Dr. Doug Bookman - s3.amazonaws.coms3.amazonaws.com/churchplantmedia-cms/grace-bible... · The chart at right reflects the standard ... The Old Testament (or covenant, ... Genesis

Dr. Doug Bookman Shepherds Theological Seminary, Cary NC

Moses, The Prophets, and Me! Coming to Grips with the Older Testament

The Old Testament is indeed a “book of books”-- in two distinct ways:

β First, it is a book which stands above all other books; it is in fact the Word of God.

β Second, it is a book composed of 39 individual books (compare the Hebrew arrangement of these same Scriptures into 22 books). The chart at right reflects the standard English arrangement of those 39 books.

Our mission: To make you comfortable with the Old Testament.

It is, after all, a book! It is written as a book, and it is intended to be understood as a book.

However, there are two things about this book which make it scary: – first, it’s an old book (written out of a culture and in a language different than our own); – second, it’s a big book (actually 39 books, of different sorts, covering a lot of material, and sometimes written in rather strange fashion).

So conquering this portion of God’s Word is not easy; indeed, it’s the work of a lifetime. But it will be a delight, once you get past the feeling that you’re leaping into a chasm with no bottom. Our intent, then, is to help you conquer the basics of Old Testament study. We do that with the hope and prayer that you will spend the rest of your life happily building on that basic understanding.

Our plan of Attack:

Introduction Why Study the Old Testament? Old Testament History on One Page

Focus #1 The Distinctive Purpose and Plan of Yahweh in the Old Testament Era [Seven Concepts basic to an understanding of what God intended to accomplish for & through Israel]

Focus #2 A Chronological Overview of the Old Testament Narrative [Some basic issues regarding the time and the sequence of Old Testament events]

Focus #3 The Mighty Acts of God [A Survey of the Historical Narrative of the Old Testament]

Focus #4 The LORD Who is nigh to all who call upon Him in truth (Ps 145:18)

[Central Themes of Old Testament Theology]

What We Intend To Get Done

A Book of Books

Moses, the Prophets & Me, p 2

The Old Testament (or covenant, which is what we mean by the word “testament”) was ratified at Mt. Sinai

and was in force for some 1400 years of sacred history. Otherwise known as “the Law,” it is basically the relationship between God and His people which obtained from the days of Moses until the days of Jesus. The body of sacred literature which Christians refer to as the Old Testament records the period from creation all the way to Jesus–a period much longer than the time when the old (Mosaic) covenant was actually in force. (That is, the 39 books of the Old Testament cover at least 4000 years, whereas the Mosaic covenant was in force for only the last 1400 years of those four millennia.) According to Hebrews, that Old Testament became old as a result of Jesus’ ministry. That is, when our Lord offered us the long awaited new covenant through His death, burial, resurrection and ascension, the old covenant became “obsolete and . . . ready to vanish away” (8:13). This is what Jesus meant when He stated in His Sermon on the Mount, “Do not think that I have come to abolish (NKJV: “destroy”) the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them” (Mt. 5:13). We can praise God that we live on this side of the cross and the empty tomb, that we have become the happy inheritors of the New Covenant (or Testament) in Jesus’ blood, that we no longer live under the Law, but under grace. Indeed, we do have a better hope (Heb. 7:19), a better covenant (7:22) based on a better sacrifice (9:23), and that we long for a “better country--a heavenly one” (11:16). But does this mean that there is no value in those 39 books for the New Testament Christian? Again, are we relieved of our obligation to know and cherish that portion of God’s Word? Perish the reprehensible thought! (Oops! Forgive me, but I get rather worked up over the issue.) Why, then, is it important to the New Testament believer to study and to cherish the Old Testament? Let me suggest four basic propositions in defense of that mandate: Reason #1: The Old Testament is Scripture, and God demands that believers study all of the Scriptures.

Indeed, the best and only infallible interpreter of Scripture is Scripture. Thus, it is essential that the believer be able to understand any passage of Scripture in terms of what Scripture as a whole teaches. In order to do that, the believer has to know the Scripture as a whole.

Reason #2: Though New Testament writers wrote in Greek, they thought in Hebrew. That is, the minds of the New Testament writers were saturated with Old Testament thoughts, figures, stories, and emphases. They framed their thoughts in terms of both the literary structures and the concepts of the Old Testament. Thus, the believer who wants to understand the New Testament must saturate his own mind with the Older Testament.

Reason #3: Wherever you are in the Bible, God expects you to bring with you everything He said before. This is the concept known in Biblical Hermeneutics as progressive revelation. God did not reveal all truth at once; rather, there have been seasons of revelatory activity in history. With each season of revelation, the store of truth which God has made known to men has grown. The progress is never from error to truth; God does not reveal something as truth, and then later change His mind and say something contrary to what He had said earlier. Rather, revelation progresses from truth to greater truth; God often makes a truth known in seed form, and then with time expands on that truth so that it becomes ever more compelling and precious.

Reason #4: The remarkable privileges you possess as a New Testament believer are intended to be enjoyed in the bright light of what God taught concerning Himself in the Old Testament. It is my persuasion that the distinction between the experience of the Old Testament believer the New Testament believer can be reduced to one concept: intimacy! This is Paul’s Abba principle (Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6). The godliest Old Testament saint could not imagine coming boldly before the throne of God’s glory, but we are invited to do just that. However, it is all too easy to forget the nature of the God with whom we have been invited to enjoy such intimacy. There is no better corrective for such carelessness than a soul/spirit saturated with the Old Testament.

TQ: What’s old and obsolete and worn out, but not worthless? A: The 39 books of our Old Testament!

The N

arrative of the Old T

estament on O

ne Page

Biblical R

ecord T

ime S

pan A

n Outline of the B

iblical Narrative

Other S

cripture Written

During this P

eriod

I. GO

D A

ND

__________________ [1]

G

enesis 1-11

1-3 F

rom C

reation (ca 4000 BC

) to

the call of Abraham

(2091 BC

)

A. T

he Creation and F

all of Mankind

4-9 B

. Destruction by the F

lood in the Days of N

oah

10-11 C

. Tow

er of Babel; the E

arth is Populated

Genesis 12

through N

ehemiah 13

II. G

OD

& __________________

[2]

Job G

en 12 – G

en 50

A. T

he _____

_____

____ of A

braham [3]

Gen 12-36

2091 – 1876 BC

- to Jacob’s descent into E

gypt

1. Out of U

r to Canaan

Gen 37-50

2. Dow

n to Egypt

B. T

he __

_____

_____

__of Israel [4]

Exodus 1

through N

eh 13

1. Israel under _____________________ [5]

Exodus 1

through 2 K

gs 24

Exodus -

Deuteronom

y 1876 – 1406 - to the death of M

oses

a. Exodus/W

ilderness Wanderings

Joshua 1406 – ca 1350 B

C

- to death of Joshua’s generation

b. The C

onquest & D

ivision of the Land of Canaan

Judges 1 – 1 S

amuel 12

Ca 1350 B

C – 1041 B

C

-to coronation of King S

aul

c. The P

eriod of the Judges

d. T

he Period of the M

onarchy

1 Sam

uel 12 T

hrough 2 K

ings 24

1 Sam

12 – 1 K

gs 11

1041 – 971 BC

- to death of S

olomon

(1) T

he United M

onarchy P

salms (m

ost), Song of

Solom

on, Proverbs (m

ost), E

cclesiastes

1 Kgs 12 – 2

Kgs 17

971 – 722 BC

-to fall of N

orthern K

ingdom (Israel)

(2) T

he Divided M

onarchy O

badiah, Joel, Jonah, Am

os, H

osea, Micah, Isaiah, N

ahum,

Zephaniah, Jerem

iah/Lam,

Habakkuk

2 Kings

18 - 24

722 – 586 BC

- to fall of S

outhern K

ingdom (Judah)

(3) T

he Surviving M

onarchy

2. Israel under _____________________ [6]

Ezra 1

through N

eh 13

No biblical

record 606 – 536 B

C

- to Cyrus’ decree/Jew

s’ return

a. Exile in B

abylon for 70 years D

aniel, Ezekiel,

1,2 Chronicles

b. R

estoration to Jerusalem/Israel

Ezra 1-6

536 – 516 BC

- to com

pletion of 2nd tem

ple

(1) Return under Z

erubbabel to rebuild the temple

Haggai, Z

echariah

Ezra 7-12

458 – ca 414 BC

(2) Return under E

zra to reform w

orship E

sther

Neh 1-13

444 – ca 414 BC

(3) Return under N

ehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem

M

alachi

Mo

ses,

th

e P

rop

hets

& M

e, p

4

THE

DIV

INE

DR

AM

A O

F T

HE

OLD

TE

ST

AM

EN

T I

N S

EV

EN

SC

EN

ES

[G

OD

& M

AN

KIN

D]

I.

U

nive

rsal

De

alin

gs

G

ene

sis

1-11

A.

Cre

atio

n

B.

Fa

ll C

. O

vers

pre

ad

ing

of t

he e

art

h w

ith e

vil;

No

ahi

c F

lo

od

*Noahic

Covenant

D.

To

we

r o

f Ba

be

l

[G

OD

& IS

RA

EL]

The FAMILY

of Abraham

II.

The

Pa

tria

rcha

l Age

Ge

nesi

s 12

-50

A.

Ab

raha

m

*A

bra

ham

ic C

ovenant

B.

Isa

ac

C.

Ja

cob

D.

Jo

sep

h

The NATION of Israel

III.

Isra

el b

eco

me

s a

Nat

ion;

The

Life

of

Mos

es

Israel under KING YAHWEH E

xodu

s –

Deu

tero

nom

y

A.

The

Exo

dus

fro

m E

gyp

t B

. T

he G

ivin

g o

f the

La

w a

t Mt S

ina

i

*M

osaic

Covenant

(aka S

inaitic

Covenant,

or

Old

Covenant)

C.

The

Wild

ern

ess

Wa

nde

ring

s (t

he u

nbe

lievi

ng

gene

ra

tion

die

s)

IV

. C

onqu

est

& D

ivis

ion

of t

he L

and

of C

ana

an; t

he

Life

of J

oshu

a Jo

shua

1-2

4

A

. T

he b

elie

vin

g ge

nera

tion

ent

ers

the

land

B

. 7

-ye

ar

Co

nque

st; t

he a

bili

ty o

f th

e C

ana

an

ites

to

re

sist

is d

est

roye

d

C.

The

La

nd is

div

ide

d a

mo

ng

the

12

trib

es;

the

y a

re

dis

pa

tche

d to

co

mp

lete

the

Co

nque

st

V

. T

he P

erio

d of

the

Jud

ges;

the

re is

“no

Kin

g in

Isr

ae

l” Ju

dge

s 1

– 1

Sa

mue

l 12

VI.

The

Mon

arc

hy in

Isra

el;

Hum

an

Kin

gs r

eign

in t

he

Nam

e o

f th

e D

ivin

e K

ing

1 S

am

uel 1

3 –

2 K

ings

24

A.

The

Uni

ted

Mo

narc

hy

(12

trib

es

und

er

one

kin

g)

*D

avid

ic C

ovenant

B.

The

Div

ide

d M

ona

rch

y (2

trib

es

= J

uda

h; 1

0 tr

ibe

s =

Isr

ae

l) C

. T

he S

urvi

vin

g M

ona

rch

y (o

nly

Jud

ah

rem

ain

s)

V

II.

