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OT – Learning Guide 1.1

A Fleeting Glance
Contents

1.1.1 Literary and Historic Overview ..................................................................................... 3

1.1.1.a The Old Testament Canon ....................................................................................... 4

1.1.1.b The Metanarrative of the Bible ................................................................................. 5
1.1.1.c The Genres ............................................................................................................. 6
1.1.1.d The Significance of Jesus ........................................................................................ 8

1.1.2 Old Testament Overview .............................................................................................. 9

1.1.2.a The Torah (Law)..................................................................................................... 11

1.1.2.b The Prophets: The Former Prophets...................................................................... 13
1.1.2.c The Latter Prophets and Book of the Twelve ......................................................... 15
1.1.2.d The Writings .......................................................................................................... 16
1.1.2.e Summary ............................................................................................................... 18

1.1.3 Genesis 1–12 ............................................................................................................... 19

1.1.3.a Chapter 1: One God, one creation ......................................................................... 19

1.1.3.b Chapter 2: An intimate creation ............................................................................. 19
1.1.3.c Chapter 3: Rebellion .............................................................................................. 19
1.1.3.d Chapter 4: The spread of sin ................................................................................. 20
1.1.3.e Chapter 5: The family tree...................................................................................... 20
1.1.3.f Chapter 6–9: The flood ........................................................................................... 21
1.1.3.g Chapter 10–11: Babel ........................................................................................... 21
1.1.3.h Chapter 12: Abraham ............................................................................................ 21
 Old Testament

2.1: 3.1:
1.1:
The Pentateuch and Former Prophets, Book of the Twelve,
A Fleeting Glance
Prophets and the Writings

A valuable cultural artefact, a collection of beloved childhood stories, a dense book of archaic
morality—the Old Testament represents many different things to the many different people who
have encountered it over the millennia that it has been around. For the faithful and thoughtful
Christian, there is a strong need to set aside any preconceptions surrounding the Old
Testament and engage with it on its own terms. This topic will assist students in doing this, as it
covers the entire panorama of the Old Testament, but in enough detail for students to
understand the incredible story that it tells, and what each part of it adds to the whole. The topic
concludes with a glance at the opening twelve chapters of Genesis, helping students to
commence a disciplined and rewarding study of the beginning of God’s magnificent word to us.

Learning Outcomes
1. To place the Old Testament within a literary and historic context that helps in
explaining its substance, structure and overarching purpose.
2. To build a broad impression of the major divisions of the Old Testament, noting
what they offer in terms of content and themes as part of the Bible’s big story.
3. To focus on the opening chapters of Genesis as they mark the beginning of God’s
revelation of himself and the first involvement of humanity in God’s plan.

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1.1.1 Literary and Historic Overview
The two main divisions of the Bible are what we call the Old and New Testaments. The Old
Testament is made up of thirty-nine ‘books’. The New Testament is made up of twenty-seven
‘books’. In total, our Bibles are made up of sixty-six different pieces of literature. Aside from
these two major divisions are many more and these often correspond to different types or styles
of writing.

The different types or genres represented in the Bible are:

• narratives or stories (Genesis)

• law/instructions (much of Exodus)
• poetry/songs (Psalms)
• sermons (Matthew 5–7)
• prophecies (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel)
• genealogies (1 Chronicles, Matthew 1)
• wisdom sayings (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes)
• parables (much of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke)
• letters (Romans)
• apocalyptic material (parts of Daniel, Zechariah and Revelation).

Furthermore, there can even be different types of writing within a book (such as Exodus or
Daniel in the Old Testament, or the Gospels in the New Testament). Exodus is made up of
narrative, prophecy, poetry/songs, and laws/instructions. Daniel is made up of narrative,
prophecy, and apocalyptic material. The Gospels are made up of narrative, genealogies,
prophecy, law/instructions, poetry/songs, parables, and apocalyptic material. Each style or
genre makes its point in different ways and when we understand how the writer is using words
in that particular discipline we can avoid misinterpretation.

The image of the Bible as a library, whilst useful, can only take us so far, and as like all images
or illustrations, it fails. Where this image fails is that, in our minds, libraries tend to be places
where there are all sorts of materials that are not necessarily related to each other. For instance,
it would be hard to expect that there would be a very direct link between the novel The Brothers
Karamazov by Dostoyevsky, and a history book on the ancient Egyptians, and a book of poetry
by Donne. The Bible, however, is a library where all the books are related to one another and all
together they tell one great, big story.

The Gospel of Luke, for example, tells us that Jesus’ resurrection fulfilled not a single piece of
Scripture but all the Scriptures:
• from creation, through to the rebellion of mankind
• from the spoiling of the world and its judgement in the flood and at Babel, to the
subsequent declaration that through Abraham (Israel) the world would be saved, so that
blessing would replace curse, as curse had replaced blessing
• from the redemption of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, to the rise of the kings and Israel’s
return to slavery in Babylon because of rebellion
• from the promises of a new beginning to the disappointing conclusions of the Old
Testament

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 • from the coming of Jesus, the one who brings a new exodus out of exile, to Jesus’
rejection, death and resurrection which fulfil the promises of the new covenant. Through
these events a new beginning takes place: the birth of the true Israel made up of Jews
and Gentiles who live like Jesus and anticipate the new creation of a new heaven and a
new earth.

