Old Testament Survey

          This past monday I completed teaching Old Testament Survey for a class going through the BTCP training in our association.  BTCP is essentially a non-credited mobile seminary used to train pastors world wide.  It is a fantastic and transferable way to train pastors and leaders.  There are 10 total courses and it was a privilege to teach the Old Testament.  Normally in seminary you have 2-3 courses that cover the Old Testament (typically OT I and OT II) and spend anywhere from 24-28 weeks going through each book.  Even in Seminary this was not an easy task to complete.  
           
           For this class we chose to meet for 20 weeks (a huge commitment) for 3 hours on Monday night.  I chose to follow the Hebrew text as far as the outline and schedule. We want to approach the Old Testament in the same manner that the New Testament looks at the Old Testament and specifically how Jesus looks at the Old Testament.  The best passage is Luke 24 where Jesus breaks down the Old Testament into three books or categories: Torah (Moses), Prophets, Writings (Psalms). This is how the nation of Israel referred to the Old Testament as well as the authors of the New Testament.  The Scripture of the Hebrews was also referred at the TaNaK.  This is an acronym for the headings of the three sections.  Torah (Moses), Nevi’im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings/Psalms).  Here is the order of the Old Testament books as presented in the Hebrew Bible.


Torah (Moses) Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Number, and Deuteronomy
Nevi’im (Prophets) Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and The Twelve
Ketuvim (Writings/Psalms) Psalms, Proverbs, Job, The Five Scrolls, Daniel, Ezra/Nehemiah, Chronicles.

          The author of Chronicles is traditionally been recognized as Ezra (though no official author is ever stated within the book itself). As Ezra is a part of the rebuilding project of the Temple after the exile and return from Babylon he is realizing that though there has been a physical return back to the Promised Land there has not been a spiritual return or exodus that the prophets have indicated would happen. Therefore Chronicles ends with the decree of Cyrus, one of the two Servants prophesied about by Isaiah.  By ending in this manner, the Chronicler has organized the Old Testament in such a way to provoke hope in the Messiah.  The second Servant mentioned in Isaiah.  That is what the nation of Israel and the world is waiting for as the Old Testament closes. We are looking for the seed of Adam, the seed of Abraham, and the Seed of David.  Which is why, Matthew begins his book with a genealogy about Jesus, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 

          It was a joy to teach and train students in the Old Testament and I look forward to doing it again in the future.  The books that influenced my teaching and approach the Old Testament the most were:
Dominion and Dynasty by Stephen Dempster
God's Glory in Salvation Through Judgment by James Hamilton
Kingdom through Covenant by Stephen Wellum and Peter Gentry
The Temple and the Church's Mission by GK Beale
The Faith of Israel by William Dumbrell

Though there are many more that could be included and have shaped my view of Scripture these were the primary resources I used week in and week out.