Exi

le &

Re

stor

atio

n; to

Bab

ylon

and

Ba

ck

Israel under GENTILE

OVERLORDS

Ezr

a –

Ne

hem

iah

(with

Est

her)

A.

Exi

le in

Ba

byl

on

for

70

ye

ars

(no

bib

lica

l re

cor

d)

B.

Re

sto

ratio

n to

Je

rusa

lem

/Isr

ae

l in

3 s

tage

s

1.

U

nde

r Z

eru

bb

ab

el,

to r

ebui

ld th

e te

mp

le (

Ezr

a 1

-6)

2

.

Und

er

Ezr

a, t

o r

est

ore

the

pur

ity o

f w

ors

hip

in

the

tem

ple

(E

zra

7-1

0)

3

.

Und

er

Ne

hem

iah,

to r

eb

uild

& r

e-in

hab

it th

e c

ity o

f Je

rusa

lem

(N

ehe

mia

h 1

-13

)


Focus #1

The Distinctive Purpose and Plan of Yahweh in the Old Testament Era [Seven Concepts basic to an understanding of what God intended to accomplish for & through Israel]

1. The Intent and Importance of Israel’s Influence a. The concept: God chose Israel to be salt and light in the midst of a wicked world (Gen 12:3; Exod 19:5,6).

b. The significance: In choosing Israel, God was not neglecting or rejecting the rest of the peoples of the world.

2. The Principle of Providential Placement a. The concept: God placed Israel at the most strategic spot on

the most important international highway of the ancient world.

b. The significance: Rather than sending Israel to the nations, God brought the nations to Israel.



3. The Dynamics of Distinctive Divisions

a. The concept: The land of Israel, though very small, is marked by five (okay, maybe six) very distinct geographical divisions (from west to east: the coastal plains, [the Shephelah], the central hill country, the Jordan Rift, and the transjordanian plateau).

b. The significance: Though military and commercial traffic was constantly marching through their land, Israel could enjoy remarkable seclusion in the central hill country where most of her life was lived.


4. The Wisdom and Will of God regarding the Worship and the Walk of Israel a. The concept: King Yahweh gave Israel a law code (the Mosaic [Old] Covenant) which touched every facet of public and

private life, and which shaped the theology and testimony of the nation.

b. The significance: That law code was intended by God to be the means by which individuals (Israelites or proselytes) could draw near to God, and by which Israel would be kept distinct from the nations (i.e., set apart, or “holy”).

5. Regular Rainfall, Rapid Runoff, and God’s Requirement of Righteousness a. The concept: By reason of the geology, geography and topography of the land, the people of Israel were constantly

dependent upon the “former and latter rains” in order to survive agriculturally (Deut 11:10-12).

Note concerning the agricultural cycle of the land of Israel:

Winter rainy season (Oct/Nov – Mar/Apr) Begins with FORMER RAINS (necessary to break up soil, get plow in the ground) Concludes with LATTER rains (necessary to fully mature the grain, given very short growing season) Muust have regular rainfall in between these Rain necessary to grow grain crops (hay, barley, wheat), which are… Harvested in the springtime (after the latter rains, but must be in before heat of the summer)

Summer dry season (no rain at all) Heavy dew each night, sufficient to grow vineyard & orchard crops (grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives) These are harvested in the fall (after the former rains)

b. The significance: God intended that abiding dependence upon regular and recurring rainfall to be to the people of Israel a very practical and compelling impetus to obedience (Deut 11:13-17).


6. The Cycle of Calendar, Climate, Crops and Celebrations a. The concept: Several elements of the Mosaic law gave a deliberate rhythm to the life of the covenant nation.

One of the most important: the annual cycle of seven feasts (i.e., the three pilgrimage feasts – see below) (Note that each of these was necessarily related to the agricultural cycle.)

The Springtime Feasts • The Primary Feast: Passover

• Included 3 distinguishable feasts (1) Passover (2) Unleavened Bread (3) First Fruits

• Remembered the exodus from Egypt

• Celebrated the harvest of the early grain crops

RELATIONSHIP TO THE AGRICULTURAL CYCLE

• Former rains necessary to break up fallow soil, latter rains to mature the crops

• Throughout the winter (rainy) season, all Israel longing for rain

IMPORTANCE OF THE CYCLE

• God established the month of Passover as the first month of the year (Ex 12:2)

• Exodus from Egypt = greatest miracle of the OT; God intended Israel to remember it carefully

• First fruits—acknowledged that the harvest was from God, anticipated that the full harvest would be as the first fruits

The Summer Feast • Pentecost

• Celebrated the harvest of the early grain crops


• Harvest occurs soon after the latter rains; the crops had to be taken in quite soon once those rains were past

• Came 50 days after the Sabbath of the Passover cycle (therefore, Feast of Weeks)

• After the latter rains, there is no rain whatever in Israel for several months (Mar/Apr – Oct/Nov)


• Again, acknowledged that the grain/bread/feed necessary to life came only from God

The Autumn Feasts (High Holy Days) • Included 3 distinguishable feasts

(1) Trumpets (1st day of 7th month) (2) Yom Kippur (10th of 7th month) (3) Tabernacles (15-21 of 7th month)

• Tabernacles (Booths) Remembered the wilderness wanderings,

anticipated the Messianic Kingdom

• Celebrated the harvest of the summer or hillside crops (vineyards/orchards)


• Time of great rejoicing, as most delightful crop is being brought in

• Much prayer for rain (for former/early rains, which will signal beginning of winter growing season), especially at the Feast of Tabernacles (cf. Jn 7)


• Yom Kippur--most solemn day of the year; included fasting & contrition

• Tabernacles--most blessed period of the year; anticipated the day when every man would sit under his vine & fig tree (Mic 4:4)

b. The significance: (1) The cycle of feasts was designed to remind God’s covenant people of their dependence upon Him: – in the early part of the (religious) year, the nation acknowledged that only Yahweh could send the rains necessary for

the grain crops to do well – in the summer, after the grain harvest was in, the nation acknowledged God’s goodness/justice in providing the harvest

they had taken in – in the latter part of the year, the nation rejoiced over God’s provision of the summer/hillside crops

(2) The reality thus set before the nation season by season: only Yahweh can make life possible (i.e., provide the grain crops necessary to have life, and only Yahweh can make life pleasant (i.e., give the hillside crops necessary to enjoy life).

In short: The focus of that rhythm was King Yahweh Himself!

7. The Struggle for the Soil and the Soul of Israel


a. The concept: Because God has graciously provided this one people as the means by which He would put Himself on display to the world, He caused that people to be set apart from the world in many ways – to be uniquely and inevitably the people of Yahweh.

[Note that Israel as a people has played this role irrespective of the number of individual Israelites who personally claimed the promises of

God for salvation. That is, Yahweh chose this one people to bear His name before the world, and the grace and justice with which He has dealt with this people across the ages is one of the most important testimonies to His power and faithfulness, regardless of the prevailing spiritual condition of that people.]

But the world despises and resents Yahweh, and thus the contempt and hatred with which they regard that one nation whom

He chose to bear His name before them.

b. The significance: (1) Because of her position as the unique people of Yahweh, Israel has been especially hated and hounded by her neighbors

in every place and in every age. Thus the struggle for the soil of Israel! (2) Because of that recurring and rabid hatred, Israel has been often tempted to abandon her distinctiveness – i.e., to

assimilate. Thus the struggle for the soul of Israel!

Review

I.

II.

III.

IV.

V.

VI.

VII.

The Intent and Importance of Israel’s Influence

The Principle of Providential Placement

The Dynamics of Distinctive Divisions

The Wisdom and Will of God regarding the Worship and Walk of Israel

Regular Rainfall, Rapid Runoff, and God’s Requirement of Righteousness

The Cycle of Calendar, Climate, Crops and Celebrations

The Struggle for the Soil and the Soul of Israel


Focus #2

A Chronological Overview of the Old Testament Narrative [Some basic issues regarding the time and the sequence of Old Testament events]

Note: In order to understand the Old Testament, you have to understand the historical narrative of that portion of Scripture. But in order to understand that historical narrative, you have to have some grip on the chronology of that period. Chronology is the backbone from which history is hung. It’s not always intriguing, but it is important. Therefore, we will quickly consider four specific issues relative to Old Testament chronology.

ISSUE #1: Dating Abraham (with apologies to Sarah)

1. The basic Scriptural passage: 1 Kings 6:1

For an explanation of how the “anchor date” of 966 BC is calculated, see the article by Eugene Merrill entitled “The Basis of Old Testament Chronology.” The article is found on the next two pages of these notes.

2. On the basis of this passage, the following chronological calculations can be made. Note: There is very little speculation here. This is basically hard data and simple arithmetic.

Scripture Passage

Chronological data in the passage

Event which occurred in this year

1.

2. Given the data in the chart, a number of specific events from the Patriarchal period - i.e., from the days from Abraham to Joseph, recorded in Genesis 12-50.

1 Kgs 6:1 Exodus occurred 480 years before the 4th year of Solomon

966

÷ + 480

÷ Temple building begun by Solomon

1446 ÷ Exodus from Egypt

Ex 12:40 Israel in Egypt for 430 years

÷ + 430

1876 ÷ Jacob & his clan to Egypt to join Joseph

Gen 47:9 Age of Jacob when he to Egypt

÷ + 130

2006 ÷ Jacob is born

Gen 25:26 Age of Isaac when Jacob born

÷ + 60

2066 ÷ Isaac is born

Gen 21:5 Age of Abraham when Isaac born

÷ + 100

2166 ÷ Abraham is born

The article below explains how the anchor date for Old Testament chronology is calculated.




Issue #2: Dating Creation (with apologies to Darwin)

A. The “traditional” date for the creation of the earth -

B. How is that date calculated? 1. Begin with the date of Abraham’s birth (2166 BC), calculated above.

2. Notice that there is a genealogy in Genesis 11 which records the generations from Shem (11:10) to Abra[ha]m (11:26). (Shem was one of the thee sons of Noah.) Furthermore, there is a genealogy in Genesis 5 which records the generations from Adam (5:3) to Noah/Shem (5:32).

Thus, it would seem that these two genealogies record all the generations of a family extending from Adam to Abraham.

3. Notice that there is a very unusual piece of information included in each generational record in both of

those genealogies--the age of each individual when he “begat” the [next] generation.

4. Thus, it seems that (among other things) these genealogies are designed to record the passage of time. That is, by adding the figures given us in the genealogies--the age of each man when he bore his son--we should be able to compute the time which elapsed in the course of these generations. It is hard to know for what other purpose this piece of information was intended to be used.

If that is true, then we can calculate the amount of time which transpired from Abraham to Adam, and by that means we can calculate the date of creation.

5. The problem with this: many believe that there are “gaps”in the genealogies of Genesis 5 & 11.

That is, if not all of the genealogies are recorded, and thus if in some cases the individual listed is “begetting” not a son (1st generation male offspring) but a descendant (grand- or great-grand- or great-great-grand-son), then the figures included in the genealogies cannot be used to calculate elapsed time.

