Ot1 Ak
Ot1 Ak
Lesson 1 Introduction
1. a. Romans 15:4 God gave the Old Testament for us today to learn from and find hope.
b. 1 Corinthians 10:11 All that happened in the OT is an example for us, so that we can correct our ways.
c. 2 Peter 1:21 God inspired the OT Scriptures to be written.
2. The Old Testament is God’s revelation to men. It is not the entire revelation of God, but all of the Old Testament is God’s
Word.
3. a. God guided the authors of the Old Testament books in such a way that they wrote what He wanted them to write.
b. He did not ignore the personalities of the authors. He did not force them all to use the same style…They received His
word and wrote it, each in his own style, each with his own vocabulary, each according to his own education. But what
they wrote was not their own; it was God’s. The words they used were the words chosen by God, and the thoughts they
expressed were God’s revelation to men.
4. We do not understand in order that we may believe; we believe in order to understand. And when we believe that God in-
spired the writers of the Old Testament, the door is opened for us to understand what He has written.
5. a. This simply means that there are no errors in it, and more: that it is not capable of error.
b. …when they wrote, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they were kept from any error.
c. If Jesus proclaimed the Bible to be true and yet it had errors, we could not trust Jesus or the Bible. But when Jesus pro-
claims it to be true and it is in fact true, then both Jesus and the Bible are reliable and trustworthy.
6. a. In Exodus 5 about the Israelites making bricks without straw, critics say this is impossible. The ancient peoples always
needed a binding material for their bricks. But in excavations made at the Egyptian city of Pithom, which was built by
the Israelites (Exo 1:11), the lower courses of brick were made with good chopped straw. The middle courses were made
with less straw, and much of that was stubble. The upper courses were made without any straw. This agrees perfectly
with the biblical story.
Also at Jericho, excavations at the site of ancient Jericho showed that there is no evidence of the walls being battered in.
“The bricks that composed the east wall lie as a streak down the eastern slope gradually getting thinner, with conspicu-
ous traces of a general fire. Thus the outer wall fell outwards, and down the hillside, quite flat” (Halley). Time after time
the critics of the Bible have been silenced by the findings of archaeology.
b. The infallibility of the Bible is proved by its divine authorship. It needs no human proof. Science can show that particular
statements of the Bible are true, but it can never provide an adequate foundation for our belief in an infallible Bible.
Only God can do that.
c. Personal answer
7. a. Proclaiming in advance what will happen in the future.
b. It also establishes the Bible as coming from God. No one but God knows the future; He knows it because He has designed
it and ordained it. He holds it all in His hands.
c. Personal answer
8. The entire Old Testament exists to lay a foundation for, and provide an introduction to, the New Testament. This is true be-
cause Jesus Christ is the center of the biblical narrative. The Old Testament points forward to Him; the New Testament
centers on Him.
9. New Testament believers should study the Old Testament because the whole Bible is all about Jesus Christ.
10. a. It speaks with all the authority of God Himself.
b. Since the Old Testament is part of God’s Word, it is applicable to our lives.
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c. Creation is also important because it shows us clearly that we have a Creator. Because God created each one of us, we are
accountable to Him. In a very real sense, He owns us (1Co 6:19-20; Rom 9:21). We have a moral obligation to seek Him.
11. a. 1) The illuminating power of the Holy Spirit, 2) prayer, and 3) a teachable heart.
b. Before you begin this survey, pray that the Author of Scripture, God the Holy Spirit, will teach you. And as you study, if
you discover that “what you think” conflicts with the Bible, throw out what you think and believe God’s Word!—for the
Bible says, “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom 12:2).
12. a. [God] used men who lived at various times in the history of Israel. The writing of the Old Testament covers a period of a
thousand years or more, written in various parts of the Middle East. Finally, the authors came from dramatically differ-
ent backgrounds: shepherds, farmers, noblemen, and kings.
b. There is one consistent message about who God is, what He is like, and His plan for redemption from sin.
c. This is ensured by God the Holy Spirit inspiring each of the authors.
d. “Their consistency without collusion is too uniform to be accidental, and too incidental to have been mutually planned.”
13. The Old Testament Church acknowledged that these books had divine authority because they were internally consistent, use-
ful, important, and transcendent in their truths.
14. a. A type may be defined as something (a person, object, or event) in the Old Testament that is designed by God to resemble
and foreshadow a greater spiritual truth in the New Testament.
b. In the Old Testament, God prepared certain things so that they would point forward to New Testament truth.
c. God taught Israel certain lessons through symbols. The same lessons, spelled out in New Testament language, are called
types. What God taught Israel through symbols, He teaches the Church through types.
15. a. A highway to direct our travel through the Old Testament. We want to follow one road, and we want to be sure that road
is the main highway which leads us directly to Christ and the New Testament.
b. We find this highway in the theme “The Kingdom of God.” This is the main line of thought in the Old Testament.
