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Introductions to the Old Testament, Covenants, & Creation Why Study

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Introductions to the Old Testament, Covenants, & Creation Why Study !1 Session 1: Introductions to the Old Testament, Covenants, & Creation Why Study the OT? 1. ____________. Since the Old Testament is God’s Holy Word and since you are a servant of the Church which is divinely commissioned to proclaim “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27), it is incumbent upon you as a leader of the Church to have a competent knowledge of the content and message of each book in the Pentateuch and historical books. See 2 Tim 3:16-17. 2. ________________________. As ministers of the Church, we are charged to “give the reason for the hope” that we have (1 Pet 3:15) and to “preach the Word” (2 Tim 4:1); therefore, we will learn the great themes and theological emphases of each book with the purpose of better equipping the saints for ministry. 3. ________________________. The purpose of the Old Testament is to encourage us so that we will live in obedience and with hope (Rom 15:4; 1 Cor 10:6). Therefore, you will discover and apply the message(s) of the Old Testament to your contemporary setting, both personally and corporately. 4. To better understand the ____________. ❖ The apostles and Christ preached Christ and his salvation from the OT – Luke 24:27; 44-49; Mt 5:17-18; Acts 2:14-41; Romans 4 – the OT was the gospel before the Gospels ❖ 300 formal quotations of OT ❖ 1600 NT citations (rewording, paraphrasing, and allusions) of 1200 OT texts What is the OT? 1. Old Testament/Covenant refers to the _________________ – the 10 commandments (Ex. 20:1-17; Dt. 5:1-21) and the laws given by Moses. These commandments were given that the people might live (Dt. 5:33) and pointed to their salvation/exodus (Dt. 6:20-25). The Old Covenant was perfect, but man was not and could not circumcise his own heart (Dt. 10:16), so a new covenant was necessary and announced in Jeremiah 31:31-34 ❖ Old Testament is a Christian term – Jews refer to the Old Testament as the Tanak or simply “Holy Scriptures” ❖ Tanak – Torah (Law); Nevi’im (Prophets); Kethu’bim (Writings) ❖ Torah (Moses) Prophets (Isaiah) Writings (David) 2. Books and Setting ❖ 39 books in the English Bible which number _________ in the Hebrew ❖ Written over a period of at least 1000 years (1400-400 BC) – passed down in written (and oral) form – Cf. Dt. 31:9-13, 24-27; Prov. 29:18; 2 Kgs 22:8 ❖ At least 30 different human authors ❖ Language – written in ____________ and some ____________; translated from ancient times into many languages (Greek (LXX - Septuagint), Aramaic (Targum), Peshitta/Syro-hexapla (Syriac), Vulgate (Latin)) – the Hebrew was preserved by a group called the Masoretes who preserved the reading tradition and !2 ultimately put vowels and punctuation into the text ❖ Important Manuscripts A. Masoretic Hebrew – Oldest complete is Leningrad Codex B19a which dates to 1008 BC; Aleppo Codex is missing most of the Pentateuch and dates to 925 AD; Masoretic families were most active from 500 AD on, but the tradition may go back to Ezra who skilled in the law of Moses (Ezra 7:6) and had his heart set on studying, doing, and teaching the law (7:10) B. Septuagint (LXX) – “Seventy” – Greek translation of the Bible from about 300 BC to 100 AD C. Dead Sea Scrolls – Manuscripts from 3rd century BC to 70 AD that were discovered in caves at Qumran – very close to Masoretic text and revealed no “leaps” in doctrine Geography – Palestine is very small in relation to the ANE, but the Bible focuses on it • ________________________ – Crescent moon shape of fertile lands around (north and west of) the desert • Palestine is a land bridge between the great empires of south and northeast; it is landlocked so they never developed a maritime presence; two rainy seasons – most arable land in center, north is rocky, south is wilderness • Palestine divided East to West into Coastal Plains (not much of their history because it is controlled by the Phoenicians and Philistines), Central Mountains (primary residence), Rift Valley (unique geographical region; very low; part of the Great Rift; Dead Sea is lowest part; Jordan river is 200 miles because of shape, only 60 straight miles between Sea of Galilee and Dead Sea, floods often), Transjordan Mountains; Desert; size of New Jersey • Palestine divided North to South into Cisjordan: Galilee (mountainous and rocky), Samaria (mountainous and rocky), Judah; Transjordan (Bashan, Gilead, Moab) • Significance ➢ Isolated - landlocked ➢ Geographically diverse makes communication difficult and keeps the tribes working in some isolation ➢ Many city-states ➢ Hebrew people took over mountainous regions and could see the valleys and rich fields around them – tempted them to look to the gods of those nations The Covenants of the Bible 1. ____________ Covenant – Though we don’t know much about the covenantal nature of Eden, we do know that God did form a covenant with Adam and Eve from Hosea 6:5-7. 