6. A caveat: Don’t be too quick to reject the possibility of a “young” earth.

Issue #3: Dating the Exodus (with apologies to Archeology)

1. The biblical date of the Exodus (calculated above): B.C.

2. The archeological community almost universally rejects this date, insisting that the exodus (such as it was, in the minds of most of them) occurred about 1260 BC.

a. The basic argument: After the exodus came the conquest of Canaan. A conquest such as that would have left a wide-spread pattern of destruction

(burning cities) which archeologists can always identify. But there is no widespread pattern of destruction in Israel from the 15th century BC (1400's). On the other hand, there is such a pattern of destruction in the 13th century (1200's).

b. The biblical response: 1) There is a clear Biblical reason why there is no evidence of widespread destruction in the fourteenth century— Compare Joshua 11:13— 2) In fact, there were only three cities destroyed and/or burned by Israel in the Conquest - Jericho (Josh 6:24; Ai

(Josh 8:28), and Hazor (Josh 11:11-13). Aling carefully considers the archeological record at each of these sites (Egypt and Bible History, p 89-92) and concludes that "the archeological record does not categorically support the late date for the exodus, as is often claimed."

In this connection, see Merrill's Palestinian Archaeology and the Date of the Conquest: Do Tells Tell Tales? in Grace Theological

Journal, 3(1982), 107-21

3) The Bible does offer an explanation as to the archeological record of widespread destruction in Canaan in the

late thirteenth century BC—


Eugene Merrill:

The Book of Judges makes it very clear that Israel was overrun time and time again by enemy peoples from both within and outside the land. At no time was this more devastating to Israelite life than in the thirteenth century, that is, at precisely the time in which advocates of a late date for the exodus set the conquest. Traditional chronology requires the judgeship of Deborah during this period, and that of Gideon shortly thereafter. Though details concerning the extent of damage caused by the respective foes, the Canaanites and Midianites, are lacking in the narratives, the facts that Jabin of Hazor "cruelly oppressed" Israel for twenty years (Judg 4:3) and that many of the tribes were rallied under Deborah and Barak in order to break the Canaanite stranglehold (Judg 5:12-18) suggest widespread military engagement which could have inflicted tremendous physical damage on Israel's cities....A carefully constructed chronology based on a legitimate hermeneutic requires that this [late thirteenth century BC] destruction be explained on the basis of something other than the conquest. The best alternative is the oppression of Israel by Canaanites and Midianites and the redressing of that oppression by the heroic efforts of the Judges.

4) There are secondary arguments, but it is this argument that drives so many to abandon the biblical testimony

concerning the date of the Exodus.

NOTE: THE chart on this page is designed to demonstrate that if the biblical date is accepted, the narrative of the Exodus in Scripture fits perfectly with what can be known from extra-biblical history. Points of contact between the narrative of Exodus and the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt 1 Amhose expelled the Hyksos

The Hyksos thus become the dynasty which includes the “pharaoh who knew not Joseph” [Ex 1:8].

2 Thutmose I demands Hebrew boys be thrown into the Nile It is reasonable that Thutmose I had witnessed earlier attempts to retard the growth of the Israelite nation, and was aware that those attempts were unavailing; therefore he resorted to this stratagem. Further, because Thutmose I came to the throne just months before Moses was born, we have an explanation as to how Aaron (3 years Moses’ senior) escaped the dictum to drown all new-born Hebrew male children.

3 Hatshepsut is the daughter of Pharaoh who discovers Moses in the river, raises him as her own son. Hatshepsut is the only woman to have ruled over Egypt as [quasi-] Pharaoh. All that we know of her personality and career fit perfectly with the biblical description of the woman who rescued the child Moses from the river. (Note that her statues have all been disfigured; this reconstruction provides the perfect explanation for that remarkable act.)

4 Thutmose III is Hatshepsut’s rival for the throne of Egypt, and thus the enemy of Moses Very possibly, Thutmose III regards Moses as a rival as well; it is this fact that renders Moses’ situation so precarious after he slays the Egyptian taskmaster. (That is, by thus aligning himself with Israel against Egypt, Moses had equipped his enemy, Thutmose III, with a rationale for attacking him.) Furthermore, according to Ex 4:19, when Moses was called by YHWH at the burning bush, he was told that “the ones who sought your life are dead.” Thutmose III died in 1450, just four or five years before the burning bush experience.

5 The Pharaoh of the exodus is Amenhotep II. Amenhotep II fits very well with the narrative of the exodus. He was a militaristic pharaoh early in his reign, but went on no extensive campaigns after his 7th year. He was a proud and effective ruler, consistent with the picture of the pharaoh who hardened his heart in Exodus. There is a son buried with him in the royal tomb which was sealed at his death.

The EIGHTEENTH DYNASTY of Egypt

AMHOSE (1570-1546)

AMENHOTEP I (1546-1526)

THUTMOSE I (1526-1518)

HATSHEPSUT THUTMOSE II (1518-1504)

THUTMOSE III (1504)[Set aside by Hatshepsut]

THUTMOSE III (1482-1450)[Regains throne after death of Hatshepsut;set ou t to destory memory of Hatshepsut]

HATSHEPSUT reigns alone

(1504-1482)

AMENHOTEP II (1453-1415)

bMoses born (1526)

b The Exodus (1446)

b Moses flees (1486)

[Daughter by royal w ife] [Son by lesser, non-royal wife]

[Completed expulsion of Hyksos]

[Probably issued decree tomidwives to slay Hebrew sons]

[Probably --soon after he came tothe throne--issued decree to simplyslay Hebrew boys]

Points at which Moses possiblyhad to refuse to be called theson of Pharaoh’s daughter


Issue #4: Dating the Old Testament Narrative (with apologies to the higher critics)

a. The higher critical conclusion concerning the narrative of the Old Testament may be summarized as follows:

i. None of the events recorded as occurring before the divided monarchy (i.e., before about 900 BC, the days toward the end of the reign of King Solomon) were recorded by writers contemporary to those events (as the Scriptures claim they were, with the exception of the book of Genesis).

ii. Rather, those events were recorded much later by individuals who were trying to make the history of Israel more noble and compelling than it actually was. In other words, the narrative as we have it was written retrospectively by political/religious propagandists, and thus must be understood as a story very much embellished and exaggerated, albeit for noble reasons. (Thus, the conceit of the “pious imposter.”)

b. The worldview which animates the higher critic, and thus forces him to such conclusions:

i. All of history must be perceived as unfolding in a way consistent with our own day, and thus reports of the supernatural in ancient history must be presuppositionally rejected.

Indeed, this is the sense of the word “critical.” Ancient peoples were “pre-critical” (i.e., superstitious), and thus were willing to believe far-fetched stories of great miracles wrought by the God of Israel. However, modern man has learned to explain the universe without resort to a Supreme Being; he is critical, subjecting claims of the supernatural to the logic of rationalism and anti-supernaturalism.

ii. The two elements of biblical history which are intrinsically incredible to the critic:

(1) Miracle stories, and (2) Predictive prophecy which has already come to pass.

c. The one strategy which the critic (read: anti-supernaturalist) has devised to “explain away” these

two elements of the biblical record: late-dating the books of the Bible

i. Thus, the miracle stories are in fact mythologized and exaggerated remembrances of exciting (but ordinary) events in the history of the nation.

For example, the crossing of the Red Sea was probably an escape through a marshy area (the Reed Sea) by a small number of slaves. But as the story was told around the camp fire generation after generation, it was wildly embellished until it involved specific promises by God, miracles which only God could accomplish, and thus an event which defined a nation as God’s covenant people.

ii. Again, the predictive prophecies are taken to have been written after the fact, and then

masqueraded as predictions in order to encourage the reader, as well as to compel that reader to obey the religious authorities.

Thus the concept of Deutero-Isaiah and the 2nd century BC authorship of Daniel by an imposter.

d. In fact, higher critical theories concerning the authorship/dates of various Old Testament books are a result not of evidence and impartial investigation, but of a naturalist (i.e., anti-supernaturalist) presupposition.

NOTE: This will be true especially of those books which include a great deal of those elements which can only be explained by accepting the reality of the supernatural in history.


Focus #3

The Mighty Acts of God [A Survey of the Historical Narrative of the Old Testament]

I. HISTORICAL PERIOD #1: UNIVERSAL DEALINGS [God and MANKIND ] (Genesis 1-11)

A. Event #1:___________________________________________________

(Genesis 1-3)

1. The Creation of Mankind (Genesis 1-2) Notes: [1] There are in fact two creation accounts. The first (1:1-

2:4) describes the act of creation from God’s perspective; only He could provide such a narrative, because only He was there throughout the week of creation. The second account (2:4 - 25) is written from Adam’s perspective (cp. Gen 5:1); its primary emphasis is God’s provision of a wife for Adam.

[2] There is no reason to take the creation account as anything but a literal and entirely factual record of God’s creative activity at the beginning of time.

2. The Fall of Mankind into Sin and Condemnation (Genesis 3)

Notes: [1] It is important to acknowledge and appreciate the significance of the fall in Genesis 3, both biblically (i.e.,

the way in which that narrative colors all that happens thereafter) and personally (i.e., the way in which the reality of fallenness colors the life of every human being).

[2] Notice that after the sin, God made a remarkable promise (Gen 3:15) and a very important provision (Gen

3:21). In these God provides the seed from which the plan of salvation will erupt.

B. Event #2: (Genesis 6-9) Notes:

[1] It is important to understand that it was the wickedness of men which caused God to send the flood upon the earth. (In this regard: the extent of the flood--universal or local?)

[2] Notice the way in which the ecology and climate of the earth changed at the Flood. (In this connection, what

happened to the dinosaurs?)

[3] After the flood, God ratifies a covenant with mankind through Noah (Gen 8:20-9:17); that covenant includes: 1] the promise that God would never again destroy the earth by flood; 2] permission for mankind to eat meat (but no blood); 3] the responsibility to punish evildoers; 4] the sign of the covenant--the rainbow.

C. Event #3: (Genesis 10:11)

Note: What was the sin of the builders of the tower of Babel, and why did God judge that sin so dramatically?

FOCUS: Three great events of the period of Universal Dealings

Note Concerning Chronology:

This period covers the events from creation to the call of Abram from Ur of the Chaldees (2091 BC). Therefore, using the most conservative date for the creation of the world (ca 4000 BC), this period covers almost 2000 years, which is more than the rest of the Old Testament in total . (Abraham - Malachi = ca 1700 years)


Note concerning chronology: This first period of the history of Israel as a people lasts 215 years, from the call of Abram (2091 BC) to the time when Abraham’s grandson, Jacob/Israel, moves his clan to Egypt in order to rejoin his long-lost son, Joseph (1876 BC).

II. HISTORICAL PERIOD #2: THE PATRIARCHAL AGE [God and ISRAEL] (Genesis 12-50)

Introductory Notes: [1] Remember that in choosing Abraham/Israel, Yahweh was not:

abandoning the rest of humanity. The choice of the family (and later the nation) of Abraham was God’s gracious means of powerfully putting Himself on display to the world, and thus drawing many to Himself.

[2] Understand that when Yahweh chooses Israel, He actually chooses a man who, by God’s grace and in the fulfillment

of God’s promises, will become a great nation. [3] This period is known as the Patriarchal Age, because it narrates four successive generations of a small clan, the first

three of which were governed by a ruling Patriarch who plays a role important to the biblical narrative. (It is important to understand the concept of patriarchal rule, as it is so basic to what is happening here.)

