The Old Testament anticipates the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, who would eventually come into this world to redeem a people chosen by God from eternity past. The Old Testament tells of a Savior to come Who is able to forever deal with sin, Who will establish an earthly kingdom and eternally reign in a new heaven and earth. Christians cannot neglect the Old Testament because it is part of our story of redemption.
The book of Genesis is crucial as it establishes God as the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. In fact, Genesis records that God, by His very word, spoke everything into existence out of nothing—theologians call this “ex-nihilo,” which is Latin for “out of nothing.” This important doctrine sets the stage for the rest of Scripture.
It is common for Christians today to focus on the apologetic aspects of the book of Genesis in its defence of creation, marriage, the sanctity of life, and other issues. But at its heart, Genesis begins the story of a coming Redeemer who will crush the head of the serpent and establish His reign and rule over the world forever.
The book of Exodus is the amazing story of God raising up of Moses to deliver His people, the nation of Israel, from slavery in Egypt and bring them to the Promised Land. But the task was not easy. Moses had to go up against Pharoah, the king of Egypt, to demand that he let God’s people go. In God’s providence, Pharoah’s stubborn refusal put God’s power on display and made His name known in Egypt and among the Israelites.
The Book of Exodus records God’s interactions with Moses on Mount Sinai, which became the foundation and framework for life as the people of God. It was on Sinai that God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, His Law, and the sacrificial system. For the next two thousand years, the people of Israel would be intimately involved with God’s Law as the means to honor and worship Him and live separate from the pagan cultures around them.
In one of the most remarkable scenes in the Old Testament, God gave His Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai. But these commandments are more than just external rules for God’s people to follow–they are internal, spiritual commands that every follower of God is required to obey from the heart.
The Old Testament books of Joshua and Judges record the highs and lows of the nation of Israel. On one hand, Joshua tells of God’s people finally entering the Promised Land, the land God covenanted to give to Abraham and his descendants forever. But soon after the conquest, Judges records that the people of Israel chose abandon God’s Law and do what was right in their own eyes.
Many Christians know that David wrote roughly half of the psalms recorded in the Old Testament. And most also know that David committed wretched sins that he repented of before the Lord. But fewer understand how the life, ministry, and kingship of David play a vital role in the story of the coming Messiah that unfolds in the Old Testament. The Scriptures teach that the Messiah would be a descendent of David and that He will reign forever on his throne.
The Old Testament books of 1 and 2 Kings record the nation of Israel’s consistent disobedience toward God and His law and their repeated violation of the Mosaic Covenant that had been given on Mount Sinai. Because of their rebellion, the people faced many challenges and hardships, experiencing firsthand the curses God had promised for disobedience. But at their heart, 1 & 2 Kings describe a faithful and loyal God who desires to be gracious to sinners and to offer repentance, restoration, and salvation for all who come to Him.
The prophets played a critical role in the Old Testament narrative and in the overarching story of the Bible, which is that God is redeeming a people by His Son for His Son’s glory. The prophets were appointed by God to speak on His behalf with a message of judgment against sin and the call to look to Him in repentance and faith for salvation. Several of the prophets wrote the Old Testament Scripture, giving us God’s very own words to describe and communicate His plan to save sinners through Jesus Christ.
The wisdom literature, or poetical books, of the Old Testament don’t advance the story or narrative. Rather, they are highly instructive books that teach God’s people how to respond to God’s sovereignty in the midst of suffering, how to worship Him, and how to live wisely, lovingly and joyfully in a fallen world.
The book of Ecclesiastes is often either misunderstood or neglected entirely because of its difficult and challenging subject matter. But at its heart, Ecclesiastes is King Solomon’s memoir of the life that he lived “under the sun,” or on this earth. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Solomon wrote about a philosophy of life that centers around two major propositions: first, that life is a gift from God to be enjoyed, but also that life is mysterious and will eventually come to an end. Friend, do you understand life from God’s perspective?
One of the major movements in Old Testament history begins with Israel’s exile at the hands of the Assyrians in 722 BC. It was during that time that the northern ten tribes of Israel were destroyed. Several decades later, the prophet Jeremiah prophesied that the southern two tribes of Judah and Benjamin would also be taken into captivity by the Babylonians. Their exile would last for 70 years, but in the midst of this difficult time, God remained faithful, pleading with HIs people to turn from their wicked ways and believe in Him.
In the final movement of Old Testament history, God sovereignly and providentially worked among His people, calling them to repentance and directing them to carefully obey His word. After the people of Israel had spent so much of their history doing what was right in their own eyes, they finally submitted to God’s Word under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah.
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