Second, we will remember the 9 Old Testament Eras. (See sentence #8 and page 3 in your packet to fill in the blanks.)

Transcription

1 Overview of the Old Testament Review 5/24/17 Ashley Smith Old Testament: Putting it all together First, we will briefly review the overview of the Bible (sentence #s 1-4) and overview of the Old Testament (sentence #s 5-12). Second, we will remember the 9 Old Testament Eras. (See sentence #8 and page 3 in your packet to fill in the blanks.) Third, we will review the timeline of the Old Testament prophets in order to understand to whom, and when, the prophets spoke. (See sentence #7 and sentence #11 and page 4 of your packet to fill in the blanks.) Fourth, if there is time, we will review a way to trace a map of the Middle East during Old Testament times to help better understand the story of the Old Testament. (See page 5 in your packet to fill in the blanks and page 6 in your packet for a cheat sheet to help you remember after tonight.) The following 12 sentences are adapted from Mitch Maher s Clarifying the Bible: A DVD Presentation to Help Make Sense of it All. Also: Norman L. Geisler, A Popular Survey of the Old Testament ; Max Anders, 30 Days to Understanding the Bible ; DOWNLINE 1. The Bible is the INSPIRED, INERRANT, and AUTHORITATIVE Word of God. 2 Timothy 3: Peter 1:20-21 Inerrant - "without error" or "fully reliable" 2. The Bible is 1 book which consists of 66 individual books. 3. The Bible s 66 books are divided into 2 testaments, the Old Testament with 39 books, and the New Testament with 27 books. 4. The Big Picture of the Bible can be understood in terms of 5 CHRIST-CENTERED divisions: AMPEC : (Genesis - Malachi) (Matthew - John) (Acts) (Romans - Jude) (Revelation) OLD TESTAMENT OVERVIEW: 5. The Old Testament consists of 39 books written BEFORE the birth of Christ. 1

2 6. The 39 books of the Old Testament are divided into 17 Historical Books, 5 Poetic Books, and 17 Prophetic Books. 5 Pentateuch/Law/Torah (Historical) = Genesis Deuteronomy 12 Historical (Israel) = Joshua Esther 5 Poetic = Job - Song of Solomon 5 Prophetic (Major) = Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel 12 Prophetic (Minor) = Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi 7. The key to understanding the Old Testament is to realize that the first 17 Historical Books cover the entire HISTORY / MAJOR STORYLINE of the Old Testament, from creation to approximately 400 B.C., while the remaining 5 Poetic Books and 17 Prophetic Books FIT IN at proper places within that storyline. Poetical Books: Historical Books: Prophetical Books: Gen Exod Lev Num Deut Josh Judges Ruth 1 Sam 2 Sam 1 Chron 1 Kings 2 Chron 2 Kings Ezra Esther Neh. 8. The major storyline of the Old Testament, while foreign to many, is not difficult to learn, as its 4,000+ year history can be understood by learning Max Anders nine eras of the Old Testament. [See chart on page 3.] 9. Concerning the Poetic Books (Wisdom Books): Job is about Psalms is about Proverbs is about Ecclesiastes is about Song of Solomon is about 10. The first thing to realize about the Prophetic Books is that the descriptions Major and Minor refer to LENGTH and not IMPORTANCE, and the reference to length is inconsistent thus the labels are unfortunate. 11. Concerning the Prophetic Books, there are 3 major categories to keep in mind: PRE-EXILIC, EXILIC, & POST-EXILIC though 3 of the Prophetic books do not fit into these categories. [See chart on page 4.] 12. The period between the Old Testament (approximately 400 ) and the beginning of the New Testament (approximately 4 ) is often referred to as the SILENCE PERIOD, though God was greatly at work behind the scenes preparing the way for his Son. 2

3 Era (Gen 1 11) (Gen 12 50) (Exodus Deut) (Joshua) (Judges Ruth) (1 Sam 2 Chron) (Ezra Esther) Story Line Crea on (Gen 1 2) Fall (3) Flood (6 10) Tower (11) Abraham (Gen 12 23) Isaac (24 27) Jacob (28 35) Joseph (37 50) Deliverance (Ex 1 18) Law (Ex 19 40) Kadesh Barnea (Num 10 14) 40 Years (Num 20 36) Jordan (Josh 1 5) Jericho (6) Conquest (7 12) Dominion (13 20) Judges (Judges) Rebellion (Judges) Cycles (Judges) Ruth (Ruth) United Kingdom (1 2 Sam) Divided Kingdom (1 Kings 12 22) Northern Kingdom (2 Ki 1 17) Southern Kingdom (2 Ki 18 25) Prophecy (Jeremiah) Prophets (Ezekial & Daniel) Exiles (Daniel) Power Change (Daniel) Disrepair (Neh 1:1 3) Temple (Ezra 1 6) People (Ezra 7 10) Walls (Nehemiah) Main Loca on/ Character Eden / Adam Noah Ur Canaan / Abraham Egypt Egypt (Red Sea) Mt. Sinai K B Wilderness Canaan / Joshua Israel / Samson Ruth Israel / David Israel Assyria Judah Babylonia Judah Babylonia / Daniel Persia Jerusalem / Ezra 3

4 Timeline of Old Testament Prophets Pre exilic Exilic Post exilic Northern Kingdom (Israel) 931 (1 Kings 12) Southern Kingdom (Judah)

5 Trace the Old Testament Story from Crea on to Judges 5

6 b