It is this big story, where all the parts of the Bible (including the Law, the Prophets and the
Writings in the Old Testament) are connected, that eclipses any one book and begs us to
understand any single book as contributing in some way to the big story (metanarrative). The
books of the Bible have a strong relationship with one another not just because the Bible is the
story of Israel, but also because of the connection within the material itself: the Bible tells the
story of what God is doing in the world through Israel. It could be said that the ‘big story’ played
a significant role in determining which books were recognised as authoritative in the forming of
the Old and New Testament.

1.1.1.a The Old Testament Canon

The term canon means ‘rule’ or ‘standard’ or ‘list’. A rule, standard or list defines what is in and
what is out, what belongs and what does not. The terms ‘rule’ or ‘standard’ or ‘list’ help us to
understand the idea of a canon in relationship to a list of books. At certain points in the history
of the people of God in the Old and New Covenant periods, a recognition was made as to what
books or writings should form the authoritative list that had and would subsequently shape the
belief and behaviour of the community.

This process is seen to happen in the New Testament period after Jesus, documented at the
beginning of Luke’s gospel.

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just
as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the
word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I
too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know
the certainty of the things you have been taught.

Luke 1:1–4.

It is probable that Luke has accessed the community leaders who were the official authoritative
‘story keepers’. They had kept the oral tradition of the stories of Jesus whose words and
actions shaped every aspect of their church’s life. Luke has interviewed these keepers of the
oral tradition and faithfully written their authoritative remembrance.

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By the time of Jesus’ ministry, the Old Testament canon was pretty well settled. We see this in
Luke 24.

While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace
be with you’. They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, ‘Why
are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I
myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have’. When he
had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because
of joy and amazement, he asked them, ‘Do you have anything here to eat?’ They gave him a
piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence. He said to them, ‘This is what I
told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law
of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms’. Then he opened their minds so they could understand
the Scriptures. He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the
dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to
all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things’.

Luke 24:36–48.

Jesus identifies the three parts of the Scriptures. He describes them as the Law, the Prophets
and the Psalms—the three basic divisions of the Jewish Old Testament. Nearly all of the books
of the Old Testament are quoted in the New Testament and are treated as Scripture. This is
indirect evidence that the canon of the Old Testament was pretty well formalised by the time of
the first century.

1.1.1.b The Metanarrative of the Bible

It is perhaps not the metanarrative of the Bible that people find so challenging, but when that
metanarrative presents a story that forces the individual to look upon themselves and their lives,
this can then be challenging, because the metanarrative critiques them and their view of reality.
The Bible presents a story that encapsulates the sum of human civilisation and a God, which is
over all, that judges all according to certain standards. Metanarratives in popular culture, such
as Lord of the Rings, do not necessarily include a critique of reality where we are judged finally
and ultimately by an all-powerful God. The rejection of the metanarrative of the Bible, and
ultimately of God, is based on the perspective that the individual prefers not to have a belief or
story forced on them. What is forgotten in this is that God shows in this metanarrative that he is
not only the ultimate judge, but also that he made the ultimate sacrifice in entering into a
relationship with his people where he suffered and degraded himself for them.

The writers of the New Testament could confidentially say that there was one story, a
metanarrative, because they knew that there was one author, God. In a sense, the Old
Testament is thirty-nine books penned by different authors, yet behind this it is clear that God’s
authorship is at work, which Jesus himself believed. That is what gives the Old Testament an
overarching coherence and unity.

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1.1.1.c The Genres
How genre works can be explained using the example of the way a news event is covered in
different sections of a newspaper. If, for example, Australia wins the Ashes, you could look at
the comparison between how it is covered on the front page of the paper, on the sports page,
and in a cartoon of a current sports story. The front page will be bold and dramatic, using
headlines such as ‘Australians have England for dinner’ or something similar. However, the
sports page will, more likely, go into greater detail about the scores, the turning points of the
game and other elements of the test series. A cartoon that covers this event usually has a more
humorous take. While each coverage of the news story is, in one sense, the same thing, they all
say it in different ways, and each way is appropriate for its context. The reader needs to
understand the rules of the different genres if they are to understand and interpret the story
correctly. A cartoon, for example, should not have its images taken literally.

This is a similar case when it comes to understanding texts of the Bible, as the reader needs to
work to understand the different styles and methods of the genres of the Bible. This might
mean, for example, understanding that Hebrew poetry is largely based on parallelism, or
realising that many words that are used in the Bible are not necessarily familiar in their context.
This is one of the reasons why reading the Bible and discovering God’s word is a lifelong
learning exercise.

Genre (Books) Characteristics Tips

Covenant/Law
(Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, Deuteronomy)
Narrative/Story/History/
Biography
(Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, Deuteronomy,
Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1
and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2
Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles,
Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther,
Jonah, (some of) Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel,
Haggai)
The formalisation of a pre-existing
relationship between two unequal
partners.
The treaty states complementary sets
of behaviour for the ‘king’ and his
’subjects’. The king provided protection
etc., and the subjects were loyal and
obeyed his laws.
The covenant touched every aspect of
life.
They are stories.
The retelling of events of human lives
through which the plans, purposes and
person of God are revealed.
Make sure the laws are
interpreted in terms of the
relationship.
Work at understanding the law
function in a different way in the
New Testament.
Look at the beginning and the
end of the narrative for
indications of purpose.
What is the plot?
Who are the main characters?
How does the narrator (if there
is one) indicate purpose by
sympathetic treatment? For
example, when David runs
away from Saul and lies to the
high priest, the narrator offers
no comment on the deception.
Therefore David is seen in a
positive light.
Identify story units and larger
thematic units.
Purpose is often revealed in
speeches.

