The
book of Job describes earlier events, but it may
well have been written much later (perhaps by Solomon).
3. The
last book written was probably Chronicles, written as late as 400 BC.
B. The
term “Testament” is another word for covenant.
1. The
OT speaks of several different covenants, but the one looming largest over it is
the Mosaic Covenant.
2. Not
all OT books & passages are about the Mosaic Cov-enant, but all of them were
written under its shadow.
C. The
title “Old Testament” is a distinctly Christian one because
it implies there is an inspired New Testament.
1. The
Jewish community generally rejects this
title or uses it only when in dialogue with Christians.
2. Most
Jews today prefer the title Tanakh, an
acronym for the three traditional portions of their Bible.
a. “T” stands to Torah, the Hebrew term for “Law.”
b. “N” stands for Nebi’im, the Hebrew word for “Prophets.”
c. “K” stands for Kethubim, the Hebrew word for “Writings.”
The Stucture of the Hebrew Bible
|
THE TORAH
Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
|
THE PROPHETS
|
THE WRITINGS
|
Former Prophets
|
Latter Prophets
|
Psalms
|
Lamentations
|
Job
|
Esther
|
Joshua
|
Isaiah
|
Proverbs
|
Daniel
|
Judges
|
Jeremiah
|
Ruth
|
Ezra/ Nehemiah
|
Samuel
|
Ezekiel
|
Song of Sol.
|
Kings
|
The Twelve
|
Ecclesiastes
|
Chronicles
|
d. Some
Jews simply refer to it as the Hebrew Bible.
3. In
politically correct academia, it is common to hear the labels “First Testament” and “Second
Testament.”
D. The
arrangement of the Old Testament books in the order in which Christians know it
is due to the Septuagint.
1. The
Septuagint (LXX), a project begun around 200
BC, was the first translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek,
2. Because
it was written for Hellenized Jews, it sought to arrange the books according to
a more Greek-type logic.
3. Protestant,
Catholic, and Orthodox Bibles generally follow the order of the LXX, but
Protestant Bibles follow the Heb. tradition in excluding the Apocrypha.
4. The
order of the books within each section generally follows
a chronological order, but only within sections.
PROTESTANT OLD TESTAMENT
|
Law
|
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
|
History
|
Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther
|
Poetry
|
Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon
|
Prophecy
|
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
|
E. Each
book and section of the OT has a unique contribution to the story of God’s work
in the world before Christ.
1. Sometimes
the same lessons are stressed again and again over the centuries, often highlighting
man’s brokenness.
2. But
each book has a unique purpose for the original recipients that should be appreciated for
all its worth.
3. The
Old Testament will now be reviewed, generally following the order in the Hebrew
Bible.
II. Review of the Torah.
A. Torah
is primarily about how God called the nation Israel to be a kingdom of priests
through whom he would make His presence, blessing, & kingdom
known to the world.
B. The
five books of Moses were originally one long book.
1. GENESIS: An extended introduction
to the Mosaic Covenant.
a. It
explains how the world came to be, how it became so corrupt, and how God set
out to restore blessing in the earth through chosen
people.
b. The
first covenant mentioned in the Bible is the one made with Noah (Gen 8-10). In this covenant God reveals
that He has a disposition of grace toward the
fallen world which is nonetheless liable to judgment.
c. In
the Abrahamic covenant, God promises to one
man that He will use his offspring to bring even greater blessing to the world
than what was promised to the creation in Noah’s day.
d. Many
of the stories in the book highlight how God is faithful to His Word even
though Abraham’s off-spring find themselves in all kinds of trouble and sin.
2. EXODUS: Explains how God
brought Abraham’s chosen descendants out of profound slavery and established
them as a covenant nation.
a. Moses
is raised up by God through unusual circumstances to be God’s mouthpiece and
leader.
b. The
people are saved from national and historical bondage, but not necessarily spiritual bondage.
c. At
Mount Sinai, God reveals Himself in spectacular form, announcing that His
mighty presence will be with them perpetually, provided they keep the terms of
the Mosaic covenant he makes with them there.
d. The
book ends with the laws governing the Tabernacle, the
mobile temple in which God’s presence would reside with them.