7 As at Adam, they have broken the covenant; they were unfaithful to me there. !3 • Comparison – The covenant is compared to the Mosaic covenant. Both are ones that were broken by a special people set aside by God and tasked with bearing his name. • Result – Like Israel, Adam and Eve’s Failure lead to a rejection of them as God’s people (see Hosea 1:9). • Promise – Also like Israel, Adam and Eve are given a promise of future renewal for their progeny (see Hosea 11, 14) 2. ____________ Covenant – The covenant with Adam begins in the Garden with Genesis 3:15 and 3:21. Adam and Eve are punished, but given future hope of redemption. • Continuity – The two are cast from the garden but they are expected to continue the terms of the Edenic covenant in the larger world as a whole. They are to be fruitful and multiply, subdue the earth and have dominion, and to follow the laws of God. Their only hope of salvation lies in believing the promises of God. • Hope – This is seen and expressed by Eve in her exclamation over Cain (Genesis 4:1). This is also seen in those individuals who in small ways follow after God and especially in Enoch from the line of Seth. He is close to God in such a way that the promise of redemption seems to come to him in an early, prefigurative way (Genesis 5:18-24). • Despair – The hope of Genesis 1-11 is tempered and seemingly destroyed by 3 major events: Cain & Abel; The Wicked Earth, and Babel. • Ultimate Salvation – The ultimate salvation of those who trust in God can be seen in 3 increasingly narrow bloodlines: Seth, Noah, and Shem. 3. ____________ Covenant – Though sometimes isolated from the other covenants, God’s covenant with Noah and all flesh is an important link in the history of the King’s Covenants with his people. It is a natural transition from the somewhat mysterious world of pre-flood times, to the narrowing of the line to Abraham • Requirements of the Covenant – don’t eat blood and don’t take life of man • The Sign of the Covenant – the Rainbow • The Covenant is everlasting (9:16) • This Covenant is with “Noah and his Seed” (9:9) and “All Flesh” (9:17) 4. ____________ Covenant (11:27-15:21; 17:1-14) • Three major promises are contained in 12:1-3: _________, ________, _________ • The Sign of Circumcision (Genesis 17:1-14) 1) Sign of a chosen people to separate from the nations 2) Visible on each man, everyday 3) Loins – denoting the seed being set aside 4) Prefigures heart circumcision of new covenant (Dt. 10:12-21; Jer 31:31-34) 5. ____________ Covenant (Exodus 19-24) – The Mosaic covenant comes at a point when the promises to Abraham are physically being fulfilled in Egypt and Israel. Though there is a new King in Egypt who does not know Joseph (1:8) and who oppresses God’s !4 people, Yahweh still clearly reigns as king as can be seen in Moses’ life and interaction with Pharaoh. The Mosaic covenant will provide the laws and essentially the life desired by the king for the kingdom people. 6. ____________ Covenant (2 Samuel 7) This covenant amplifies and confirms the seed promises of the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:1-3). The Davidic Covenant promises David an eternal house, an eternal throne, and an eternal kingdom, and guarantees that the right to rule over Israel will always belong to one of David’s descendants (cf. Lk. 1:31-33). 7. ____________ Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-33) • New Covenant: Note the covenant formula: "I will be their God and they will be my people" (v. 33b) • Contrasts with Mosaic Covenant: ➢ Law is in the hearts, not just on Tablets: People will keep this covenant because the law will be written on the people's hearts (minds). ➢ Circumcision: Even under the Mosaic covenant Israel was to be circumcised of heart/mind not just flesh (Deut 10:16; 30:6; Jeremiah 4:4). However, under the New Covenant, only those so circumcised will be part of the covenant. • Knowledge of God: Knowledge of God will now be Universal (34a) • Forgiveness of Sin: Forgiveness will now be universal (34b) • New Testament is derived from this term New Covenant. Creation Issues The Options 1. ____________ Evolution – Life evolved over billions of years by random chance; God is not involved. Is there evidence for the position? 2. ____________ Evolution – Evolution happened after initial creation; God superintended the process. ➢ Contradicts biblical record of instantaneous creation “out of nothing” (ex nihilo).
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