16. a. The Hebrews put them into three groups: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings.
b. The Law consists of the five books of Moses. It contained the basic revelations of God, such as those at Mount Sinai, which
were the foundation of Israel’s religious and civil life, and a more complete revelation of the holiness of God.
The second group, the Prophets…is divided into two groups, Former and Latter. The Former Prophets are history books.
The Latter Prophets were written by the prophet himself and include both the Major and Minor Prophets.
The third group is called the Writings…The Writings mixes several types of books: poetry, history, and five books used by
the Jews in their sacred festivals.
17. The Major Prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. They are “major” because their writings are longer and include
multiple themes. The Minor Prophets are also called “The Twelve.” They include some history, but chiefly they contain
the words of prophecy spoken by these prophets on one theme.
18. a. The Writings have one thing in common: they were written by men who were not prophets.
b. The Song of Solomon was read on the eighth day of the Feast of Passover; Ruth on the second day of the Feast of Pente-
cost; Lamentations at Tisha B’av, a feast commemorating the destruction of the Temple; Ecclesiastes on the third day
of the Feast of Tabernacles; and Esther at the Feast of Purim.
19. They span a period of at least 4,000 years, from Creation to the prophet Malachi about 400 B.C.
20. 1. Foundational history (5 books) 4. Personal literature (5) 5. Major prophets (5)
2. Pre-exilic history (9) 6. Pre-exilic minor prophets (9)
3. Post-exilic history (3) 7. Post-exilic minor prophets (3)
21. It develops, much as a plant does: first a shoot, then a plant, a bud, and finally the perfect flower. In the Old Testament, we
will not find the flowering, that is reserved for the New Testament. But we see the necessary early stages of develop-
ment, and that is a wonderful unfolding of God’s truths.
22. The Period of Content Begins with
I. Theocratic Beginnings Creation & Abraham Creation
II. Theocratic Establishment Wanderings & Judges Exodus
III. Theocratic Development United Kingdom Reign of Saul
IV. Theocratic Decline Divided Kingdom Reign of Rehoboam
V. Theocratic Transition Remnant Exile
23. The word theocratic is used repeatedly as a synonym for that which pertains to the Kingdom of God…It means that the pow-
er resides in God. God is the ruler. And since God is an absolute monarch, “theocratic” refers to the Kingdom of God.
24. Call of Abraham ~2100 B.C.
Exodus ~1450 B.C.
Saul becomes king ~1050 B.C.
Division of kingdom ~930 B.C.
Exile of Israel 720 B.C.
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Exile of Judah 586 B.C.
End of Old Testament ~400 B.C.
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fruit of one particular tree. 6) Responsibility: to rule over the earth and bring it into subjection, so that the earth
might prosper. 7) Fulfillment: Adam had no wants and no needs; he never felt incapable or frustrated.
11. Personal answer, hopefully to include recognition that we are selfish by nature and never satisfied.
12. a. “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it” (Gen 2:17).
b. Personal answer. Just one restriction was easy to keep; Adam had no excuse!
13. a. He may have been the highest of created spiritual beings at one time, but he rebelled against God and has been set on
exalting himself above God ever since by any means (Isa 14:12-15).
b. His goals are to steal from us God’s blessings, kill us, and destroy our fellowship with God.
c. The devil’s goal in the Garden was simple: to get for himself the authority over the earth that God had given to man.
d. To get Adam to disobey the one command God had given. But how do you get a man who has everything to give it up in
exchange for nothing? The devil’s strategy was to go after Eve, and through her to get to Adam.
14. a. He lies: The devil has nothing to offer, so he has to convince man that what he does have to offer is something, using
doubt and dissatisfaction. b. He offers “life”: fulfillment, satisfaction, completeness, self-actualization, recognition,
achievement—but this was what Eve already had in her abundant life with God, and the “life” the devil offers is a decep-
tion designed to destroy the abundant life with God of true believers on this earth. 1) He points to the world around
you, rather than to God. 2) The devil’s offer of “life” is always later. 3). It is always just outside God’s boundary, which is
His moral law.
15. a. The reality and nature of sin.
b. The way of life is to obey God; the way of wickedness is to follow our own hearts instead; which are driven by selfish de-
sires. We therefore break God’s Law, which is sin (1Jo 3:4).
16. a. The sentence of spiritual death was immediately imposed: Adam and Eve’s sin separated them from God. This brings mis-
ery as well as death: envy and hatred fill the earth, sickness and suffering abound, and anxiety is at an all-time high.
From the moment of the Fall to this day, men are fallen in their flesh. Men are deceived, discontent, selfish, self-
conscious, feel inadequate, have a slavish fear of God. They experience spiritual and physical death, God’s anger toward
their sin, contention between men, decay and sickness, and God’s curse upon the world.
b. Personal answer. [see “Vile!” by A. W. Pink.] c. Personal answer
17. 1) “I will put enmity” shows that God will undo the results of the Fall. 2) This salvation will be certain, because it is based
on God’s action alone. He says that “I will put enmity.” 3) God promises a Savior, the Seed of the woman, Who will de-
stroy Satan. This is a promise of Christ. 4) This Savior will suffer as part of the Savior’s redemptive work.