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Gospel
(a sub-category of
narrative)
(Matthew, Mark, Luke, John,
Acts)
Poetry
(Job, Psalms:
Lament (individual)
Praise (individual)
Lament (community)
Praise (community)
Lamentations, Proverbs,
Ecclesiastes, Song of
Songs)
Proverbs
(Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes)
Prophecy
(Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel,
Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos,
Obadiah, Jonah, Micah,
Nahum, Habakkuk,
Zephaniah, Haggai,
Zechariah, Malachi)
Parable
(some of Judges, Matthew,
Mark, Luke, John)
Letters
(Romans, 1 and 2
Corinthians, Galatians,
Ephesians, Philippians,
Colossians, 1 and 2
Thessalonians, 1 and 2
Timothy, Titus, Philemon,
Hebrews, James, 1 and 2
Peter, 1–3 John, Jude)
OT – Old Testament
The Gospels are the story of Israel told Read as if part of the Old
in the life of Jesus Christ. Testament, i.e. the fulfilment
does not happen until the
coming of the Holy Spirit.
About forty percent of the Old Work at understanding the
Testament is poetry. imagery.
Hebrew poetic structure is not based
on rhyme but is mostly parallelism.
Poetic in character. Read the books in the light of
There are two types of wisdom: the big story of Israel, i.e. Song
practical and speculative. Practical of Songs, Proverbs and
wisdom gives advice on how to live a Ecclesiastes in the light of
holy and happy life. Speculative Solomon’s failed wisdom.
wisdom wrestles with issues such as
what God is doing when the innocent
suffer, such as with Job.
The primary function of prophecy is not What issue is being confronted?
predicting future events. It is calling How does the imagery function
Israel back to faithfulness to the Lord in to give a sense of mood and
terms of the blessings and curses of emotion?
the covenant.
Prophets remind Israel and her leaders
of the terms of the covenant.
The predictions that are made are
conditional; a change in behaviour can
bring about a change in outcome.
Parables normally function as a way of Look for the interpretation of the
displaying an event or process in such parable to be revealed in the
a way that it reveals its true nature or, ordinary subsequent action.
as in the ministry of Jesus, it hides What is happening around the
what is really going on. parable?
Jesus used ordinary stories to hide the
radical nature of his ministry.
Written by one individual to another for
a reason and in response to an issue or
set of issues.
We as a rule only get one half of the
dialogue.
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Apocalyptic
(Daniel, Revelation)
Apocalyptic shares many of the same
ideas as prophecy and, in fact, you will
often find both in the same piece of
writing, for example, the books of
Daniel and Zechariah.
Apocalyptic presents us with the reality
behind our world, the true nature of
human kingdoms and the promise of
God’s determinative action.
The use of symbol to interpret nature
and action, numbers, colours and
animal parts is included.
Because it deals with true natures the
genre is stark and contrasting: a
struggle between good and evil.
Don’t be too literal.
What is the convention
controlling the use of symbols
i.e. numbers, colours, etc.?
If there is a reference to another
part of the Bible (as there is in
Revelation) look up the passage
and work out what it might be
indicating about the passage
being read.
What ‘feel’ or mood is
developed by the text?
Do not make a precise
identification unless the text
does i.e. three and half years
means an indeterminate time.

1.1.1.d The Significance of Jesus

Jesus identifies that there is a ‘big story’ or metanarrative and that it is about him and his death
and resurrection. This statement could all too easily launch us on a ‘Jesus hunt’ through the
pages of the Old Testament. A better way of understanding what Jesus is saying is to
understand that the Scriptures are about what God is doing for the world through Israel, and
Jesus fulfils the role of Israel in the Scriptures. It could be said that Luke is, in actual fact, a
guide for reading the Old Testament that way. All of the allusions to Old Testament themes and
persons show Jesus actively retelling the story of Israel in the fabric of his own life. This forms a
basis for the concept of progressive revelation, because the Old Testament is part of a continual
story, part of a whole. Jesus’ life is lived out through Israel just as Israel’s true purpose and life is
lived out through Jesus.

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1.1.2 Old Testament Overview
The divisions and order of our Old Testament follows the Greek rather than Hebrew (Masoretic
Text) version of the Bible (the Septuagint or LXX, which comes from the tradition that the books
were translated by seventy scholars in seventy days), excluding the Apocrypha (books
considered not inspired by God). You can tell that we follow the Greek order because the
names at times reflect a Greek background—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy.

The Jewish Old Testament is called the Tanakh (the term is formed as an acrostic from the
names of the three main divisions of the Jewish canon):

• Torah (The Law)

• Nevi’im (The Prophets)
• Kethuvim (The Writings)

These books were accumulated by the Jewish people over a period of about a thousand years.
Our Old Testament has the same thirty-nine books, but in a different order (see table below).
Knowing the different orders and comparing them helps us to understand the different ways in
which a book of the Bible can fit into the story of God and his people. When studying a book of
the Bible or reading the Bible, it does not necessarily matter what order you read it in, as long as
the context of where the book is in the metanarrative of the Bible is taken into account. A good
exegesis needs to be done here. If the context of a book is ignored or not properly done, then
the purpose and direction of the book is neglected or missed.