[4] The story told in the book of JOB occurred during this period.

(There is debate as to when that story was written down in the form in which we possess it in the Scriptures.)

A. Patriarch #1: (Genesis 12 - 26)

Notes: [1] Abram was part of a wealthy and powerful clan living in the Mesopotamian delta; God called him to abandon that

clan, to go to a land which He would show him, and to allow God to make of him a great clan which would be a blessing to all people. (Note: Abraham would have understood that promise in relationship to the earlier promise of Gen 3:15.)

[2] A very important element of this narrative: the ratification & establishment of the Abrahamic Covenant [3] Abram follows the command of Yahweh to depart his homeland (albeit haltingly), but he waited for 25 years for

the first son to be born to him. (Thus, Abraham was 100 years old when his wife, Sarah, finally bore him a son, Isaac.)

[4] During those years of waiting, Abram often doubted God. But God was faithful to Abraham. He confirmed His

covenant promises in a remarkable and blessed ceremony of legal ratification (Gen 15)

FOCUS: The three great patriarchs of this period

Abram’s Route to Canaan


B. Patriarch #2: (Genesis 12 - 26)

Notes: [1] Isaac was the son of promise for whom Abraham

and Sarah had waited for 25 years! Nonetheless, when Yahweh commanded that Abraham offer Isaac up as a sacrifice, Abraham was willing to do so (Gen 22), fully persuaded “that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead” (Heb 11:19).

[2] Isaac married Rebekah, and in God’s time they

bore twin sons, Esau (the elder) and Jacob (the younger). God promises that Jacob would inherit the birthright (i.e., the place of honor and authority, and thus the right to carry on the line of promise), but Jacob goes about to seize that honor for himself by deceit and trickery.

C. Patriarch #3: (Genesis 37- 50)

[1] As a result of his deceitful attempts to seize the birthright for himself, Jacob is forced to flee from his brother, Esau.

[2] During his years away from his family,

Jacob marries Leah and Rachel, tends sheep for his uncle, Laban, and bears 12 sons by his two wives and their two handmaidens. Those 12 sons of Jacob become the 12 tribes of Israel (with some permutations!). Rachel (the favorite wife of Jacob), who was unable to bear children for much of her life, finally gives birth to two sons–the last two sons of Jacob/Israel, Joseph and Benjamin.

[3] Jacob finally returns home, and along the

way he is confronted by the Angel of the Lord. Jacob insists that the Angel bless him, and thus Jacob’s name is changed to Israel and the covenant is reconfirmed in his line.

[4] In one of the most beautiful and compelling stories of all literature, Jacob’s favorite son, Joseph, is sold into

slavery by his siblings, taken to Egypt, thrown into prison, but then released and exalted by reason of his divinely provided ability to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams. Joseph guides Egypt (and the Mediterranean world) through 7 years of famine, and in that connection is reunited with his family.

[5] As the family period of Israel’s history draws to a close, Jacob takes his little clan of 70 souls and goes to Egypt

to escape the famine and to be reunited with his son, Joseph. [6] This brings us to the end of the book of Genesis. As we close that book, the family of Abraham, now under the

leadership of Jacob, is living happily in Egypt. They are a tiny clan, but because of Joseph they have been received very well in Egypt.


III. HISTORICAL PERIOD #3: ISRAEL BECOMES A NATION (Exodus 1 - Deuteronomy 34) Introductory Notes: [1] The Jewish people think of Abraham as the father of their

family, but of Moses as the father of their nation. Think about the difference between a family and a nation.

What does it take to make a nation of a family? [2] Remember that when we close the book of Genesis, Jacob’s

little clan are living happily in Egypt. However, Exodus 1:7-22 records two dramatic changes in the

fortunes of that family during their long stay in Egypt:

The first change (Exodus 1:7, 9, 12):

The second change (Ex 1:8-22): Notice that this was in fulfillment of a promise made by Yahweh to Abraham much earlier (Gen 15:13-16). [3] Another distinction: the balance of the Old Testament (Moses - Nehemiah) can be divided again into two distinct

periods.

→ During the first period, Israel is an independent nation, ruled in a real sense by King Yahweh (who administers that rule through human mediators of his own choosing). We have called that period “Israel under God as King.” This continues from the Exodus (1446 BC) until the Kingdom of Judah is carried off to Babylon (586 BC).

→ Daniel prophesied a series of four Gentile kingdoms who would rule over Israel until Messiah’s appearance (Dan

2, 7). Those four were BABYLON, MEDO-PERSIA, GREECE, and ROME. Thus, the second period of Israel’s history as a nation in the Old Testament is “Israel under Gentile Rulers” (below). Jesus referred to this period as “the times of the Gentiles” (Lk 21:24). That period lasted from 586 BC to the close of the Old Testament. Notice that when the Old Testament closes, Medo-Persia is in power. So only the first two of those prophesied Gentile powers ruled over Israel in the pages of the Old Testament.

A. Event #1: (Exodus 1- 18)

[1] The Exodus is the most important and defining miracle of the Old Testament. It is important to come to grips

with the majesty and power which Yahweh demonstrated in that event. [2] The Exodus occurred in 1446 BC (1 Kgs 6:1), after the Israelites had been in Egypt for 430 years (Ex 12:40). [3] If the biblical date for the Exodus is accepted (as it should be), the Pharaoh of the Exodus was almost certainly

Amenhotep II; he fits the biblical narrative remarkably well. (See under Chronology.) [4] God used the pride and stubbornness of the Egyptian Pharaoh to put on display His own infinite power and glory.

This is an important element of the biblical narrative, and it shapes Israel’s history through the rest of the Old Testament and beyond (cp 1 Sam 4:8).

An important Distinction:

The family of Abraham, which had gone down to Egypt under Jacob/Israel, will become a nation under Moses, and she will, of course, remain a nation throughout the Old Testament narrative. It is important to grasp the distinction between that portion of Israel’s history when she was simply a clan/family (i.e., the period of the Patriarchs, recorded in Gen 12-50), and the later period when she becomes a nation (Exodus through the rest of the Old Testament).

FOCUS: Three great events of the life of Moses


[5] Included in the remarkable and dramatic narrative of the exodus from Egypt are the following elements: → God’s providential preservation of the baby Moses, honoring the faith of the child’s parents (Heb 11:23) and

causing him to be reared in the palace of the Pharaoh, as the adopted son of the daughter of the king of Egypt → Moses’ choice to identify with the people who possessed a promise of the Messiah,

and thus his flight and exile from Egypt for 40 years (Heb 11:24-27) → Moses’ call at the burning bush, and his return to Egypt to confront the Pharaoh with

the demand of Yahweh that the children of Israel be allowed to depart → The series of 10 plagues, culminating in the death of the first born on the night of the

first Passover, and then the hasty and forced departure of the people of Israel (now over 2 million in population) from the land of Egypt

→ The miracle of the Red Sea, when Israel was ensnared and Yahweh delivered that

people by parting the waters of the Sea and providing a way across the dry seabed and out of Egypt. Pharaoh’s horses and armies were destroyed as the waters of the Red Sea collapsed upon them.

→ After God delivered Israel from Egypt, He joined them in their travels in the Person of the Glory Cloud (Ex

13:21), the most important theophany of the Old Testament. Throughout their journey, God protected the people as they made their way across the desert of Sinai, and He provided for their every physical need.

B. Event #2: (Ex 19 - Num 10) [1] The Glory Cloud led Israel to Mt Sinai, and there He made another covenant with them. This was the Mosaic

Covenant (sometimes called the Sinaitic Covenant, or simply “the Law”), the most dominant (though not the most important) covenant of the Old Testament (thus that name). When Israel accepted that covenant, she became in a unique and profound sense “the people of Yahweh” (Ex 19:5,6). God became Israel’s king--in the most literal, actual and immediate sense. (This unique form of rule was a true Theocracy.) King Yahweh always administered His rule through a human officer/mediator of His choice (Moses, Joshua, the local Judges, the succession of kings), but God always intended that those human mediators of His rule acknowledge His supreme authority and glory, and that rule be exercised in order to give such glory to King Yahweh.

± After the covenant had been properly ratified (Ex 24:1-8), Moses was called into the Mount and given

instructions as to how to build a throne room for King Yahweh (i.e., the Tabernacle). When that throne room was completed, King Yahweh moved in and occupied His throne, the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies (Ex 40:33-38, the enthronement of King Yahweh).

± Once enthroned, Yahweh began to speak legislation to His people (Lev 1:1). He spoke an extensive law system which touches every facet of life. Though often misunderstood and caricatured, this divinely conceived system of law was simple but comprehensive, and it was infinitely wise and just. Had it been consistently and faithfully honored, it would have made the nation of Israel a haven of justice and righteousness. However, it was only haltingly obeyed at best, and was more often neglected and rejected entirely.

± The Mosaic Law (as it is most often known) is composed of three distinguishable elements: ∈ the moral law (decalogue); ∉ religious (or ritual) law, concerning how Yahweh might be approached (the levitical system of worship at the central altar, including restrictions concerning how a person might approach God, the occasions of approach, the personnel to be utilized in that approach, the stated seasons of approach, and the means by which approach could be made); and ∠ civil law (dealing with relationship between citizens of the theocratic kingdom, legal principles of tort, personal responsibility, contractual obligations, etc.). That law system was designed as the “constitution” of the covenant nation--the religious, moral and legal frame of reference within which God intended His special nation to conduct itself in every facet of life.


[2] One very important element of the Mosaic covenant: the doctrine of the central altar. The point was that after the Mosaic covenant was ratified, the only place sacrificial worship was to occur was at the tabernacle/ temple. Further, such sacrificial worship had to be performed through the agency of the priestly family chosen by God, and in accord with the standards carefully laid down in that law code. In short, the place where the Mosaic covenant crystallized most graphically was at the tabernacle/temple.

[3] In thus forming a unique relationship with the covenant nation of Israel, God was not abandoning the rest of

humanity. To the contrary, He was raising up a nation which would be a testimony to the rest of the world. Understand this in light of the reality that in the ancient world every nation had its “tribal deity,” and that national identity was defined primarily by allegiance to that deity. (That is, to be a Canaanite was to worship Baal; a Babylonian by definition was a worshiper of Bel; a Philistine of Dagon, etc.) But those gods were no gods; they were lifeless idols who could only provide a self-serving excuse for the sin which the “worshiper” longed for. In that milieu, Yahweh, the God of Israel--the living God (Josh 3:10) who can actually do things, who can hear the prayers and respond to the needs of His devotees--was a sharp and compelling contrast. (Remember, too, that the geography of the land of Israel was an important element of that divine strategy.)

Further, the Law mandated that the proselyte (i.e., the “stranger in your midst”) be treated as if he were a native

born citizen of the covenant kingdom (Ex 12:48-49; 22:21; 23:29; Lev 19:33,34).

C. Event #3: (Num 11 - Deut 34) [1] At Kadesh-Barnea (southern “entrance” to the land of promise), the Israelites sent in 12 spies; when those spies

returned, the people refused to believe that Yahweh could give them the victory over the inhabitants of Canaan. They murmured against Moses and against God, (Num 13).

[2] Because of their sin (Num 14:2), the nation would wander for 40 years before reaching the border of the Promised

Land. During those years the unbelieving generation (everyone over 20 at the time of the Exodus--except the two believing spies, Joshua & Caleb) would “die in the wilderness.”

