BGCT: DSM: Old Testament Text: Lecture 05: Overview of the Old Testament

Index/Table of Contents
Old Testament and New Testament
Credits and Copyright

BACKGROUND

LECTURE 5

OVERVIEW OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

Students will be able to divide Old Testament history into six periods, associating each period with corresponding books of the Bible and significant events.

Content of Lecture

The Old Testament could be divided into the following divisions:

1. The Period of Beginning Genesis 111.

This period begins with the Creation account and ends with the confusion of tongues at the tower of Babel. (DQ#1) The material in this section is normally identified as "primeval" or earliest history, calling attention to the fact that events of this period cannot be dated with any specificity.

2. The Period of the Patriarchs Genesis 1250.

In the era dominated by male leadership or "fatherfigures," four personalities provide an outline of the main events . . . Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. (DQ#2)

This section begins with the call of Abraham which initiates a remarkable journey of faith leading him from his ancestors in the Mesopotamian Valley to the "promised land" which would be occupied by future descendants for thousands of years.

What do you associate with Abraham?

Jacob, whose name means "grabber" or "supplanter" (he came out of the womb holding Esau's heel), eventually was confronted by God in such dramatic fashion that a name change was required (Israel is variously translated "one who strives with God" or "God strives").

Of the twelve sons of Israel, Joseph was the central personality in the last chapters of Genesis. His identity as a dreamer both alienated his brothers and ultimately helped reunite the entire family.

Because of Joseph's planning and compassion, all of the descendants of Israel (Jacob) had migrated to Egypt at the close of Genesis.

3. The Period of Egyptian Captivity and Deliverance associated with Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

Four Old Testament books correspond to this period. Exodus tells of the attitudinal shift in Egypt which resulted from a change in leadership. The "favorednationstatus" enjoyed by the Israelites at the close of Genesis gave way to suspicion and persecution from the new dynasty, setting the stage for the rise of one of Israel's greatest leaders, Moses.

Eventually, under the leadership of Moses, the Jewish people began their pilgrimage to the promised land. By the close of Exodus, they had traveled to the region of Mt. Sinai and established worship at the Tabernacle. (TN#3)

Leviticus describes the various sacrifices and procedures of the priesthood, and Numbers details the movement of the nation from Mt. Sinai to the region of Transjordan, including the "wilderness wandering".

While camped on the east side of the Jordan, Moses gave a series of farewell addresses which are recorded in Deuteronomy.

4. The Conquest and Settlement of Canaan Joshua, Judges and Ruth.

The Book of Joshua has two main divisions corresponding to the conquest and settlement of Canaan. The period begins with Joshua leading in a series of military battles, such as at Jericho, which gave the Israelites partial control of the land occupied previously by their ancestors. The land was then divided up according to tribal consideration.

Since enemies were sail a threat to the Jewish occupation of the Holy Land, charismatic tribal leaders rose at crisis intervals to address these challenges (i.e., the Judges).

The Book of Ruth is set in the period of the judges.

5. The Period of the Hebrew Kingdom I Samuel through 11 Chronicles, as well as several Canonical prophets and wisdom writings, are associated with this formative period.

This period can be subdivided into

1) The United Hebrew Kingdom and

2) The Divided Kingdom (after Solomon's reign, ten tribes broke away from the two supporting Davidic leadership to form a separate nation).

The United Kingdom (DQ#4)

Samuel was a very influential transitional leader who gave direction as the Jewish people transferred from tribal leadership provided by judges to a central government led by the King.

Saul, David and Solomon were the Jewish Kings of this era.

The Divided or Rival Kingdoms

The death and policies of Solomon helped create a crisis for the Israelites. Would his successor, Rehoboam, continue his father's heavy taxation and insulated leadership, or would he reestablish rapport with the common people? When he chose to intensify his Father's insensitive practices, rebellion resulted in ten tribes of the north forming the Kingdom of Israel. The Southern Kingdom came to be identified with the tribe of David (Judah), although it was also supported by the less influential tribe of Benjamin.

The relationship between the two kingdoms varied from peaceful coexistence to open animosity with each kingdom having certain advantages over the other (Israel was on a desirable trade route with land which had agricultural superiority. Judah had the religious capital of Jerusalem and more stable leadership).

The geographical advantage of the Northern Kingdom partially explains why the Assyrians conquered this region in 722 B.C. and took many of the inhabitants into exile. The Northern Kingdom formed the land bridge connecting the Assyrian Empire with Egypt and Africa. The Southern Kingdom maintained some autonomy for almost 150 more years, but fell to the Babylonians in 586 B.C.

Many of the most famous Jewish prophets spoke out against abuses of this period (i.e., Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.).

6. The Period of Exile and Restoration The events of this period are described in Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther and various prophets.

Exile

The Exile is normally associated with the deportation of Jews from the Southern Kingdom by the Babylonians, although a similar deportation had been experienced by the citizens of Israel when the Assyrians had invaded over a century before the fall of Jerusalem.

The prophets Ezekiel and Daniel provide information on the challenges confronting the exiles in this crisis.

Restoration

When the Persians, led by Cyrus the Great, took control of the Mesopotamian Valley, many of the Jews in exile were allowed to return to their homeland. (DQ#5)

Ezra mentions the Jewish efforts to rebuild the temple which had been destroyed by the Babylonians.

Nehemiah records how the walls of Jerusalem came to be rebuilt.

Esther describes one challenge facing those Jews who remained in the area of the exile after others had returned to the Holy Land.

Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi are classified as post-exilic prophets since they reflect messages addressed to the citizens living in the promised land after the exile.

Assignment

Read the first three chapters of Genesis and isolate what, in your opinion, are the three most important passages.

OVERVIEW OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

Place the following Old Testament personalities in their proper chronological order by placing 1 through 14 by their names.

David _____

Saul _____

Moses _____

Sarah _____

Ruth _____

Elijah _____

Isaac _____

Noah _____

Solomon _____

Joseph _____

Esther _____

Joshua _____

Ezekiel _____

Samuel _____

Discussion Questions:

#1 What are some of the major events and personalities of this period?

#2 How were these men related? Does anyone know why Abraham and Sarah named their son Isaac, meaning laughter?

#4 Who were the three kings who reigned during the United Kingdom? Why did David become the most important of these rulers? (Answer: He became the standard of a person or leader pursuing the heart of God and was promised an heir would always reign, providing a basis for belief that the Messiah would be a descendant of David)

#5 On what activities would the returning exiles have likely focused?

In your opinion, which of the six periods was most formative in providing identity for the Jewish people?

What was the greatest crisis in Israel's history?

Teacher's Notes:

Interest for this lecture might be created by having students place the following Old Testament personalities in their proper chronological order by placing 1 through 14 by their names.

David - Saul - Moses - Sarah - Moses - Sarah - Ruth - Elijah - Isaac - Noah - Solomon - Joseph - Esther - Joshua - Ezekiel - Samuel

Students usually enjoy working together to get the people in correct chronological order.

See reproducible copy at end of chapter.

#3 A map of the areas mentioned would be helpful for students.

Resources

Hester, H. 1. A Study of the Old Testament Liberty, Missouri: Quality Press, 1962.
Hill, Andrew E., and John H. Walton. A Survey of the Old Testament Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1991.

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