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 Jewish OT Christian OT
24 Books 39 Books
The Law (Torah) The Law (Torah)
Genesis 1 1 1 Genesis
Exodus 2 2 2 Exodus
Leviticus 3 3 3 Leviticus
Numbers 4 4 4 Numbers
Deuteronomy 5 5 5 Deuteronomy
Prophets (Nevi’im) OT History
Former Prophets Pre-Exilic
Joshua 6 6 6 Joshua
Judges 7 7 7 Judges
1 Samuel 8 8 Ruth
8
2 Samuel 9 9 1 Samuel
1 Kings 10 10 2 Samuel
9
2 Kings 11 11 1 Kings
Latter Prophets 12 2 Kings
Isaiah 10 12 13 1 Chronicles
Jeremiah 11 13 14 2 Chronicles
Ezekiel 12 14 Post-Exilic
Book of the Twelve 15 Ezra
Hosea 15 16 Nehemiah
Joel 16 17 Esther
Amos 17 Wisdom
Obadiah 18 18 Job
Jonah 19 19 Psalms
Micah 20 20 Proverbs
13
Nahum 21 21 Ecclesiastes
Habakkuk 22 22 Song of Songs
Zephaniah 23 Major Prophets
Haggai 24 23 Isaiah
Zechariah 25 24 Jeremiah
Malachi 26 25 Lamentations
Writings 26 Ezekiel
(Kethuvim) 27 Daniel
Psalms 14 27 Minor Prophets
Proverbs 15 28 28 Hosea
Job 16 29 29 Joel
Song of Songs 17 30 30 Amos
Ruth 18 31 31 Obadiah
Lamentations 19 32 32 Jonah
Ecclesiastes 20 33 33 Micah
Esther 21 34 34 Nahum
Daniel 22 35 35 Habakkuk
Ezra 36 36 Zephaniah
23
Nehemiah 37 37 Haggai
1 Chronicles 38 38 Zechariah
24
2 Chronicles 39 39 Malachi

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1.1.2.a The Torah (Law)
This section contains the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

The term the ‘Law’ comes from the Hebrew word ‘Torah’ which means law in the sense of
teaching and instruction. The Law is also referred to as the Pentateuch or the Five Scrolls.
These books had immediate impact with the Jewish people, and they were probably received
first orally and passed down as people memorised them.

The major themes of this segment, as a whole, include God’s perseverance, patience and
faithfulness. This is particularly evident in the story that tells of the disobedience of God’s people
and how God plans to reassert his loving dominion through the nation of Israel, and ultimately,
Jesus. This leads to another, larger theme that is present in the entire story of the Bible: that
God saves the weak and the insignificant.

Genesis

Genesis is a book about beginnings (indeed, the word ‘genesis’ translates as this), the
beginning of the world and the Israelite people, and the promises of God through Abraham. This
book is not just about creation, but also about salvation and redemption.

The Bible sets up the story of God’s involvement with humans and the world in the book of
Genesis by the words ‘In the beginning…’ God is proclaimed Creator—everything is dependent
on him. Human beings are made in his image to rule the world, but they rebel against his loving
rule and choose death instead of life. However, God is gracious and we are launched on the
great theme of the Bible—not creation but God’s determination to re-create the world according
to his original purposes. This is the shape of the long story of the whole Bible. Sin increases but
so does grace. Sin culminates in the tower of Babel and God answers this new rebellion with
the call of Abraham and Sarah—a new beginning where human beings learn to trust the God of
promise. God promises five things to Abraham in Genesis 12:1–3. These are land, people, a
name, protection, and to be a blessing to the world. It is through Abraham that God overturns
the fate of his people. He uses the weak and seemingly unimportant to fulfil his purposes. The
challenge to trust in God, and to trust that he will fulfil his promises, is met in many places in the
Bible, in particular in Genesis, in the surprising lives of Isaac, Jacob and Jacob’s sons.

Exodus

Exodus marks a transition from individual patriarchs to a nation, and the beginning of Israel as a
people.

However, more importantly, the exodus (‘ex’ and ‘odos’ meaning ‘the way out’), the redemption
of Israel from slavery in Egypt, gives us the images and language of salvation. Right through to
the book of Revelation the ideas and language of the exodus are repeated and drawn on. In the
exodus, the slave people, Israel, are oppressed by the superpower, Egypt. Israel is saved by the
Lord who uses the situation to show the world who he is. He restores his people, brings them
freedom, and gives them hope where they had none, not because they deserved it, but
because of his mercy and faithfulness.

Israel is brought to Sinai to be installed as God’s special people. The Lord will bring an idol-
befuddled, dying world back to life through the covenant-living Israel. By worshipping the true
God the Lord’s way, Israel will be the means of giving a picture of an alternate reality.

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The goal of the exodus and all salvation is presence: Israel living with the Lord, the Lord living
with his people, Israel. Therefore, the directions for building the tabernacle are repeated in
incredible detail—they take up half the book!

Israel sins in the worst way possible by making an idol of the Lord as a golden calf. But the Lord
is gracious and goes with Israel to the promised land after Moses’ pleadings.

The themes of Exodus include God’s grace and mercy, and how God’s people are saved and
forgiven repeatedly not through any strength of their own, but by God alone, who continues to
be faithful to them.

Leviticus

This book gets its name from the tribe of Levi, who were the priestly tribe.