[3] Later in the course of the wanderings in the

wilderness, Moses “spoke ill advisedly with his lips,” taking to himself some of the glory that belonged only to God. Because he had failed to give God the honor in all things, Moses would also die at the border of the Land (Num 20 ;Ps 106:33).


IV. HISTORICAL PERIOD #4: THE CONQUEST & DIVISION OF THE LAND (Joshua 1-24)

A. Event #1: (Josh 1- 5)

[1] In order to cross the waters of the flood-swollen Jordan River, God miraculously parted the waters as He had

parted the waters of the Red Sea at the behest of Moses. Thus, Joshua was demonstrated to be God’s choice to succeed Moses as leader of the covenant people.

[2] Israel camps on the plain of the Jordan Rift, at a place called Gilgal. There the new generation accepts the sign of

the Abrahamic covenant (5:1-9); the nation observed the Passover [exactly 40 years after the 1st Passover] (5:10, 11), and the manna ceased to fall from the skies (5:12).

B. Event #2: (Josh 1- 18)

[1] The land of Canaan was inhabited by several tribes of people. God commanded that those people be destroyed and the land claimed for Israel (Deut 7:1-6; 20:16, 17; Josh 6:21).

However, the responsibility of Joshua and the army of Conquest was to destroy the armies of the Canaanites, and thus to cripple the ability of the various cities to defend themselves. Then, after the land had been divided among the tribes, those individual tribes were to destroy the remainder of the people living in the region allotted them. Indeed, God intended that the Canaanites would be driven out “little by little” so that the land would not be overrun by animals (Ex 23:29, 30; Deut 7:22), so that Israel might learn warfare (Jud 3:1,2), and so that God might test the faithfulness of Israel (Jud 2:21,22).

Joshua and the army of conquest were entirely faithful; they accomplished all that King Yahweh had instructed them to do (Josh 11:23). However, the tribes were not faithful; they allowed Canaanites to remain in the land, and soon they were marrying the daughters of those Canaanites, and then worshiping their gods (Jud 2:1-15).

[2] The initial conquest under Joshua lasted for seven years (1406-1399, cf Josh 14:7-10). [3] Some have taken offense at God’s command to destroy the Canaanites and dwell in their land. In that regard,

remember the following: → The Canaanites had been given a remarkable measure of “light” from God; Abraham and his family had lived

out their lives in their midst.

→ Yahweh had patiently endured the wickedness of Canaan for hundreds of years (Gen 15:16; cp 2 Pet 3:9).

→ The Canaanites were unspeakably corrupt in religion and morals (Cp. Lev 18:25). → The Canaanite tribes had not submitted to God’s determination to give the land to His covenant people (with

the exception of one city, the Gibeonites); instead, they had prepared themselves for stout resistance against the Israelites.

→ The command to destroy the inhabitants of Canaan must not be understood as divine sanction upon imperialistic advances by an invading foreign power. Yahweh was removing a cancerous growth from the human race, and the nation of Israel was simply the “scalpel” in the hand of the God of the universe.

[4] The 7-year conquest was conducted in three stages, as reflected on the chart below. God had promised Israel that

He would give them houses to dwell in which they had not built and vineyards to harvest which they had not planted. In order to accomplish this, Yahweh contrived to have the Canaanites form extensive alliances and fortify especially strategic cities. As a result, the Israelites were able to destroy the defensive capability of the entire land by winning those strategic battles. The battles are summarized at right.

FOCUS: Three great events of the life of Joshua


The drawing at the left is a very accurate representation of the way in which the walls of Jericho “fell down upon themselves” so that each of the soldiers of Israel had a ramp by which he could ascend into the exposed city.

C. Event #3: (Josh 19 - 24)

[1] After the land had been conquered, Joshua oversaw the divsion of the land among the 12 tribes of Israel. The

process of dividing the land was carried out in such a way that the will of King Yahweh was clearly made known. The chart at right describes the relative position of the various portions.

[2] Notice the following concerning this division of the land among the tribes: ∈ The first tribe given a portion was Judah, and that tribe’s portion was a large plot of land in the southern part

of the territory.

∉ Because of a sin committed in the days of the Patriarchs, Simeon was not given her own portion; rather, they were given cities scattered in the region of Judah (Gen 34:1-31; 49:5-7).

∠ Because of his participation in that same sin (Gen 34:1-31), Levi was not given a portion in the land. However, because of that tribe’s faithfulness in the days of Moses (Exod 32:27), they were selected as the priestly tribe (Dt 33:11), and thus were given 48 “Levitical Cities” in which to dwell (Josh 21). These cities were situated evenly throughout the land, so that the entire nation would have access to the instruction and ministry of the Levites.

∇ Dan was given a very fruitful region near the Mediterranean, but that area was populated by the Philistines. When the Danites saw their fortified cities, rather than trusting Yahweh they fled far to the north, conquered a city named Laish, and claimed that territory for themselves (Jud 18). (Thus “Dan [in the far north] to Beersheba” [in the south] came to mean all Israel (1 Sam 3:20).

Benjamin was given a small but important area just north of Judah, but because of the wickedness of a Benjamite city the tribe was reduced to 600 men (Jud 19-21) and ultimately “absorbed” into Judah.

There is no tribe of Joseph, but there are two “Joseph” tribes: Ephraim & Manasseh. These were the two sons of Joseph. Because Joseph was the favorite of Jacob/Israel, he (Joseph) was given the double portion; that double portion finds expression in the tribal allotments given his two sons.

Notice that Reuben & Gad and ½ Manasseh settled in Transjordan (i.e., beyond the Jordan Rift). These tribes had asked to settle in that territory when the nation had passed through that area and conquered the local kings on the way to the Promised Land; Moses had granted that request with the proviso that those tribes go across the Jordan and fight for the land with their brothers (Num 32). The 2½ fulfilled that demand, and thus were given their portion in Transjordan (Josh 4:12; 22:9f).


V. HISTORICAL PERIOD #5: THE PERIOD OF THE JUDGES (Judges 1 - 1 Samuel 12)

A. Reality #1:______________________________________________________________

Notes: [1] As to chronology, this period extended from the death of Joshua (ca 1350 BC) to the time when Saul was made

king over the entire nation (1051 BC). So the period of the Judges lasted around 350 years. However, some of the Judges ruled and ministered simultaneously. Thus, the chronological data in the book are sometimes difficult.

[2] A very important distinctive: during the period of the Judges, there was no one central ruler (as there had been before under Moses & Joshua, and as there would be afterward under the kings).

This is reflected in the “key verse” of the book of Judges: “Every man did that which was right in his own eyes,

because there was no king in Israel” (17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25).

Thus, the distinctive of this period of OT history is that the tribes were functioning as independent entitities. Indeed, there were many times during this period when tribes were at war with one another.

B. Reality #2:_____________________________________________________________ [1] The period of the Judges is most notable for failure and apostasy. (Notice the repeated refrain, “Israel did evil in

the sight of the Lord” (2:11; 3:7, 12; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6; 13:1). The attraction was to the wicked and licentious religions of the Canaanites. The Canaanite religion was in fact concerned with little but sex and fertility. In this regard, notice:

→ The cycle of wickedness which prevailed throughout this period is

defined in Jud 2:11-20 -- Sin (2:11-13); Suffering (2:14, 15); Supplication (2:15b, 18b); Salvation (2:16, 18a).

→ The depth of the wickedness of this period is deliberately reflected

in two awful episodes which form the epilogue of the book of Judges (18-21).

→ The failure is the more remarkable because it follows the great

victory and obedience of the book of Joshua. The Bible twice makes the point that the nation remained faithful “all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the Lord which He had done for Israel” (Josh 24:31; Jud 2:7, 10).

→ Joshua had warned the Israelites that if they let the Canaanites live and dwell in the land, they would become

“snares and traps to you, and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the Lord your God has given you” (Josh 23:12, 13). But the Israelites did not drive out the Canaanites (Josh 17:11-13; Jud 1:27-36), and as a result they were soon marrying the Canaanites and worshiping their gods (2:11-14). These specific sins produced the depressing days known as the period of the Judges.

FOCUS: Three unique realities about the Period of the Judges


C. Reality #3:__________________________________________________________

[1] The leaders during this period were known as Judges. They were local leaders; that is, no judge (except the last one) was a national leader. The judges ministered in portions of the country, and in many cases their ministries overlapped one another in time. (See map on former page.)

[2] The Judges mentioned by name in the book (in approximate

chronological order) are as follows: Othniel (defeated a king of Mesopotamia, gave 40 years of rest

after 8 years of oppression) Ehud (defeated Eglon, King of Moab; gave 80 years of rest after 18

years of oppression) *Shamgar (defeated 600 Philistines, probably ruled during part of

the 80 years rest of Ehud) Deborah (with Barak, defeated army of Sisera; gave 40 years rest

after 20 years of oppression) Gideon (defeated Midianties, gave 40 years rest after 7 years

oppression) *Tola (Judged during years of rest won by Gideon) *Jair (with 30 sons who were itinerant judges, probably judged during years of rest won by Gideon) Jephthah (defeated Ammonites; a ruthless man; judged for 6 years after 18 years of oppression) *Ibzan , *Elon, *Abdon (these three are identified as Judges, no info concerning their ministries) Samson (troubled the Philistines; judged Israel for 20 years; did not end Philistine oppression) Samuel (not in the book of Judges; finished the work begun by Samson, defeated the Philistines) *NOTE: The judges marked with an asterisk are often called minor judges. They are mentioned as judges, but virtually

nothing is recorded as to the specifics of their ministry. [5] The story of Ruth occurred some time during the period of the Judges. [6] Note: The most important Judge, and the only Judge to exercise leadership over the entire nation, was the final

Judge, SAMUEL. His life is recorded in 1 Samuel 1-25. He preached for 20 years and turned the nation back to God. As he grew old, the nation realized that they had no mechanism for choosing a successor, and that they did not want to return to the days when the tribes warred among themselves. Therefore they demanded that Samuel choose a leader before he died, and that he make that leader a king (the distinctive of which is that when the king dies his son succeeds him) so that the issue would be settled once and for all (1 Sam 8). Samuel realized that there was wickedness in the demand, but Yahweh directed him to fulfill the request, and so he did. The first (human) king to be anointed and enthroned was Saul. (Remember that Yahweh had been, and continued to be, the King in Israel. But beginning with Saul He administered His rule through a succession of hereditary human leaders whom we know as “kings”.) In 1 Samuel 12, Samuel preaches a sermon in which he abdicates civil rule, turning it over to the newly enthroned King Saul. Notice that Samuel insists, however, that he was not abandoning spiritual leadership, that he would continue to call upon the nation to follow their real King, Yahweh (1 Sam 12:23-25).


VI. H ISTORICAL PERIOD #6: THE PERIOD OF THE UNITED MONARCHY (1 Samuel 12 - 1 Kings 11)

A. King #1:___________________________________________________________

Notes:

[1] Q: What is it that makes a monarchy (i.e., rule by kings) distinctive from all other forms of rule?

A: The principle of succession. (That is, when the king

dies, he is automatically succeeded by the son whom he has designated as his successor.)