18. Sin erupted in the first murder, when Cain killed Abel (Gen 4:5-8). But Cain at least tried to hide his sin. The second mur-
derer mentioned shows a greater hardness of heart. Lamech admits his act, and composes a song about it (Gen 4:23).
19. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was
only evil continually” (Gen 6:5). 1) It begins at the very center of his personality—the imaginations of the thoughts of
his heart. It is not simply on the surface, limited to a few evil deeds. 2) It includes everything that comes from his
heart. His thoughts are “only evil continually.” 3) It extends to everything that he does—“the wickedness of man was
great in the earth.” By putting these statements together, it becomes clear that there is no good in man.
20. The purpose of the Flood was to destroy sinful man and the results of his sin from the earth.
21. God called Noah to build the ark to save himself, his family, and a pair of each type of animal. By thus saving a remnant from
the physical punishment of sin, God pictures the fact that He will save His Church from the eternal punishment of sin.
In addition, God preserved the promised seed of the woman, through whom the Redeemer would come.
22. In this covenant God promised that never again would the course of nature be interrupted by a world-wide flood, nor would
mankind again be destroyed, until God’s plan of history is completed. It assures us that there will be a stage on which
the drama of redemption can be played without interruption, until the last act is completed.
23. Man was trying to be independent from God; to be as gods themselves.
24. [It is not that God was tired (He is all-powerful), but that He ceased from His labors in order to enjoy the result and fellow-
ship with man.]
25. Personal answer
26. I. The destruction of the first theocracy Genesis 1-11
A. Creation 1-2
B. Fall 3-5
C. Flood 6-11
II. The promise of the new theocracy Genesis 12-50
A. Abraham 12-24
B. Isaac 25-27
C. Jacob 28-36
D. Joseph 37-50
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27. “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was
only evil continually.” (Gen 6:5)
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17. Abraham had a son who was born of Hagar, Sarah’s maid. This was the natural answer, since Sarah was too old to have any
children. But God would not accept the natural answer: He provided Isaac to be born of Sarah in her old age.
18. a. Jacob is chosen over Esau, even though Esau was first born—this is the result of God’s electing love.
b. God does not choose us because we are good, but in order that He might make us good.
19. That the events which occur in his life have a striking resemblance to and teach us about the events in the life of our Lord.
20. This asserts that Judah will be the ruler of Israel, and out of Judah shall come a special ruler. This is a prophecy of Christ.
21. We see the beginning of a new theocracy, given in the form of a covenantal promise to Abraham and his children. This new
theocracy is the subject of the rest of the Bible. God is still perfecting His kingdom. It will come to its perfection only
when Christ returns from heaven to judge the living and the dead. So Genesis is truly the foundation of the Bible.
22. a. Genesis 12 [Abraham obeyed God, left his family, and came into Canaan.]
b. Genesis 13:7ff. [Abraham gave Lot the choice of the best land, and was willing to take what was left.]
c. Genesis 18:22ff. [Abraham boldly petitioned God repeatedly to spare the place where Lot was.]
23. a. Genesis 25:27ff. [Jacob tricked Esau into selling him Esau’s birthright (very valuable) for a bowl of soup.]
b. Genesis 27 [Jacob lied to Isaac, pretending to be Esau in order to receive the blessing due to Esau.]
c. Genesis 30:31ff. [Jacob tried to get greater gain through superstition, instead of relying on hard work and God.]
24. a. Genesis 37:18ff. [Joseph’s brethren rejected him and conspired to kill him. So it was with Christ among the Jews.]
b. Genesis 39:7ff. [Joseph was falsely accused and convicted, even when he was innocent. Great suffering followed.]
c. Genesis 45 [God used the suffering of Joseph to save many, many lives, and restore relationship with his brethren.]
25. [Yes: both were schemers. At the hand of Laban, Jacob got back some of the trickery that he had given to Esau.]
26. [God showed Jacob that He was God and in control. “Jacob” means “supplanter,” i.e., one who takes the place of another
through scheming. “Israel” means “soldier of God” or “he struggles with God.” When the nation began to be called Isra-
el, it was because the twelve tribes were his twelve sons.]
27. [God uses the evil acts of sinful men to accomplish His sovereign purposes, most often totally unbeknownst to them.]
28. a. Personal answer
b. [Ur, Haran, Damascus, Shechum, Bethel, Beersheba, Gerar, Hebron.]
29. [Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Israel.]
30. I. The destruction of the first theocracy Genesis 1-11
A. Creation 1-2
B. Fall 3-5
C. Flood 6-11
II. The promise of the new theocracy Genesis 12-50
A. Abraham 12-24
B. Isaac 25-27
C. Jacob 28-36
D. Joseph 37-50
31. “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” (Gen 15:6)
32. a. Personal answer
b. Personal answer
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