Leviticus gives the answer to how this sinful Israel can live in the presence of this holy God—the
Lord provides a sacrificial system. Leviticus presents us with the imagery of holiness. Holiness is
about being heavenly, about being fit for the presence of God. However, the very presence and
structure of the tabernacle demonstrates that the people can never be sufficiently holy, for there
must always be a degree of separation between God and his people. Though the tabernacle is,
in part, designed to keep God apart from the people, and is also a daily lesson and reminder for
the people of how unlike God they are, the laws and system God provides is so that they as a
people can try and express the character of God and his moral purity.

Israel, a slave nation oppressed and downtrodden, learns the grammar of holiness in the detail
of the food laws, forbidden relationships and the festivals. At every season, every event and
every activity, Israel is reminded of who the Lord is and who she is—she learns that her whole
life can be lived to God and that holiness is in the wholeness of life. To some extent it is correct
that Exodus provides the outer structure of nation and tabernacle, while Leviticus gives us the
inner structure of the life of God’s people.

Numbers

Numbers tells us why Israel took forty years to make a journey that should only take a few
months. At the border of the promised land, a place that should provoke ideas of re-entering
Eden, they rebelled again and did not trust the Lord, so he took them on a journey that meant
the generation that refused to enter would die before a new Israel (their children) took their
place. This is what happened. By the end of Numbers, Israel is on the border of the promised
land and has defeated the two Amorite kings, Sihon and Og. The last of the old Israel dies in the
plague brought on by one more idolatrous moment with Moabite women. A new Israel stands
poised to enter the promised land. The book of Numbers begins and ends with a census, and
shows the story of two different Israels. The census that takes place at the end of Numbers
shows that it is a new Israel that has taken the place of the old Israel, and it is this new Israel
that will go into the promised land.

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Deuteronomy

After close to another forty years, the law is given again to God’s people. The name of the book
comes from the Greek word ‘deuteronomion’, meaning ‘second law’. In many senses this law
has not changed, but the commentary that accompanies it brings it into a new light.

In Deuteronomy, Moses is reminding this new Israel of the covenant God has made with her
and, in doing so, is reconfirming the covenant. He outlines their responsibilities and privileges,
dangers, and institutions, such as kingship, the priesthood and the role of the prophets. They
are reminded that the land belongs to the Lord and they are privileged ‘guests’ who are to have
no dealings with the occupants of the land. Rather, they are to wage a holy war against them.
They are told that if they obey God’s laws and keep his covenant then they shall have many
blessings. However, if they disobey God, they will be punished with covenant curses, and this
ultimately means exile. Israel’s purpose is to be different from the nations, but if she becomes
like the nations, then she will be cast out to the nations and out of the land. Towards the end of
the book, Israel is told that she will disobey God; she will experience both the blessings and the
curses, and there is a call to repent and return to the Lord with all her heart.

In this sense, Deuteronomy shows the direction and trajectory of the story of God’s people.

1.1.2.b The Prophets: The Former Prophets

The books that make up this section include Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2
Kings. The name for this group of books, the Former Prophets, is given because the books
detail God’s word being lived out and etched into the lives of real people. This story is shaped
and often told through prophets such as Samuel, Joshua, and Nathan in 2 Samuel, and Elijah
and Elisha in the books of Kings.

It is interesting that these six books of narrative are called the Former Prophets. Calling them
‘former’ distinguishes them from the Latter Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel) and the
Twelve. The title ‘prophets’ might be considered surprising, but, as with all biblical narrative,
there is no simple reporting of facts and figures. The stories have a theological shape and are
telling the story of God’s purposes in the story of his people; in fact, they are telling the blessing
and curses of Deuteronomy.

Joshua

The book of Joshua describes the movement of conquest in the promised land up to Joshua’s
death. It is a strange story of obedience and disobedience, of faithfulness and unfaithfulness.
Though Joshua is a great leader, we see that even he had his faults. It ends with near civil war
between the tribes west of the Jordan and those east of the Jordan. However, Israel as a nation
lacks enthusiasm for God, and the book ends with a call for Israel to be faithful to the faithful
Lord and get rid of her idols, for the covenant to be reaffirmed. God continues to be faithful to
his people.

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Judges

Joshua ends with a rousing challenge to follow the Lord, which the people agree to. Then
comes the book of Judges, which is a very challenging book to read because it shows the
increasingly frequent and inevitable disobedience of Israel. The book of Judges is a series of
downward cyclical movements.

The cycle can be outlined as

1. Judge dies
2. Israel rebels against the Lord
3. The Lord sends a nation to punish Israel
4. Israel cries out to the Lord
5. The Lord sends a judge who leads Israel into victory over her enemies
6. Israel follows the Lord while the judge lives.

Judges ends in the virtual destruction of the tribe of Benjamin. The book shows us what
happens when Israel does not acknowledge the Lord as their king.

1 and 2 Samuel

A judge is a leader, and the judges came from different tribes, so that there is a sense of a ‘tribal
confederacy’. However, 1 and 2 Samuel mark the end of the era of the Judges and this ‘tribal
confederacy’ period and into a kingship period. In one sense, this is very much a continued fall
of the nation of Israel, as unlike in Judges, the people depend on the family and next of kin for
their next king, not God. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel detail the rise of kingship in God’s
people by first detailing the betrayal of God’s kingship.