This is the distinctive of this period of Israel’s history--

Kings were ruling over the covenant nation. [1] King Saul ruled 1051 to 1011 BC. He was a

Benjamite, and thus an unlikely choice; but God told Samuel to make Saul King

[2] Saul began well, committed two grevious sins, for

which first he and then his house (dynasty) were rejected as king in favor of a “man after God’s own heart” (1 Sam 13:13, 14)

B. King #2:________________________________________________________________

[1] King David (ruled from 1011 to 971 BC); for 7 years from Hebron, only over Judah; for 33 years over all 12

tribes from Jerusalem [2] David was from the tribe of Judah (cp Gen 49:10); united the nation, captured Jerusalem as capital [3] David was given a covenant (2 Sam 7; Ps 89) in which God promised never to do to his house (dynasty) what He

had done to Saul’s, never to remove king from throne of David; therefore, Messiah (who will be King of Israel) must be descended from David

[4] Committed awful sins, but repented (Ps 51; 32) and was blessed by God; under David, the nation of Israel became

the mightiest nation in the eastern Mediterranean world [5] David wrote about half of the Psalms in the Psalter (according to the superscripts & some NT citations)

C. King #3:_____________________________________________________________________

[1] Solomon ruled from 971 to 931 BC

[2] Solomon was the son of David, asked God for wisdom, became wisest & most powerful man in world. He built the temple that David was not allowed to build; using the materiel and plans left by David, Solomon crafted a temple that was the wonder of the world in his day.

[3] Later, Solomon abandoned God, multiplied wealth, horses and [foreign] wives (cf. Dt 17), and the nation began to stagger; however, Solomon’s writings offer compelling evidence that he repented in old age

[4] According to Jewish remembrance, Solomon wrote Song of Solomon as a youth, [most of] Proverbs in middle age, and Ecclesiastes as an old man

FOCUS: The three monarchs of the United Monarchy Period

The monarchy of Israel extends from the enthronement of the first king (1051 BC) to the time when the nation carried off as slaves to a foreign country (586 BC). Thus, for about 450 years Kings ruled in Israel. Remember that Yahweh did not cease ruling as King during this time. He simply instituted a succession of human mediators of His rule, rather than hand-picking each one as He had done in the past. The monarchy is recorded primarily in the section of the Old Testament which the Jewish people know as 1, 2, 3, & 4 Kings. (We know the books as 1, 2 Samuel and 1, 2 Kings.) The history of the Southern Kingdom is retold, with special emphasis upon the throne of David and the temple, in 1, 2 Chronicles.

The Biblical Record:


VII. H ISTORICAL PERIOD #7: THE PERIOD OF THE DIVIDED MONARCHY (1 Kgs 12 - 2 Kgs 24)

A. Tragedy #1:_______________________________________________

Notes: [1] The reason for the division of the kingdom: after Solomon died, the 10 tribes to the

north begged his son and successor (King Rehoboam) to lighten the load of taxation and labor which Solomon had imposed in order to make his kingdom the grandest the world had ever known. When Rehoboam refused, those tribes broke away and established their own (rebel) kingdom (2 Kgs 12)

[2] Pertinent data regarding the Northern Kingdom ±Made up of 10 tribes; known in Scripture as Israel or Samaria ± Lasted from 931 (division at death of Solomon) to 722 BC (carried captive by Assyria) ±first king was Jeroboam, who established a false religion with altars at Dan and Bethel ± Had a total of 19 kings, from 7 different dynasties (ruling families), NO good kings ±Capital first at Shechem, then at Tirzah, finally at Samaria ± Conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BC (2 Kings 17) [3] Pertinent data regarding the Southern Kingdom ± Made up of 2 tribes (Judah/Benjamin); known in Scripture as Judah ± Lasted from 931(division at death of Solomon) to 586 BC (carried captive by Babylon) ± A total of 19 kings (and 1 queen), all of house of David; 8 good kings ± Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, angered northern tribes, caused split (1 Kings 12) ± Capital remained at Jerusalem; nation remained (often superficially) loyal to worship of

Yahweh ± Conquered by the Babylonians in 606 -586 BC ` [4] During the period of the Divided Monarchy, much prophetic activity. Prophets from this period who wrote a book in the Old Testament include: ± to Northern Kingdom: Hosea, Amos, Jonah (also to Assyria) ± to Southern Kingdom: Obadiah, Joel, Micah, Isaiah, Nahum, Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Habakkuk [5] The great crisis of the Divided Monarchy occurred when King Ahab of Israel married a Sidonian princess named

Jezebel (1 Kings 16:31). Jezebel set out to obliterate the worship of Yahweh in the Northern Kingdom and institute the worship of her patron deity, Baal.

The crisis spread to the Southern Kingdom when Ahab & Jezebel contrived to have their wicked daughter,

Athaliah, marry the son of Jehosophat, king of Judah (2 Chron 21:6). Athaliah attempted the slaughter of the Davidic line, and only one young boy was saved from her murderous plot (2 Kings 11:1-3).

In order to meet this crisis, Yahweh raised up two mighty prophets: Elijah and Elisha.

B. Tragedy #2:_____________________________________________________________

Notes: [1] The Northern Kingdom (Israel) was carried off by the Assyrians in 722 BC. Many of the citizens of the North

had moved south because of the false religion and/or in fear of the approaching Assyrians. Therefore, all 12 tribes were well represented in the Southern Kingdom (Judah).

[2] The destruction of the Northern Kingdom is recorded in 2 Kings 17.

FOCUS: The three tragedies of the Divided Monarchy Period


C. Tragedy #3:_____________________________________________________________

Notes: [1] The Southern Kingdom was carried off in three stages to Babylon:

± Stage #1: in 606 BC Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon puts Judah/Jerusalem under seige; hears of father’s death, must return to secure the throne; takes with him young Jewish men to train for leadership (including Daniel and his friends)

± Stage #2: in 597, because Judah had withheld the annual tribute payment, King Nebuchadnezzar comes to punish the city, carries off 10,000 of the best people (including Ezekiel, who would be called as a prophet while living in exile in Babylon)

± Stage #3: in 586 BC, because Judah had again witheld the tribute, Nebuchadnezzar’s army destroys the city and the temple, carried off all but the old and infirm to Judah.

[2] In order to protect His name in the day of His people’s captivity, and in order to prepare the way for His people to

be treated remarkably well even in captivity, Yahweh caused the prophet Daniel to be carried off to Babylon early. By the time Nebuchadnezzar carried off the bulk of the nation, Daniel had already risen to second place in the kingdom. (Thus was Daniel to the Babylonian captivity what Joseph had been to the Egyptian sojourn.)

VIII. H ISTORICAL PERIOD #8: THE PERIOD OF THE EXILE IN BABYLON (No biblical record)

Notes: [1] When Judah and Jerusalem were conquered by Babylon and the inhabitants of the land carried off to captivity (in

fulfillment of the Lord’s prophecy in Jer 25:11), the period of Israel’s independence as a nation came to an end. The “times of the Gentiles” had commenced. Thus, the rest of Old Testament history might b classified as “Israel under Gentile Rulers.” (See the one-page summary of the history of Israel.)

[2] One very remarkable facet of this period of Old

Testament history: there is no miracle! (Compare the departure of the Glory-Cloud at the end of the Monarchy.)

A. Intervention #1:_________________________________________________________

Notes: [1] The theocratic rule of King Yahweh in Israel commenced in 1446 BC at Mt Sinai, when the descendants of

Abraham accepted the offer of a covenant and became the nation of Israel. Moses had constructed a tabernacle after the pattern given him in the mount, and when that throneroom/tabernacle was completed the Glory-cloud lifted up off the mount and took its (His) place on the throne (i.e., on the ark of the covenant). God had ruled as King in the midst of Israel from that time until the day when the glory-cloud departed. Ezekiel dates the vision of that departure as 592 BC, just before the destruction of the city and the temple. The prophet watched as the Glory-Cloud reluctantly departed from the temple (Ezek 9 - 11); thus did the formal theocratic relationship come to an disappointing end.

[2] Understand that the covenant arrangement did not end at that time; that covenant relationship is timeless (Jer 31), and the Mosaic covenant specifically, which was destined to come to an end (Mt 5:17; Gal 3:19; Heb 8:13), was itself still to endure for another 600 years.

[3] By the same token, when Nebuchadnezzar sacked Jerusalem in 586 BC, he destroyed the marvelous temple which Solomon had built. Thus did the First Temple Period come to an end.

There is in the Old Testament no explicit record of the 70 year captivity. It seems that God considered the land so important that when the nation departs the land, the spotlight of sacred history grows dim. However, the conditions and experiences of the nation in captivity in Babylon is reflected in the books of Daniel and Ezekiel, in certain of the psalms (e.g., Ps 137), and in the book of Esther.

FOCUS: The three divine interventions of the Period of Exile in Babylon


[4] Note that the exile of Judah (i.e., Israel) to Babylon was not an indication of the carelessness or incapacity of God. Indeed, that captivity was demonstration of the covenant-keeping character of Yahweh. He had set before Israel a blessing and a curse (Dt 11:26-28), and the greatest curse was to be captivity in to a foreign people (Dt 30:11-20).

B. Intervention #2:________________________________________________________

Notes: [1] An important element of the cultures of the Bible: ° When two nations (each with its own god[s]) went to war with one another, the universal popular perception

was that the battle was in fact between the competing patron gods of the two nations. ° Thus, it was assumed that the god of the victorious nation was by definition, for that time and that place, the

stronger of the two competing gods. ° Thus, Yahweh had “painted Himself into a corner”! He had made a covenant in which included a blessing

for obedience and a curse for disobedience (Deut 11:26-28), and He had spelled out the specific curses which would befall the nation if they persisted in disobedience (Deut 28). The culminating curse was destruction by an invading army and exile from the land of promise. Because He is a covenant-keeping God, and because the nation had indeed persisted in disobedience, Yahweh was under moral obligation to allow this curse to befall the nation. But in so doing, Yahweh would place His own name in danger of disreverence by a watching world. One of the most intriguing elements of the narrative of the exile is the strategy by which Yahweh protected His own reputation even in the face of such a danger. And the single most important element of that strategy is the man, Daniel.

[2] Important: Daniel was taken captive by Babylon in 606 BC, the first stage of the deportation. Thus, he was there

by the time the mass of exiles arrived from Judah/Jerusalem in 597 BC, and then in 586 BC. [3] It is instructive and encouraging to trace the influence of Daniel in Babylon–and more specifically, upon the man

Nebuchadnezzar–in Daniel 1-4. In that connection, it is also important to appreciate the way in which that relationship between Daniel and the emperor of the conquering state redounded to the glory of Yahweh.

C. Intervention #3:________________________________________________________

Notes: [1] Jeremiah had specifically prophesied that the nation would be captive for 70 years. (Compare Dan 9:1.)

[2] Important historical note: the Neo-Babylonian empire fell to Persia in 539 BC. Cyrus issued the decree allowing the Jews to return in 538 BC, and they actually arrived in the land and reinstituted sacrificial worship in 536 BC. The temple which they began to build in 536 BC was neglected for some time, and through the efforts of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah was finally completed and dedicated in 516 BC.

[3] Thus were two very important lines of Old Testament predictive prophecy fulfilled: [a] Jer 25:10,11 – the return of the Jews after 70 years of captivity.

