Introduction

• If asked by someone for help in their reading of the Old Testament, giving them just the basic storyline, could you do it?
  • Hebrews 5:11-14
• Of the 39 Old Testament books, only twelve need to be read in order to get the chronological story. The other 27 are valuable for the details.

Genesis

• Three men: patriarchs (Acts 7:8)
  • Abraham, Isaac, Jacob
• Three promises: Genesis 12:3; 26:4; 28:14; 49:10
  • Land – the land which I will show you
    • Fulfilled, Joshua 21:43-45; 23:14
  • Nation – I will make you a great nation
    • Fulfilled, Exodus 1:7
  • Special descendant – in you all the families of the earth will be blessed
    • Fulfilled, Galatians 3:14-16
• The balance of the Old Testament is all about the fulfilling of these three promises.

Exodus

• 215 years of bondage
• Reason for Jews being in Egypt in servitude; had become a great nation, a thread to Pharaoh, Exodus 1:14
• Exodus 12:37 – 600,000 men
• Exodus 3-7 – Moses raised up as deliverer
• Exodus 8-11 – Plagues intended to soften Pharaoh’s heart and release the Jews.
• Exodus 12-13 – Passover instituted
• Exodus 14-40 – Jews escape Egypt, come to Sinai, events at Sinai
• Exodus 19 – Ten Commandments
• Exodus 24 – Golden calf
• Jesus our Passover lamb – I Corinthians 5:7

Numbers

• 40 years of wandering
• Numbers 1-10 – Preparations for leaving Sinai
• Numbers 10-12 – Events before Kadesh
  • Murmuring against Moses and Aaron
• Numbers 12-20 – Events at Kadesh
  • Numbers 12 – Murmuring of Miriam and Aaron
  • Numbers 13 – Spies sent to Canaan, evil report
  • Numbers 14 – Rebellion of people and punishment
• Numbers 20-36 – Events prior to entering Canaan

Deuteronomy

• “Remember” – 24 times
• Deuteronomy 1-31 – Retelling of the law
• Deuteronomy 32-34 – 120 years of Moses’ life ends

Joshua

• Seven years to conquer the land
• Joshua 1-5 – Entering the land
• Joshua 6-12 – Conquest of the land
• Joshua 13-21 – Distribution of land
• Joshua 22-24 – Settling in land
• Joshua 21:45 – None of God’s promises failed

Judges – I Samuel 8

• 14 judges, 300 years
• Judges 2:11-23 – 300 year cycle of apostasy: sin, oppression, repentance, deliverance, relapse

I Samuel 8 – I Kings 11

• “Give us a king”
  • 120 years, united kingdom: Judah and Israel
    • Saul, David, and Solomon
• II Samuel 7:12-17 - David’s desire to build temple; God assures him a descendant of His (Jesus) will fulfill prophecy.

I Kings, II Kings – Divided kingdom

• Israel – 931-722 B.C.
  • 19 kings, all of them evil
  • Lasts for 200 years before being taken into Assyrian captivity, from which they never returned.
• Judah – 931-586 B.C.
  • 20 kings, some good, some evil
  • Lasts for 130 years after Israel goes into captivity before being taken captive by Babylon for seventy years, then return.

II Kings 23-25

• Three groups taken into Babylonian captivity

Ezra and Nehemiah

• Three groups return from Babylonian

Introduction

• Ephesians 6:4
• I John 3:1

He always prioritizes our souls.

• Genesis 13:2, 5-6 – God is okay with us being prosperous.
• I Kings 3:13
• Job 1:1
• II Thessalonians 3:7-10 – God exalts a good work ethic.
• Proverbs 17:17
• Matthew 10:16, 28, 39
• Revelation 2:10
• We need to make it clear to our children that their souls are what are most valuable.
• Matthew 16:26

He balances tough love and tender love.

• Genesis 6:12-13 – God destroyed the earth with a flood.
• Psalms 86:14-17 – God also showed compassionate love.
• Kids need to hear, “no” and it needs to be enforced.
• There are also times when kids make a mistake and need compassionate love.

He tells His children to be different.

