Scholars Crossing Books The Works of Elmer Towns 1989 A Journey Through the Old Testament Elmer L. Towns Liberty University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/towns_books Recommended Citation Towns, Elmer L., "A Journey Through the Old Testament" (1989). Books. 8. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/towns_books/8 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the The Works of Elmer Towns at Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in Books by an authorized administrator of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Journey Through The Old Testament The Story of how God Developed His People in the Old Testament Elmer L. Towns Harcourt Brace Custom Publishers Harcourt Brace College Publishers Fort Worth Philadelphia San Diego New York Orlando Austin San Antonio Toronto Montreal London Sydney Tokyo CONTENTS Introduction 1. LUCIFER: The Beginning of the Eternal Rebellion 2. ADAM: The Man Who Had Everything to Lose 3. CAIN: A Depressing Story of Failure 4. NOAH: The Man Who Was Scared into Action 5. NOAH TO NIMROD: From Sin to Sin 6. ABRAHAM: Called to Begin a Nation 7. ABRAHAM: Lapse of Faith: Reasoning with God 8. ABRAHAM: His Choice of Faith 9. ABRAHAM: The Fighter 10. ABRAHAM: Justified by Faith 11. HAGAR: Source of Contention 12. ABRAHAM: Faith Confirmed 13. ABRAHAM: The Intercessor 14. LOT: The Destruction of Sodom 15. ISHMAEL: The Fruit of the Flesh 16. ISAAC: Sacrificed to God 17. SARAH: A Burial of Promise 18. REBEKAH: A Bride for the Promised Son 19. ISAAC: The Well Digger 20. JACOB: The Deceiver 21. JOSEPH: The Dreamer 22. JOB: A Man Who Was Tested 23. MOSES: The Gods of Egypt 24. AARON: The Priesthood and the Tabernacle 25. MOSES: The Murmuring Multitude 26. JOSHUA: The General Who Captured the Promised Land 27. JOSHUA: From Victory to Victory 28. JUDGES: Othniel, Ehud, and Deborah 29. GIDEON: The Defeat of the Midianites 30. RUTH: The Romance of Redemption 31. JEPHTHAH: The Defeat of the Ammonites 32. SAMSON: The Struggle against the Philistines 33. ELI: The End of an Era 34. SAMUEL: From Judges to Kings 35. SAUL: The Beginning of the Monarchy 36. SAUL: His Pursuit of David 37. DAVID: The King 38. DAVID: The Latter Days 39. SOLOMON: The Greatness of the Kingdom 40. JEROBOAM AND REHOBOAM: The Division of the Kingdom 41. KING ASA AND THE KINGS OF THE NORTH: Judah’s Stability and Israel’s Wandering 42. ELIJAH: The Man of Like Passion and Power 43. ELISHA: The Prophet of Twice the Power 44. ISAIAH: On the Hinge of the Kingdom’s History 45. ISAIAH: The Revival Years 46. JEREMIAH: The Collapsing Kings 47. EZEKIEL: Visions of the Glory of God 48. DANIEL: The Years in Babylon 49. FIVE LEADERS: Their Responsibility for the Return of the Jews 50. ESTHER: The Saving of a Nation 51. NEHEMIAH: The Rebuilding of the Walls 52. THE END: The Last of the Prophets INTRODUCTION Certain people make history. They are generals who win wars, explorers who discover new areas, rulers who bring about change in society, or thinkers who write books and/or transform the world with their ideas. History makers are influential and their places in history are measured by what they accomplish. But that does not mean they are necessarily famous. Some history makers walk ob- scurely through life, unknown by those around them, but the next generation experiences the results of their influence. This book is an unusual approach to the Old Testament. It is a study of those people who have influenced the events of the Old Testament. Obviously, I could not include every event in an Old Testament history, nor could I say everything about each person that I discuss. This book follows one of several approaches that historians use to interpret and record the events of the past. Some historians interpret history as a struggle between good and evil, sometimes called a Jewish view of history. Other historians use a cycle view of history; i.e., people struggle from hardship to prosperity, then become lax and lose their attainment and again become captive to adversity. I have chosen to interpret the Old Testament through the influence of great individuals as they improved society or destroyed the quality of life in their culture. History makers have cast a long shadow over the Old Testament. The spiritual level of society is often measured by the quality of its leadership. What these History makers did in the past is the way I interpret the work of God today, that great men build great churches and average pastors maintain them. This book is not just an Old Testament survey that gives the theme, outline, author, and contents of an Old Testament book. There are many outstanding such books, such as Willmington’s