Note: There is some question as to exactly how to compute the 70 years of the Babylonian captivity

Beginning date Ending date

606 BC (first deportation) to 536 (foundation of 2nd temple laid)

or

586 BC (final deportation) to 516 BC (2nd temple completed) [b] Isa 44:23-45:7 – the prediction of Cyrus as the Gentile ruler who would allow the Jews to return to their land.

(Note: the political/economic calculus involved in Cyrus’ decision to issue that decree [2 Chr 36:21-22] is one of the most remarkable evidences of divine intervention in all of human history.)


IX. H ISTORICAL PERIOD #9: THE RESTORATION TO ISRAEL (EZRA , NEHEMIAH , ESTHER) Notes: [1] Remember that it was Babylon who carried Judah off

to captivity, but it was Persia who allowed that nation to return.

This happened because, in the careful providence of God, Persia conquered Babylon just in time to change the policy and allow the Jews to return. (The final battle came in 539 BC, and then Cyrus, the Persian emperor, issued the decree in 538, but the Jews were not able to make their way back to Israel until 536 BC.)

[2] Prophets continued to minister during the Restoration Period → During the first stage of the restoration, when Israel was to be busy constructing the temple, Haggai and Zechariah

ministered. They had a remarkably successful ministry, compelling the people to get back to temple rebuilding, so that the temple was completed just four years after their ministries began (Ezra 5:1, 2; 6:15).

→ During the final stage of the restoration, when Israel was rebuilding the city of Jerusalem under Nehemiah, the prophet Malachi--the last prophetic voice of the Old Testament era--was ministering to the Jews in Jerusalem.

A. Return #1:______________________________________________________________

Notes: [1] This is the initial stage of the Restoration, made possible by the decree of Cyrus (Ezra 1:1-3), and led by

Zerubbabel. About 50,000 Jews accompanied Zerubbabel in this return. The record of this return is found in Ezra 1-6 (though the man Ezra was not involved in this effort–indeed, he was not yet born).

[2] The purpose of this return: To rebuild the temple which had been destroyed by Babylon in 586 BC. That work

was begun in 536 BC, but neglected for 16 years. God raised up two [post-exilic] prophets to revive the work of temple rebuilding, Haggai and Zechariah. Those two prophets were marvelously successful, and the second temple was completed and dedicated in 516 BC.

[3] However, understand that the second temple as originally constructed under Zerubbabel was a very disappointing

structure: it was small, plain, and unprotected, but more important, there was no Glory-Cloud or Ark of the Covenant. During the years between the Old and New Testaments, that temple was gloriously remodeled, so that the second temple became even more breathtakingly beautiful than the first (Solomonic) temple had been. But the Holy of Holies in the second temple remained empty.

[4] The Second Temple Period began with the completion of the temple in 516 BC, and it lasted until that temple was

destroyed by the Romans in AD 70.

B. Return #2:______________________________________________________________ Notes: [1] This second stage of the Restoration was led by the scribe, Ezra, who was accompanied by about 1,800 Jews. The

account of this return is found in Ezra 7-10. [2] The purpose of this stage of the return: to restore purity and obedience to the sacrificial system being practiced at

the (second) temple in Jerusalem.

FOCUS: The three times Jews returned to Israel from Babylon

Note that there are three distinct stages of the Return, which occur over a period of about 100 years. Further, those three returns are recorded in two books in our Old Testament.


C. Return #3:_______________________________________________________________ Notes:

[1] This third and final stage of the Restoration was led by Nehemiah, and is recorded in the book of Nehemiah. [2] The purpose of this stage of the return: to rebuild and reinhabit the city of Jerusalem. Nehemiah had held a very

responsible position in the court of the Persian king, Artaxerxes. When he had heard that the sacred city was yet unprotected and lying in waste, Nehemiah was broken hearted, and the king allowed him to return to restore the city. Nehemiah was resisted in the effort by the local inhabitants, but he was able to complete the project of rebuilding the walls in just 52 days.

[3] This is where the Old Testament historical narrative comes to a close. The Jews have been allowed to return to

their sacred city and land, but the greater measure of the Jewish people have chosen to remain in Babylon. Israel is once again worshiping in her temple on Mt. Zion, but it is a terribly disappointing and unimposing structure. Though the Jews in Israel are allowed a measure of self-rule, there is no king in the land; Israel is simply a province in the greater kingdom of Persia, and the final authority is the Persian monarch. The spirit of the Restoration community is perfectly represented in Ezra 3:10-13 (esp. 10:13).


Focus #3

The Lord Who is Nigh to All Who Call upon Him in Truth

[Central Themes of Old Testament Theology]

It will be helpful to develop some of the central themes of Old Testament Theology at an introductory level. The intent is to define a biblical framework within which to think more thoroughly on those issues in days to come.

I. God and History

A. THE BASIC PROPOSITION: At seasons of His own choosing, the God of the Bible has actually and powerfully intersected human history and accomplished His purposes immediately (as opposed to His more ordinary strategy of accomplishing His purposes providentially and mediately). Only the true God is capable of such genuine participation in human history. Most importantly, those real moments of divine intervention in space/time human history are absolutely essential to God’s revelation of Himself to mankind.

B. THE PROPOSITION DEVELOPED

1. God’s direct (immediate) intervention in history has been only occasional. There have been seasons

of such divine intervention in the course of human history, and in every case those have also been seasons of divine revelation.

2. God’s revelation of Himself always involves two distinguishable stages: a. First there is event revelation: the mighty acts of God (Ps 106:2; 145:4, 12; 150:2). b. This is followed by authoritative word revelation, which becomes part of Scripture.

For example: ΥThe exodus from Egypt (event) was followed by the prophetic ministry of Moses (word). Υ The ministry of Jesus (event) was followed by that of the apostles (word).

Neither aspect of revelation would suffice without the other.

3. This is the grand distinctive of the Judaeo/Christian faith made known in the Bible. Other religions

have imaginary gods who cannot hear or answer the prayers of their devotees. Yahweh is the “living God” (Deut 5:26; Josh 3:10; Jer 10:10; 26:36) who can actually do things, indeed, who Has intersected human history.

4. The danger today: even evangelicals are willing to deny the historicity of significant portions of Scripture, suggesting that sections that read like history are in fact only myth or legend. This is not only to compromise the character of Scripture, but to call into question the truth and dependability of the revelation made by God in connection with His “mighty acts” in history.


II . God’s Glory in the Narrative of the Old Testament

A. THE BASIC PROPOSITION: The greatest good in the universe is that men might know God truly and thus worship Him worthily--that is, that they might glorify God. But the impulse of the fallen heart is to compromise God’s majesty in order to exalt oneself to the throne of his/her own life. There is no better corrective for this most wicked of all impulses than to immerse one’s spirit in the Old Testament. No page of the Old Testament has been rightly read if it does not drive the reader to his/her knees in humble and fearful and loving worship of the thrice-holy god of the Universe, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God whose name is Yahweh.

B. THE PROPOSITION DEVELOPED

1. The OT word for “glory” (chabod) is very concrete; it means “weightiness” (cp Eli in 1 Sam 4:18, or Absalom’s hair in 2 Sam 14:26), and thus “worth” (Gen 31:1) or significance. Thus, to glorify God is to acknowledge His worth, to rejoice in His inestimable and unspeakable significance.

2. This is closely related to the basic attribute of God, His holiness. The OT concept of holiness is

transcendence. The true God is not simply man blown big (as the pagans believed). To the contrary, He is distinct from the created order, the “wholly Other,” the God whom we can know because He has made Himself known to us and because we bear His image (Gen 1:26, 27), but whose Majesty we will seek to understand through all eternity.

3. The pagan gods were nothing more than “man blown big;” they were more powerful, more petulant, and capable of more wickedness than men, but they were not intrinsically distinct from men. Therefore, the pagans sought to manipulate and coerce their gods, and if defeated in battle, they were very likely to abandon their god(s) for (an)other(s). All of this is only wicked imagination, but it is seductive because it provides an excuse for sin. The first lesson of OT Theology is this: “God is God and we are not!” Once the matchless glory and ineffable holiness of God are acknowledged, all other truths--theoretical and practical--flow necessarily from that premise.

4. The real and infinite glory of God is a central theme of the Old Testament Scriptures.

a. God’s glory is explicitly affirmed again and again (1 Chr 16:10-29; 29:11; Ps 19:1; 24:7,8; 29:2; Isa 42:8,12; 43:7; et. al.).

b. God’s glory is manifest dramatically in the most important theophany of the Old Testament, the Glory-cloud (Exo 16:7-10; 24:16; Eze 9-11).

c. God’s glory is the focus of the remarkable visions given those prophets who were allowed to glimpse into the throne room of God (Isa 6; Ezek 1; Zech 3).

d. God’s glory is celebrated and highlighted in many pivotal points in the OT narrative: 1) The contest with Pharaoh that culminated in the exodus (Ex 14:17, 18);

2) Daniel’s ministry in Babylon 3) Cyrus’ decree allowing the Jews to return to their homeland (Isa 44:28 - 45:8).

5. The NT believer has been vouchsafed an intimacy with God that the godliest saint never could have imagined. Praise God for the provision made in the death and resurrection of our Savior. But the besetting sin of the NT believer is to functionally forget the glory of God. Again, the OT is God’s intended corrective for such carelessness.


III . The System of Worship during the ages before Jesus

A. THE BASIC PROPOSITION: Throughout the ages before Jesus God demanded that men worship Him according to His dictates. To worship Yahweh was to approach Him as God and as King. The demands of worship were codified extensively and explicitly in the Law given through Moses. Thus codified, that system of worship included:

1. A place of approach: the doctrine of the central altar (tabernacle then temple);

2. A means of approach: prescribed animal sacrifices;

3. Agents of approach: a family of priests to be supported by the nation

4. Seasons of approach: an annual cycle of three feast seasons (pilgrimage feasts)

5. Reasons for approach: five basic offerings to be made in appropriate situations

B. THE PROPOSITION DEVELOPED 1. The Old Testament does not explicitly record the instructions of God concerning worship before Moses. But

that does not mean that God had not given such instruction. The fact of such instruction is clearly reflected in the narrative, and the substance of the instruction can be deduced in large part. The two most remarkable changes in the Law of Moses were probably the central altar (as opposed to local altars in the days of the Patriarchs) and the priestly family (as opposed to the patriarchs service as priest before Moses).

2. Remember that the tabernacle/temple was most importantly the throne room of God; Yahweh dwelt in the inner chamber in the Person of the Glory-cloud. Thus to go to temple was to appear before God! The approach was literal, and thus awesome. (Compare, however, the second temple, built by Zerubbabel after the return from Babylon, which had no Ark of the Covenant or Glory-cloud.)

3. The tabernacle/temple was a slaughterhouse. The entire system was designed to assault the worshiper through every one of his senses: he would hear the cries of the animals, feel the sinews in the animal’s back as he laid his hands upon him at the moment of sacrifice, watch the blood run red from the severed artery, smell that still-warm blood as it was dashed against the altar and the flesh as it was butchered, and in some cases participate in a meal prepared with the parts of the meat from the sacrificial animal. All of this was in the interest of driving home one truth: the wages of sin is death. Yahweh is a perfectly holy God; He cannot tolerate sin. But He is a gracious God, and thus He has allowed that an innocent victim might die in the stead of the sinner. But there is no approach to God without the shedding of blood, and that because God must demand payment for sin.

