Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua & Judges Sam , Kgs , Chron , Dan. Prophets , Ezra & Nehemiah Silent 400 yrs New Testament God speaks the universe into existence and calls it “good.” Adam and Eve are the pinnacle of creation and enjoy an intimate relationship with God But their sin brings death into the world and breaks their relationship with God. God promises to send a Redeemer to crush evil (Gen. 3:15) This promise is the central theme of Scripture. God’s plan of redemption is seen a fter the flood Gen. 9 hints that the world will be blessed through Noah’s son Shem. In Gen. 12 God elects Abraham , Shem’s descendant, and promises to bless hi m ( Abrahamic Covenant) by making his family a great nation and giving them a land (Israel) so that they will be God’s light to the whole world ( Israel will fail at this; the Redeemer will ultimately fulfill this role ) Genesis en ds with a section on Jacob (Israel) and his 12 sons ( who f orm the tribes of Israel ) and reve als that the Redeemer will come from the nation of Israel , specifically the tribe of Judah in the line of Shem (49:10). Moses lays out the numbering of the people and the distribution of land once they enter the Promised Land. Chapter 24 foretells the glad tidings coming with the future Redeemer. In 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and reviewed again in 1 and 2 Chronicles is the movement from the period of the judges to the onset of kingship. The peopl e sinfully demand to have a king like their pagan neighbors. So, God set s up a three - part leadership structure: kings, priests, and prophets. Kings le a d the nation , priests are intermediaries between Israel & God , and prophets proclaim God’s message. The coming Redeemer would function as all three. The first king of the “united monarchy” (all 12 tribes together) is King Saul. He starts off well but is insecure and lashes out at anyone who threa tens him. Eventually he rebels against God and dies, givi ng rise to David. God promises David that one of his descendants would rule God’ s people for ever ( The Davidic Covenant ) This reveals that the Redeemer will come from t he line of David David makes Jerusalem his capital and begins building the temple. David’s son Solomon becomes king and finishes the temple. His son Rehoboam then becomes king and sadly divides the kingdom between 10 northern (Israel) and 2 southern tribes (Judah) The North establishes their own king and build s 2 temples for themselves Idolatry becomes rampant in both kingdoms. In 722 BC God lets the N orth be defeated by the Assyrians, exiled, and lost from history. God later lets the South be sacked by the Babylonians, the temple destroyed, and the elite of Jerusalem ( e.g. Daniel) exiled to Babylon. L eviticus introduces ceremonial laws and the priestly sacrificial system with emphasis on the Day of Atonement. The Levitical priesthood points ahead to the true Mediator (Redeemer) to come. Deuteronomy is a review as Moses calls everyone back to faithfulness as they get ready to enter the Promised Land. The prophetic office is instituted and immediately anticipates the coming greater Prophet (Deut. 18:15 - 18). Deuteronomy ends with a tension that began in the Pentateuch and runs throughout the OT ( e.g. Ex. 34, Is. 6 , Pr. 15 ) : God forgives the wicked yet also punishes the wicked How can both be true? This tension will not be reso lved until the Redeemer arrives and forgives the wicked by being punished in their place (Gal. 3:13 - 14 ). Some prophets write before/during the exile and others write after the exile The central message of the prophets is that God is judging Israel for its wickedness b ut that God also has a plan to restor e t he Israel ites to their land and to restore all of sinful humanity to God through the coming Redeemer I n Ezra, many Jews return from exile and rebuild the temple Nehe miah returns and rebuilds the city walls Israel celebrates the new wall but quickly sinks into yet another rebellion against God. The book (and essentially the Old Testament) en ds with Nehemiah in despai r at the sins of Israel. Israel gets caught between enemy nations to the north and south. Israel d efeat s the army to the north b ut i nstead of reestablishing the Davidic kingship, lets guerilla leaders tak e over. This allows Rome to conquer Israel. The Jews year n for the Redeemer to rescue them from Rome. As Israelite numbers grow, Pharaoh feels threatened and enslaves them. Moses is raised in the courts of Pharaoh but still feels loyal to Israel . He behaves foolishly as a young man and flees for his life into the desert where he is a shepherd until age 80. The n God calls him to face Pharaoh and demand he free the Israelites Pharaoh refuses. Even plagues don’ t change his mind He orders the death of every Israelite firstborn son The people are helpless to save themselves, so God intervenes and reverses Pharaoh’s curse – t he curse falls on Egypt. Israel escape s death t hrough the blood of a substitutionary sacrific e and Pharaoh releas es them. At Si nai , God establishes a covenant (Mosaic) with Israel and gives them their “ constitution ” that comprises much of Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. The L aw has two main roles: (1) reveal God’s holy character and (2) reveal man’s sinful character and need for a substitutionary sacrifice to remove sin. God makes provision for Israel to meet with Him – tabernacle worship. The tabernacle system pointed to God’s holiness, man’s sinfulness, and the need for a mediator for man to approach God Joshua brings the Israelites into the Promised Land but Judges shows that in the following years there are cycles of depravity that bring the people down again and again. There was no king over Israel at th is time. Israel was a theocracy where God Himself ruled and appointed judges to help govern the nation . When the people got desperate enough, God would raise up a judge to save them again and again . But finally, Israel sink s into extreme idolatry and immorality and the book ends in bleak despair. Jesus , the long - awaited Redeemer, is born in Bethlehem under Roman imperial rule. He is the true Israel ( everything God called Israel to be ) and fu lfills the two main roles of the L aw: (1) He meets God’s holy standards by living a life of perfect character and conduct and (2) atones for the sins of the world by becoming the ultimate/ final substitutionary sacrifice on the cross . This establishes the New Covenant where believing Jew s a nd Gentile s all become “the people of God ” After Christ is resurrected, the C hurch explodes . Acts tra ces the continuing work of Christ through Peter and Paul. The Epistles are letters written by apostles to churches/ individuals to (a) address spiritual issues and (b) interpret Christ’ s person and work. The Book of Revelation is an apocalyptic letter written by the apostle John to warn seven churches that harsh persecution and suffering are coming at the hands of Rome (“the beast”) He challenges and encourages them to clin g to the hope that the Lamb has triumphed and will one day return to vanquish all evil and establish a new heaven and new earth under His rule. Believers will then live in a spectacular, holy, resurrection existence where they will know and enjoy God fore ver.