• Exodus 19:5
• Leviticus 18:3 – Don’t walk like the Egyptians, Canaanites, or anyone else.
• Leviticus 19:2
• Leviticus 20:22
• Deuteronomy 18:9 – Don’t imitate the nations.
• Jeremiah 10:2
• I Peter 2:9-11 – We are sojourners here.
• Teach your kids to be different!
• II Corinthians 6:14-18

Faith dispels fear (continued)

• Mark 4:37-41
• Fear and faith are incompatible (Mark 4:40).
• Fear assumes God does not care (Mark 4:38).
  • “Teacher, do you not care …”
• Fear assumes God can’t (or won’t) help me.
  • Sometimes we don’t feel worthy of God’s help.
  • We may project our own shortcomings on God.
• Fear assumes God cannot be at work in the storm like He is in the calm.
• God is with us in the storm.
  • Matthew 28:20; Mark 16:20; Acts 18:10; II Timothy 4:17
  • Hebrews 13:5-6
• God cares for us in the storm.
  • Christ’s compassion: John 11:33-38; Luke 7:13; 19:41-44. He cares at all times.
  • God wants us to trust in His care, rather than react to our own anxiety.
  • God’s care is an answer to anxiety: Matthew 6:30
• God brings good out of storms.
  • Philippians 4:6-7
• Fear tells us that God’s presence and care will mean no storms. The Bible teaches us that God works in storms to bring the good out of them.
  • Joseph – Genesis 50:20
  • Paul – Philippians 1:12
• We can learn and grow by enduring trials and hardships.
  • James 1:2-4
• Let go of fear.
• Be introspective. Why are you so afraid?
• Pray for help and healing. Philippians 4:6-7
• Evaluate past storms.

Spiritual health is the most important thing.

• John 5:2-9
• John 5:13-15 – It doesn’t seem that Jesus is telling the man he was lame because of sin. Jesus is saying that if the man sins, something worse than lameness will befall him, namely hell.

I need to double-check if I am mistaken.

• John 5:10, 16
• The Jews thought that this was a sin, but the fact that Jesus commanded it shows it was not.

Don’t see a contradiction where there is harmony.

• John 5:17-18 – The Jews thought this was blasphemy, not understanding who Jesus was.
• John 5:19-24
• Jesus gives four lines of evidence to show He was the Christ:
  • John 5:30-36 – The testimony of John the Baptist (1) and His own works (2).
  • John 5:37-38 – God the Father bore witness of Jesus (possibly His baptism – Matthew 3:17) (3).
  • John 14:24
  • John 5:39-40 – The scriptures also testify of Jesus (4).
  • John 5:45-47
  • Luke 24:27
• How are you saved?
  • Ephesians 1:7
  • I Peter 3:21
  • James 2:24
  • Ephesians 2:8
  • Acts 3:19
  • Romans 10:10
  • Titus 3:5
  • All of these are true! It is wrong for us to try to drive wedges between them.

Joshua 7

Joshua 7:1-15 – Defeated at Ai

• Joshua 7:1 – Achan violates the ban on plunder that God had put in place (see Joshua 6:17).
• Joshua 7:4-9 – Because of Achan’s sin, Israel loses a battle. Joshua went straight to God in prayer, which was the correct response.

Joshua 7:16-26 – Achan punished

• Achan “saw … coveted … took … concealed.” This is the way sin always works! Compare James 1:14-15.
• We must stop sin right at the beginning and not let it proceed.
• Joshua 7:22-25 – Achan’s punishment was swift and severe. See Deuteronomy 13:6-11.

Joshua 8

Joshua 8:1-8 – Instructions about Ai

• Joshua 8:2 – The firstfruits of the conquest were from Jericho and were dedicated to God. Thereafter, God allowed the people to plunder. Ultimately, God rules and can make commands as He wishes. (If only Achan had waited for one more battle, he could have had his plunder and still been acceptable to God! We must operate on God’s timetable.)

Joshua 8:9-29 – Defeat of Ai

• God instructs Joshua to set an ambush for Ai, utterly defeating them.

Joshua 8:30-35 – Altar and reading the law

Joshua 9

Joshua 9:1-27 – Gibeonite deception and covenant

• Joshua 9:14 – They did not consult God!