3. LEVITICUS: Detailed discussion of the
sacrifices, rituals, and regulations to govern worship and everyday life.
a. Specifies
that God requires sacrifices and rituals for the nation to continue to enjoy
His presence. (1-10)
b. Highlights
the holiness of God & sinfulness of man.
c. Establishes
the scheme of clean/unclean that impacts all of life; symbolizes the need for purity. (10-15)
d. Instates
the Day of Atonement when all sins can be ritually dealt
with, maintaining God’s presence. (16)
e. Legislates
against moral, religious, and symbolic sins which the nation must be on guard
against. (17-27)
4. NUMBERS: Shows God’s mercy in not eliminating
Israel for their gross covenant unfaithfulness before they even entered the
Promised Land.
a. Israel
leaves Sinai as an organized, obedient nation of about 2
million people. (1-12)
b. The
obedience was short-lived (5 months). After
the spies give their report, Israel decides the exodus was a mistake & they
should return to Egypt. (12-14)
c. God
is furious but relents in destroying them all. He allows most of the first
generation to die off somewhat naturally over 40
years. (15-19)
d. The
2nd generation prepares to enter the land (20-36). Happily, 2nd
census is almost as high as the 1st.
e. Unfortunately,
they are no less degenerate than
their parents. (25). But God keeps
His promise to make them a great nation to use them for blessing. (22-24)
5. DEUTERONOMY: Moses’ last 5 speeches to the 2nd
generation of Israel in his last month of ministry.
a. Speech
1 (1-4): Remembers God’s goodness to
Israel, especially in revealing Himself in a world of idolatry.
b. Speech
2 (4-28): Repeats
the 10 Commandments and clarifies/specifies many other points of Law.
1.
All Mosaic Laws somehow connect to those 10.
2.
Ends with the promise of blessings &
curses (28).
c. Speech
3 (29-30): Moses prophesies that Israel will break the
covenant, forfeit God’s presence, and be exiled. But God will restore them and
one day make a new covenant with them.
d. Speech
4 (31-32): The Song
of Moses. Prophecies about Israel’s apostasy & God’s glorious redemption.
e. Speech
5 (33-34): A prophecy foretelling
God’s bless-ing on the nation, tribe by tribe (cf. Gn 49).
III.Review of the Former and Latter Prophets
THE TORAH
Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
|
THE PROPHETS
|
THE WRITINGS
|
Former Prophets
|
Latter Prophets
|
Psalms
|
Lamentations
|
Job
|
Esther
|
Joshua
|
Isaiah
|
Proverbs
|
Daniel
|
Judges
|
Jeremiah
|
Ruth
|
Ezra/ Nehemiah
|
Samuel
|
Ezekiel
|
Song of Sol.
|
Kings
|
The Twelve
|
Ecclesiastes
|
Chronicles
|
A.
In the Hebrew tradition, many of the books we
regard as historical books are considered to be prophetic books. They are
prophetic not because they foretell events but because they provide an inspired perspective on Israel’s history.
B.
Each of the four Former Prophets is a logical
extension of Deuteronomy, showing how Israel experienced either the blessings
or the curses promised in Deut. 28.
1. JOSHUA: Describes how God led Israel to take
the land of Canaan as He promised Abraham in the Torah.
a. Joshua
is charged to be a man of Torah (1)
and God miraculously enables Israel to enter the land (1-5).
b. God
enables miraculous victory (when Israel is obedient) thru 3
national military campaigns in the Center, South, and North. (6-12)
c. Joshua
divides the land amongst the tribes; tells them each
to complete the conquest of their land. (13-21)
d. The
tribes sin in not taking the land fully, leaving
Abraham’s land promise partially unfulfilled. (22-23)
e. Joshua
calls them to follow God alone and warns of inevitable judgment
to come. (24)
2. JUDGES: Describes the incredibly horrific
fallout of Israel’s unfaithfulness to the Mosaic Covenant
a. The
tribes fail to clear out the Canaanites as the Law required so the pagans
become a snare to them. (1-3)
b. Israel
falls into vicious cycles of gross
sin, judgment, desperation, and deliverance. God intermittently raises up 12
judges to deliver & govern Israel. (4-13).
c. The
prophetic author writes an appendix of
stories from the period which show how morally decrepit and apostate the nation
had become. (17-21)
d. The
repeated refrain is that because there was no king in Israel, people did
whatever they wanted. They needed the right leader
to guide them in the ways of God to inherit the promises.
2b.
RUTH (from The Writings): Describes how God’s sover-eign grace was at work in
the dark days of the Judges.
a. The
story of a family from Bethlehem that knew only tragedy, bad decisions, and a
bleak future.
b. God
sovereignly intervenes and restores their place in the society,
and secures them a place in history.
c. Shows
how God was at work in the line of David (God’s
choice) before Saul was ever even heard of.
3. SAMUEL: Describes how Israel transitions from
a being nation to a kingdom governed by the line of David.
a. The
nation emerges from the dark time of the judges under the national leadership
of Samuel.
b. The
nation wants a king like the
other nations but are not content to wait for God’s choice.
c. God
allows them to have a king of their liking so they can see the folly of their sinful choices.
d. David
was God’s choice all along, and God enacts a covenant with him that his line
would never die.
e. Sadly,
David fails to lead fully need the nation into covenant faithfulness as he
himself falls into sin.