The books of 1 and 2 Samuel show Israel wanting to be like the nations and have a human king
that essentially rejects and replaces her divine king—the Lord. This all happens under the
judgeship of Samuel. Saul is Israel’s first king, and is the king Israel deserves. Saul is rejected by
the Lord when he demonstrates once again that he is more concerned about himself than the
Lord’s wishes.

David, who replaces Saul, is the king God has chosen—a man after his own heart. In 2 Samuel
7, David, probably seeking to secure his family’s hold on the throne, offers to build God a house
(a temple). The Lord rejects his offer and offers instead, as a gift, what David has been trying to
get—a house (a dynasty). The rest of 2 Samuel shows the decline of David from this high point
to his demise in 1 Kings (he becomes an adulterer and murderer) and the handing over of his
throne to his son, Solomon.

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1 and 2 Kings

These books give what could be called a ‘summary review’; that which has been anticipated in
Joshua and tasted in Judges is experienced to the full because of Solomon’s idolatry and
rebellion.

In the same way as the previous books, 1 and 2 Kings begins from a high point. Solomon, the
wisest man in all the world, builds the great temple because of God’s promise to his people that
there will always be a son of David on the throne, but he is lead by his wealth and his many
wives into idolatry and leads Israel into disaster and fragmentation. Only the tribe of Judah
remains with the house of David. The northern kingdom, Israel, despite God’s constant
warnings through the prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah, descends into idolatry and is
quickly removed to Assyria, while the southern kingdom also descends into idolatry and chaos.
They are occasionally buoyed up by a good king like a Jehosophat or a Hezekiah, but even
Josiah is unable to turn the tide of rebellion and Babylon eventually comes and destroys the
temple and Jerusalem and deports the people to Babylon and exile.

The nature, then, of the early books of this segment in terms of prophecy becomes clear. The
covenant promises, and the cursings and blessings detailed in Deuteronomy, come to fulfilment
here. God’s patience with Israel’s constant rebellion (and also, generations later, our constant
rebellion) is testament to God’s sovereignty and faithfulness to his people as he brings about a
relationship with them through real, complex situations and living in a broken world. The pattern
of sin is coupled with the pattern of redemption, and shows God’s determination and respect
for his people.

1.1.2.c The Latter Prophets and Book of the Twelve

The Latter Prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. The Twelve are Hosea, Joel, Amos,
Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.

The Latter Prophets cover the period just before and during the exile in Judah, while the book of
the Twelve (twelve smaller-sized prophecies), covers either the northern or southern kingdoms
immediately before or during the exile or, as in the case of Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, the
period of the return.

The message of the Latter Prophets and the book of the Twelve is a message of the covenant,
where God is committed to a people and determined to bless the world through that people.
They are to be a witness to the nations, but at the same time God must exercise his judgement
of their sin as he pursues a relationship with them to bring about their renewal. The theme of the
Former Prophets is seen in the lives and detail of the Latter Prophets and these other prophetic
books. These books show the covenant blessings and curses in greater detail and on a more
individual level.

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Take, for example, the book of Isaiah, which shows God bringing about judgement because of
Israel’s breaking of the covenant and disloyalty. Yet the prophet also shows that God promises
to bring about something new, which is often couched in terms of a ‘new exodus’: there will be
a judgement, but this will be followed by a new creation, a new land for God’s people. In this
sense, the book of Jeremiah is similar, in that there is again rejection of God, followed by his
judgement of sin (exemplified in Babylon), but following this judgement there is promise of a new
creation and new covenant. Jeremiah also shows the extent to which the hearts of the people of
Israel are corrupt, placing more value on an outward sign of their relationship with God (such as
going to the temple) than following God in their heart and soul with integrity. The book of Ezekiel
continues to talk about the new creation and renewal of God’s people.

These books also contain a moral and ethical element that calls God’s people to account about
looking after those in society who are in need. It again reminds Israel that they are to be a
witness to the other nations of the world and that the rejection of God means a rejection also of
these responsibilities.

The roles of these books included:

• warning against God’s impending judgement, which was based on the statements of
covenant curses
• encouraging Israel in the midst of judgement that God’s purposes still held and she
would return from exile
• declaring the need for a new event—a new creation, a new covenant—whereby Israel
would become what she was meant to be and the nations would worship the Lord in
Jerusalem
• stimulating Israel on return to continue to be faithful and to not give up.

1.1.2.d The Writings

This section includes the Psalms, and the books of Job, Proverbs, Ruth, Song of Songs,
Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and 1 and 2 Chronicles. The
common theme of the writings is one of encouragement and rebuke addressed by God to
people in exile and after exile. Those books most easily identified as a unit are Lamentations,
Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah and 1 and 2 Chronicles. These books deal specifically with the
period of the exile and the times leading up to the exile.

Psalms

Psalms, which has five books (some see this as echoing the five books of the Torah), and has
150 chapters, functions as a prayer book for Israel. This book gives an example of an
expression of every emotion and every situation for God’s people. It means that there are often
desperate songs or prayers to God (e.g. Psalm 88), songs that are perhaps more like songs of
lament than songs of praise. This book teaches Israel how to express their belief in the context
of living, and it provides us with an excellent way in which we can pray to God.

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Lamentations

These are songs lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem and the implications for what God is
doing in the world through Israel. It is an agonised but not hopeless processing of this
monumental disaster.

Esther

Esther is the account of God’s providential care whilst Israel was in exile and close to being
destroyed. In this time of threat the Lord raised up Esther and Mordecai. It ends with the
establishing of a feast that commemorates Purim.