Survey of the Old Testament (Victor) by my life-long friend Harold Willmington, who teaches with me at Liberty University. History Makers of the Old Testament is a history of the Old Testament that places people and events in a sequential order. But it does more than pin incidents on a time-clothesline; it interprets the Old Testament through the sequential influence of history makers. The average American is not interested in dusty history stories. They want to know about people. And God’s people want to know bout God’s people. So I believe they will love reading about Old Testament people like themselves. The people who lived before Christ were not much different from us today. They have the same desires, family problems, and frustrations. Yet average people, in difficult circumstances, with inadequate means, faced insurmountable obstacles and became history makers. Their lives are worth our study. This book is more than just a collection of historical data about people in the Old Testament. It attempts to analyze the spiritual principles of history makers and apply them to twentieth-century life. Therefore, practical applications from the lives of Old Testament heroes are made to modern people. Some of the material in this manuscript is drawn by permission from the course in Old Testament Survey (BIBL 101 and 102, Liberty University School of LifeLong Learning) by Dr. Ed Hindson, D. Phil. We both taught this course at Liberty University. I appreciate his knowledge and insight into the Old Testament. I want to recognize the work of Rev. Douglas Porter in this manuscript. During his seminary days he lived in my home and we developed more than a teacher-student relationship. We became friends and we share this same philosophy of history. Doug was my graduate assistant. He helped in the research, typed the narrative from my class notes, and helped me think through the issues. Mr. Garen Forsythe, a graduate student in Old Testament at Liberty University, proofread the Hebrew notations. Sincerely yours in Christ, ELMER L. TOWNS LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 1989 ONE LUCIFER: The Beginning of the Eternal Rebellion (Genesis 1:1-25; Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:11-19) The endless stream of eternity was interrupted when God created the world. A drama of humanity began to unfold on the stage of history. The angels in front-row seats became witnesses to a splendid stage production of the magnificent grace of God. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). Time was divided into compartments described as, “morning and evening.” The simplicity of lengthening shadows and the chirping of crickets echoed the details of Creation. The brilliant sunrise of each new day mirrored the majesty of the Creator. The angels applauded God as He created first land, then water, and next the energy called sun. It is said, “[Angels] shouted for joy” (Job 38:7) because they were overwhelmed by the power and beauty of new things unfolding before them. “In the beginning God created the heavens.” The word heavens is plural which includes the whole of heaven and all its innumerable parts. This includes the angels, the throne of God, and everything therein. The heavens were created at the same time as the angels; neither is eternal. As a matter of fact, nothing is eternal but God, even His throne is not eternal. For if anything were eternal it would be equal to God. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” is a summary statement that includes all that went before the first creative day (i.e., heavens) and all the Creation of the next six days. Time and space begin in Genesis 1:1. LUCIFER AND THE ETERNAL REBELLION God created angels along with heaven. An angel is a living being that has the ability to think, feel, and decide. Millions of angels were created instantaneously. They are spirit beings, meaning they do not have a physical body, though later in history they would manifest themselves in human form. The word “angel” is derived from the Greek word angelos which means “messenger.” It is always used in the masculine gender in Scripture though it is debated by scholars if sexuality in the human sense is ever ascribed to them. The power of angels is inconceivable (2 Kings 19:35), but not omnipotent. The wisdom of angels is extensive (2 Sam. 14:20), but not omniscient. The number of angels is great (Heb. 12:22), but not limitless. Angels are greater than man because God created man just a “little lower than the angels” (2:7). These beings were created by God to serve Him and be about His throne perpetually. Only three are specifically named in Scripture: Lucifer, Michael, and Gabriel.