4. KINGS: Describes how the kingdom slid further
and further into covenant unfaithfulness, finally bringing the curses of the
Mosaic Covenant to fulfillment.
a. Solomon
leads Israel into its greatest physical glory, but he’s no David in terms of
his devotion.
b. The
kingdom splits into North and South as part of
God’s discipline on the house of David.
c. God’s
choice still lays with David’s line, however—a choice that’s evident by the apostasy of the North.
d. God
raises up many prophets to warn both realms, but the covenant curses finally fall
in 722 & 586 BC.
C.
The Latter Prophets are recorded
oracles of individual prophets who expose the sins of the North and South and
foretell of coming judgment and glory.
1. ISAIAH:
Prophet in Jerusalem in the late 700’s BC who warned that God would go
to war for
the holiness of Judah/Israel.
a. He
prophesied over a period of 40 years, and many of his messages were compiled
into a massive book.
b. The
first half of the book focuses mostly on Judah’s sins and
how God was going to war against her.
c. Near
the end of the century, God delays the fall of judgment due to King Hezekiah’s
faithfulness.
d. The
2nd half of the book is written largely for the benefit of Jews
who’d come out of the exile, assuring
them that God would redeem them.
e. The
ultimate hope of their redemption would come in the form of Suffering Servant who would save Israel
from its greatest enemy—its own sin.
2. JEREMIAH: Prophet in Jerusalem who warned
about and witnessed the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC.
a. Most
of the book is a collection of sharp indictments
and dire warnings of nearly inevitable judgment.
b. But
he holds out hope to the nation to the end.
c. He
personally suffers under tremendous opposition.
d. The
middle chapters announce that God will one day enact a New
Covenant with Israel that will change them internally, making them faithful.
2b.
LAMENTATIONS (from the Writings): Jeremiah laments the Jerusalem’s destruction,
writing 5 poems
of mourn-ing & repentance to channel the grief for the survivors. Middle
verse is, “Great is Your Faithfulness.”
3. EZEKIEL: Aspiring priest taken into
Babylonian exile who foresaw the departure of God’s glory from Jerus-alem & its
ultimate return when He restored His people.
a. His
entire prophetic ministry was lived out in Babylon, but he
was transported in spirit to witness the apostasy and devastation of Jerusalem.
b. He
witnessed the glory of God numerous times: his calling, God’s departure from
Jerusalem, and God’s eventual return to His people.
c. He
reveals that though Israel was under judgment, they had not utterly lost God’s presence.
4. THE TWELVE: The Minor Prophets, traditionally
bound together in a single scroll, warn of judgment and glory associated with
“The Day of the Lord.”
b. Prophets
during the Divided Kingdom:
(1) HOSEA: Northern prophet
who signified God would divorce Israel
but one day bring her back.
(2)JOEL: Early prophet who
warned of impending judgment and the final
Day of the Lord.
(3)AMOS: Shepherd turned prophet
who went North to confront Israel for its luxuriant iniquity.
(4)OBADIAH: Announces
judgment on Edom for gloating over one of
Jerusalem’s invasions.
(5)JONAH: Reluctant prophet from Israel to Nineveh who sees the city repent & God
spare it. Teaches Israel to desire the repentance of nations.
(6)MICAH: Contemporary of Isa; Judgment is
com-ing to Jerusalem, but God will one day raise up a righteous Ruler to bring
in the promised glory.
c. Prophets
during the Surviving Kingdom:
(1) NAHUM: Dramatically
foretells the fall of Nineveh a few months before
it occurs.
(2)HABAKKUK: Contemporary of
Jer.; Records his dialogue with God
about the fairness of coming judgment; finds hope in the ancient promises.
(3)ZEPHANIAH: Contemporary of Jer.; Foretells judgment will
fall on all the nations before a time of unparalleled blessing in restored
Israel.
d. Prophets
after the Exile
(1) HAGGAI: Challenges
returnees to put God first & rebuild the temple
before improving their homes.
(2)ZECHARIAH: Encourages
returnees that God re-members His ancient promises, & will place the Davidic throne over all the troubled
world.
(3)MALACHI: Tackles the sins
of the returnees with 6 disputations,
urging them to repent and wait for the next installment of God’s plan.
IV.Review of the WRITINGS: Books with a stronger focus on God’s dealing
with individuals who often serve as examples. Contains some of the most perplexing
books (e.g. Job, Eccless, Song of Sol., Esther) & wide-spread books
(Psalms, Chronicles).