All of this was, of course, “typical” of the sacrificial death which Jesus would one day die. However, the concept of “types” needs to be carefully understood.

4. The basic seasons of approach were the

cycle of 3 annual pilgrimage feasts described most completely in Lev 23. There were actually 7 feasts celebrated in the course of that cycle.

Season Harvest celebrated Feasts Significance

Spring 1st fruits of winter grain crops

PASSOVER First fruits Unleavened Bread

Remembers deliverance from Egypt

Summer Completion of winter grain crops

PENTECOST Anticipates ingathering of Gentiles

Early Winter

Summer crops

TABERNACLES Trumpets Yom Kippur

Anticipates blessedness of the Messianic Kingdom


5. The five basic offerings are described in Lev 1-7. They are summarized in the chart below. Three points deserve emphasis with reference to the offerings: a. There is no need or desire or impulse or feeling that could arise in the human soul/spirit for which these

offerings do not provide a vehicle of expression.

b. Provision was made for every worshiper. No measure of poverty could keep a person from offering to Yahweh. Indeed, the suggestion is that Yahweh was more anxious to be approached His people than they were to make that approach.

c. This system of sacrifices is the divinely intended frame of reference within which God intends that men comprehend the death of His Son in all of its blessed dimensions.

NOTE: It is easy for the NT believer, living on this side of the book of Hebrews, to view this system of worship

with some contempt and disdain. That is to miss the point of the book of Hebrews, and of the book of Leviticus. This system of worship was a marvelous expression of the grace and justice and wisdom of God. Indeed, it was to the Old Testament believer what the cross is to the New Testament believer. On the other hand, there was that about the Levitical system which was deliberately off-putting (you only came so close, never closer), and there was that about it which was designed to make the worshiper hungry for something more, indeed for something better. In that sense, the Old Covenant became old at Mt. Sinai. As blessed it was, it was not enough. In his heart, the most godly worshiper knew that “the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin” (Heb 10:4). He was trusting the promise of God that these sacrifices would cover his sin (Lev 17:11), but he was left with a longing for a better sacrifice offered on a better altar by a better high priest in a better sanctuary. In this, the OT system of worship played a dual role: it provided a temporary covering, and it made men hungry for the sort of atonement that could only be provided by One who could make an offering “once for all” (Rom 6:10; Heb 7:27; 9:12; 10;10), and thus enable the Father to confess that “their sin I will remember no more” (Jer 31:34).

Name of Offering

Portion burned Other portions Animals Occasion or Reason Scripture

Burnt Offering All None Male w/o blemish Animal @ to wealth

Testimony of total consecration

Lev 1

Meal (Tribute) Offering

Token portion

Eaten by priests

Unleavened cakes or grains (salted); oil or wine

Gratitude, testimony that work of one’s hands belongs to God

Lev 2

Peace Offering βThank βVow βFreewill

Fat portions

Priest & offerer shared in fellowship meal

male or female w/o blemish @ to wealth (freewill: slight blemish allowed)

For an unexpected blessing, fulfillment of a vow, general thankfulness

Lev 3; 22:18-30

Sin Offering Fat portions

Eaten by priest Priest/nation: bull King: he-goat Individual: she-goat

Applies to situation where purification is needed

Lev 4

Trespass Offering

Fat portions

Eaten by priest Ram w/o blemish Applies to situation where desecration has occurred or there is objective guilt

Lev 5


7. It is important to understand the distinct stages of the tabernacle/temple in the Old Testament

a. Before Moses, there was no central altar. God established that principle when He made Israel a nation at Mt Sinai (Deut 12:5, 11).

b. At Mt Sinai, Moses was given careful instruction as to how to construct a portable worship place/throne room. This portable worship house is known as the Tabernacle.

The tabernacle was completed at Mt Sinai, and the Glory-cloud inhabited it there (Ex 40).

The tabernacle was carried by Israel through her travels to the Promised Land, and then set up at Gilgal during the days of the Conquest. Some time after that it was moved to a central location at Shiloh, where it became somewhat permanent until sacked by the Philistines (1 Sam 4).

c. After he had established the kingdom, David determined to bring the Ark of the covenant to his

new capital, Jerusalem (2 Sam 5), and then to build a permanent temple there for Yahweh (2 Sam 17). However, that task was reserved by God for Solomon, who was allowed to build and dedicate the FIRST temple.

Solomon’s temple was dedicated in 960 BC. It was one of the most glorious structures of the ancient world (1 Kings 16:21).

However, that temple was often stripped to buy off foreign kings (2 Kings 18:16) and desecrated in the name of foreign gods (2 Kings 23).

Finally, the temple was utterly destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC.

Thus, the first temple was built by Solomon in 960 BC and destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC.

d. When the Jews returned from Babylon under Zerubbabel, they set about building the second

temple. It was begun in 536 BC, but not completed until 516 BC. It was a terribly disappointing structure--small and plain, unguarded in an unwalled city. But more importantly, it did not contain that which gave the temple significance: the Ark of the Covenant (God’s throne, and the place of annual atonement), the Glory-cloud (testifying to God’s theocratic Presence), or the Urim and Thummim (by which King Yahweh might be consulted in an emergency).

Nonetheless, God promised that the glory of the later house would one day be greater than that of the former house (Hag 2:9). Indeed, that came to pass, as the second temple was enhanced during the Intertestamental Period, first by the Hasmonean family and then by Herod the Great. (See drawings of Herod’s version of the second temple on the following page.) But that house also fell, as the Romans destroyed it in AD 70 (cp Dan 9:26; Lk 21:6). Thus, the second temple was built late in the Old Testament era, and it was still standing as the Old Testament comes to a close. It endured throughout the life of Jesus, and was finally destroyed in AD 70.



III. The Plan of Salvation in the Old Testament

A. THE BASIC PROPOSITION: The divinely provided and revealed plan by which men might be saved has remained constant and consistent throughout all of fallen human history, including the Old Testament. The Law was not a means of righteousness. Rather, the plan of salvation in the Old Testament (as in the new) was based upon two basic realities:

1. The promise of a Deliverer from sin, who would come through the “seed” of woman (Gen 3:15); and 2. The provision of a covering for sin by means of the shed blood of an innocent victim of God’s choosing

(Gen 3:21).

These two lines of salvific truth were established immediately after man’s fall into sin. They were very basic (primitive) truths. Throughout the rest of the Old Testament, man’s understanding of these truths was expanded and enlarged. But these seminal truths were never--and will never be--abrogated or compromised.

B. THE PROPOSITION DEVELOPED:

1. There is much confusion concerning the purpose of the Old Testament (Mosaic) Law, but that is not because the Bible is ambivalent or unclear in that regard. In brief, the Mosaic Law was an instrument of conviction, designed to teach men that they could not satisfy a perfectly holy God, and thus to drive them to trust in the provision He had made for their forgiveness and restoration.

Rom 5:20 “Moreover the law entered that the offense [i.e., man’s consciousness of the offensiveness of sin]

might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.” Gal 3:17-19 “What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously

established by God and thus do away with the promise. For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of [i.e., for the sake of, in order to make sin to be] transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator.”

These two lines of salvific truth (the promise of a Deliverer from sin, and the provision of a covering

for sin) run parallel to one another throughout the Old Testament. Men were saved by trusting in that promise (even as the scope and detail of the promise grew as more revelation was given); and they gave evidence of their realization that they needed such a Deliverer from sin by making use of the animal sacrifices which God had made available in the Levitical system of worship.

2. In this connection, note the following: a. The basic promise of Gen 3:15 (i.e., that God would provide a Deliverer through the seed of the

woman) matures remarkably in later ages of OT history. We learn that the Deliverer will not only be the offspring of a woman, but would come through the seed of Abraham (Gen 12:3), through Jacob (Gen 28:4), through Judah (Gen 49:10), through the line of David (2 Sam 7:13,14); that the Redeemer will be born of a virgin (Isa 7:14) in Bethlehem (Mic 5:2) in the days of the Roman empire (Dan 9:24-27). But again, all of this was progress from truth to greater truth; never was any element of revelation about the Messiah ever denied or forgotten.

b. By the same token, God’s demands concerning the sacrifice which would suffice to atone for sin

grew more specific and extensive as the OT unfolded, but the basic reality was never obscured. c. Clearly, these two lines of truth came together dramatically and gloriously in the person and salvific

work of Jesus Christ.


3. The distinction between the plan of salvation in the Old and New Testaments might be reduced to the following:

In the Old Testament Under the New Covenant

The GROUND of Salvation

The Grace of God (Gen 6:8; Ex 33:12; Isa 26:10; Zech 12:10)

The Grace of God (Eph 2:8,9; Tit 3:5; Jn 1:17; Rom 5:15-21)

There is no other ground upon which any person has ever known a right relationship before God.

The BASIS of Salvation

The Promises of God which arise from His grace (Lev 17:11; Rom 9:4; 15:8; Heb 7:6)

The promises of God which arise from His grace (2 Cor 1:20; 7:1; 2 Pet 1:4)

There is no source of hope or deliverance to which the sinner can look except the explicit and undeserved promises of God.

The AGENT of Salvation

The Holy Spirit, who draws men to the truth (Gen 6:3; Job 33:4; Ps 143:10; Zech 4:6)

The Holy Spirit, who draws men to the truth (Jn 3:8; 6:63; 14:17; 16:7-11; Tit 3:5)

The Spirit is more explicitly revealed in the New Testament, but no more necessary to salvation.

The MEANS of Salvation

Deliberate faith in the express promises of God (Gen 15:6; 2 Chr 20:20; Isa 43:10)

Deliberate faith in the express promises of God (Mt 9:28; Jn 1:12; 3:16-18; Eph 2:8, 9)

God does not expect men to believe that which has not yet been revealed; He demands that they bow the knee to that which stands revealed.

The KNOWLEDGE-

CONTENT* of Faith

Did not include New Testament truth Does included New Testament truth

This is the principle of Progressive Revelation. God does not demand that men believe that which has not been revealed. But nothing God ever reveals will deny or subvert that which He had revealed earlier.

* NOTE: By “Knowledge-Content of faith” is meant the specific body of revealed truth in which a person is expected to place his confidence for salvation. Clearly, this body of truth grows – not so much in complexity or breadth, but in depth and detail – as more revelation is given. (See on the preceding page.)

4. All of this marvelously and deliberately anticipates the ministry of Jesus.

But that is not to suggest that the Old Testament believer was responsible to consider these elements of Levitical worship and deduce beforehand mature truths to be revealed in Jesus.

In fact, the divine intent was not to provide hints or clues for the Old Testament seeker by which he could figure out what God was going to do later. Rather, the intent to so lay a conceptual groundwork so that when, for instance, John the Baptist said of Jesus, “Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), the generation who heard those words would – with mouths agape and palms against their foreheads – exclaim: “Aha! So that’s what it’s been all about!” In short, the instruction of the types of the Old Testament was not primarily for the generation(s) which saw those types, but for the generation(s) which witnessed the antitypes!

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Dr. Doug Bookman - s3.amazonaws.coms3.amazonaws.com/churchplantmedia-cms/grace-bible... · The chart at right reflects the standard ... The Old Testament (or covenant, ... Genesis