Daniel

Daniel is a book composed of narrative, prophetic and apocalyptic genres. It tracks the life of
Daniel and his three friends as they establish a covenant-faithful life in Babylon. In its intimate
knowledge of Babylon, the book contrasts the kingdom of God with the kingdoms of men,
assuring God’s people that God’s kingdom will prevail.

Ezra and Nehemiah

Ezra and Nehemiah are both stories of the return after exile. Ezra seeks to re-establish a
covenant-obedient community once again in Jerusalem. Nehemiah succeeds in rebuilding the
walls of Jerusalem but his final message is one of despair: not even Nehemiah can build
holiness in Israel.

1 and 2 Chronicles

The books of 1 and 2 Chronicles begin with nine chapters of genealogies, the first from Adam to
Abraham. The writer takes us through the decline of David’s house that brings Israel to the point
of disaster, but ends with hope of Cyrus’ decree to return to the land.

Ruth

Of the rest, Ruth is the stand out—it appears to be out of place and would seem to be most at
home in the Former Prophets. Yet, placed here, the especially poignant question the story
poses is, ‘What sort of welcome would returnees from a foreign land find?’

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Of the material left in this segment, the remainder is categorised as Wisdom literature. With the
exception of Job, these books (Proverbs, Song of Songs, and Ecclesiastes) are all concerned
with the court of Solomon, which must shape how we read them. If we take Solomon’s career
into consideration, then we see the wisest man in proverbial wisdom lacked the true wisdom of
the Bible—the fear of the Lord. While books such as the Proverbs are full of wisdom that aids a
person of God ‘along the journey’, they are not full of saving wisdom, the fear of the Lord and
faithfulness, such as is found in the book of Ecclesiastes.

Job

Job also fits the shape of the exile story in a different way. This easily fits the struggle of the
righteous remnant experiencing the exile (all of the problems of Job are covenant curses). Job
(the persecuted servant—like the suffering servant) maintains his innocence in the light of
accusations from those who hold a view of God that is largely one of cause and effect: if you are
suffering you are suffering because God did it and God would not do it unless there is a reason.
Job maintains his innocence and becomes the means of his accusers’ salvation. He receives
the blessings for returning to the Lord. The book contains a dialogue with God and is one that
would resonate strongly with the Israelite people as they look upon Job’s situation and compare
it to their own.

1.1.2.e Summary
God is faithful and does not give up on his people. But it is clear that something must change,
not only externally, but internally also; there must be a change in the hearts of the people.

Israel, despite every outward inducement and advantage, is incapable of fulfilling her side of the
covenant. Unless the Lord builds the house, the labourers labour in vain. In Deuteronomy, the
call to return ‘to the LORD your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul
according to everything I command you today’ (Deut 30:2) is only possible if Israel is given a
new heart, the solution promised by Ezekiel and Jeremiah.

In Isaiah’s words, what is needed is a new creation. The Old Testament ends with a sense that
Israel has returned to the land but not to God, and what is needed is the promised new
covenant.

Yet Israel is not alone. It is true that though they were given the Scriptures, given the prophets,
and given God’s word, Israel still gets it wrong. Yet we also have the Scriptures, and we also still
get it wrong. It is important to realise that unless there is a change in our hearts, unless God
works within us, we will continue to suffer this fate. However, just like Israel, God persists and is
faithful; he speaks to his people and he promises more.

Could it be that one of the unstated principles of incorporating books into the canon of the Bible
is that they ‘fit’ the overall storyline? We could state it in this way: despite bright beginnings,
human ability is fundamentally flawed and only the action of God will bring about God’s
purposes. This is the way the story of the Old Testament comes together and in doing so sets
us up for listening to how God will act in the person of Jesus.

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1.1.3 Genesis 1–12
Genesis gives an account of creation that, amidst a polytheistic culture, attributes the creation of
the universe and every known element to one God. These chapters reveal a recurring pattern in
the life of humanity: fruit (temptation), eating the fruit (giving in to temptation), nakedness,
shame, and curse.

1.1.3.a Chapter 1: One God, one creation

Genesis begins with the creation of the world by God and the creation of human beings in his
image. Human beings are created to rule over the world under God’s authority. This is the
shape of biblical reality which salvation, redemption and re-creation all move toward. This
chapter sets up God’s order, and his physical image and manifestation of his rule. This is
revisited and reiterated again and again throughout the Bible, for instance, in Exodus 1:6–7, 2
Samuel 7 and Matthew 28.

1.1.3.b Chapter 2: An intimate creation

Whilst chapter 1 presents creation on a grand scale, chapter 2 presents creation close-up. God
creates Adam out of dust and breathes life into him. God walks with Adam in the garden and
has intimate fellowship with him.

Chapter 1 and chapter 2 need to be taken together to grasp and understand the way in which
God relates with the world, that is, not only on a grand scale, but also on an exceedingly
intimate one. God is transcendent and immanent, above and beyond, but this certainly does not
mean he is distant from his creation, especially humankind, made in his image.

1.1.3.c Chapter 3: Rebellion

In Genesis 3, human beings rebel and as a consequence the whole of creation and all
relationships are affected negatively. Genesis charts the course of rebellion against God’s rule,
resulting in death, disease, fragmentation and frustration.