A.
PSALMS:
Collection of musical prayers & praises centered around God’s kingship
& the earthly kingdom he founded.
1. Half
are written by David, but others
by various persons over a 1000 year period, the whole span of OT writing.
2. Includes
songs of the individual & for the congregation.
3. Includes
psalms with lament, pleas, praise, thanksgiving, remembrance, royal promise,
and wisdom.
B.
JOB:
Records the extreme suffering of a righteous man and the faulty assessments he
and his friends make about it.
1. Satan
wagers with God that righteous Job will forsake Him if his wealth and health
are taken away.
2. Job
suffers terribly, not knowing the cosmic cause.
3. His
friends assume he earned his sorrows, an idea he angrily rejects. Most of the
book is their disputes.
4. God
corrects Job for the way he responds to the trials, teaching him that God is
over all and trustworthy.
C.
PROVERBS:
Collection of insightful sayings about living life wisely in a fallen world.
1. Written
mostly by Solomon, but includes the words of
other wise men in the latter third of the book.
2. Presented
as instruction of a father to his son.
3.
Provides proverbs (not promises)
on how wise & godly action leads to blessing & avoids bad consequences.
D.
Ruth (discussed
earlier)
E.
SONG
OF SOLOMON: Poems celebrating the bliss of marital love and sexuality.
1. Written
by Solomon about his (?) pursuit of a young woman and the tenderness and
difficulties involved.
2. Shows
how that even in a fallen world, God
desires marriage to be a union of intimate love and joy.
F.
ECCLESIASTES:
Musings of Solomon about the meaning of life in light of its perplexities,
irregularities, & inequities.
1. Provides
an alternative form of wisdom for life’s
problems when proverbial wisdom doesn’t fit.
2. Long,
sometimes rambling discussions mirror the
complexities and ambiguities of life.
3. Life
may seem futile, temporal, and meaningless, but there’s a God above it all who sees more than we.
G.
LAMENTATIONS:
Discussed earlier
H.
ESTHER:
Shows God’s providence
in preserving His people in a godless land in godless era of their history.
1. Esther
and her older cousin Mordecai, Jews living in the Babylonian exile, are thrust
into pivotal positions.
2. Haman,
another exile from Palestine, convinces the king of Persia to eliminate the Jews. But the Jewess Esther
has become Queen & convinces the king to spare the Jews.
3. God’s
name is never mentioned, and the Jews
involved may not be godly—but God is preserving His people.
I.
DANIEL:
Reveals God’s plan to reinstate his kingdom on earth after a long period of
Gentile world domination.
1. Daniel
was a young Jew taken away into Babylonian exile who ascended into high ranks
of servitude.
2. He
and his friends serve as examples of godliness while
living in the midst of a godless culture in a godless age.
3. He
adds to Jeremiah’s revelation about the restoration: The Jews would return home
after 70 years, but the kingdom would not be restored for 70 times 7 years.
4. Foresees
the rise of Persia, Greece, Rome, and the work of Anti-Christ in the end times.
5. Celebrates
the coming King, His Kingdom, and the resurrection
through which the saints of the ages will inherit the kingdom on earth.
J.
EZRA/NEHEMIAH:
Describes the struggles of the Jews who return from Babylonian exile, God’s
faithfulness to them, the godly leaders raised up, and the people’s continued
failure to live up to the requirements of the Torah.
1. Three
waves of returnees come back over the course of a century. Ezra and Nehemiah
come back in the last 2 waves and lead the people in religious reforms.
2. Some
progress is made, but it’s clear that things will never be what they were until
something new happens.
3. The
people are back, the temple is rebuilt, but the Shekinah
is not there, and the people are not renewed.
4. The
stories confirm that Israel must wait for the New
Covenant of which Jeremiah foretold and the Messiah who will enact it.
K.
CHRONICLES:
Retells the major points of the Old Testament to encourage Jews after the exile
of God’s plan to reestablish the throne of David and to dwell with His people
in a glorious kingdom.
1. Begins
with a long series of genealogies which help the Jews understand their place in the world.
2. Ends
with the decree of Persian King Cyrus authorizing the repatriation and rebuilding
of Judah; But the book is written at least a century later (as the genealogies
indicate). Probably the last OT book
written.
3. Highlights
the rise of the House of David and his work in
preparing for the House of God.
4. Focuses
on the kings of the South through
which the Davidic line was maintained.
5. Acknowledges
their covenant failures & God’s judgment but lifts up their virtues as worthy of emulation.
6. Indicates
that the descendants of David were still with Israel after the exile, leaving
alive the ancient promises of a
glorious kingdom to come.