This chapter is the overturning of God’s order, which has been set out in the previous chapters.
Instead of creation being under humanity’s stewardship, and humanity being under God’s rule,
humanity (Adam and Eve) does as is suggested by the serpent (creation) and disobeys God’s
rule. The order of persons in creation is reversed. However, it is important to note that it is not
the fruit that causes the reversal, but the action of taking the fruit, the decision to disobey God.

There is some truth in what the serpent says when he declares that the eyes of Adam and Eve
will be opened. In eating the fruit, the eyes of Adam and Eve are opened to their nakedness, not
only their physical nakedness but also their spiritual nakedness, and they are ashamed.

In later Scriptures the serpent comes to be the symbol of Satan, and it would be fairly safe to
assume that the serpent is Satan in this instance. The story does not tell us where evil came
from, but we are left to gather that it originates somewhere outside of the context of Genesis 3.

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This chapter brings up the question of where sin starts. It could be said that the beginning of sin
is with imagining God other than he is. The serpent develops an image of God in the minds of
Adam and Eve that is a God who is weak, mean, self-protective and jealous. This image is in
complete contrast to the God who is loving, faithful and who gives them abundant gifts. The
decision to believe this lie rather than believe the truth provokes the physical expression of sin,
which, in the case of Adam and Eve, was to take and eat the fruit, giving in to temptation.

This is something that goes beyond the situation of Adam and Eve because we are all tempted
by sin. How then should we think when tempted by sin? It is clear that where we place our trust
is a significant factor. Is our trust in God, or is our trust in another future that we can make for
ourselves apart from God? We must behold God and recall who he really is, see God in Christ,
and have a personal encounter with God. This is the solution to temptation, and the best way to
have this solution work is through getting to know God by the Scripture, by his spoken word, so
that when a lie tempts us to imagine that God is different from who he is, we can fight it.

However, it is important that we realise that placing our trust in God does not mean a life filled
with good things. Take the example of Jesus, who trusted God, but ended up on the cross. Are
we prepared to experience loss or pain for his sake? For although we may lose much and
experience pain, there is greater hope in knowing that God will provide us with so much more.

1.1.3.d Chapter 4: The spread of sin

Chapter 4 sees the continuation and spread of sin in God’s creation and amongst his people.
We see that Adam and Eve’s initial sin involves all of humanity and relates to something deep
within us as human beings. The sin of Cain against his own brother, Abel, can be seen as a
retelling of the story of Genesis 3 in a different context. There remains an element of passing the
blame and not taking responsibility, a key element of unrepentance.

However, through these chapters it is clear that God’s mercy continues. For example, in
chapter 3, God gives Adam and Eve clothes to wear to hide their nakedness, gives them a
family, and gives them another child after the death of Abel. Despite punishing Cain, God gives
Cain a mark so that people will not kill him when they find him. God continues to be righteous,
yet gracious, even here.

1.1.3.e Chapter 5: The family tree

This chapter begins with a genealogy or family tree from Adam to Noah, where the pattern of
humanity and the presence of death in the world as a result of sin becomes apparent. At the
same time, however, we also continue to see God’s continual blessing upon his creation
through the new life and spread of his people.

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1.1.3.f Chapter 6–9: The flood
Chapter 6 confronts the issue that, as the population of the world has increased, so too has the
amount of sin in the world. We find that the problem is that man’s heart is corrupt and God is
determined to withdraw his Spirit (Gen 6:3–6). There is one man, Noah, who is righteous, and
God says to him in verse 13 that he is going to put an end to all people, for the world is full of
violence because of them. The relationship between Noah and God harkens back to the
relationship between Adam and God. The story of the flood, of an un-creation with the hope of
a new beginning, resonates with the creation story of the first few chapters of Genesis (Gen 8).

God’s actions here of bringing about the flood allows us to see, beyond all reasonable doubt,
that even with a second chance and the benefit of hindsight, a person’s heart still inclines away
from God and towards sin. Chapter 9 sees Noah resuming the pattern of sin, which is so
prevalent in the heart of humankind, and the chaos that was present before the flood once
again begins to build.

1.1.3.g Chapter 10–11: Babel

These chapters provide the table of the nations, which is a result of humankind’s spreading out,
filling the earth and subduing it. There is one language and common speech among the people.
The trouble begins when, once they have begun to move eastward, they decide to make a city,
a name for themselves, so that they would not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.
This is a clear resistance of God’s purpose for humankind. The people build a place where a
tower forms the centre of their life rather than God. God is horrified at the enormity of their sin,
which is encouraged by the people’s unity with one another. He ceases this unity by confusing
the languages of the nations and dividing the people so that they may again fill the earth and
subdue it.

1.1.3.h Chapter 12: Abraham

Abraham is the grace to the judgement on Babel. God again speaks here, showing unending
mercy to his people.

Throughout the stories of Cain and Abel, the flood generation, and Babel, the growth of sin is
met with God’s gracious provision of mercy. The rebellion of humanity at Babel is met with
judgement in the scattering of humankind and God’s mercy in the call of Abraham in chapter
12. The five blessings promised to Abraham (Gen12:1–3) of land, a people, fame, protection,
and being the means of bringing blessing to the whole world, sets the plot for the ‘big story’ in
the rest of the Bible. Abraham and Sarah, with nephew Lot, come to the land of Canaan and
begin to learn by faith and not by sight.

? Learning Activity: Using what you have learnt in this section, write an article for your
church newsletter explaining how the story of Israel as detailed in the Old Testament has
relevance to God’s people in a post-resurrection era.

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