PART 1: An Old Testament Summary

Creation. God creates the Universe. Most importantly, God creates Adam and Eve in His image. Adam and Eve disobey God and mankind is cursed.

Adam and Eve give birth to Cain and Abel. Cain kills Abel. The endemic of sin increases.

Some generations later, Noah is born. Corruption increases on earth, grieving the Lord greatly. God decides to wipe out his creation with a flood, saving Noah and his family. After the flood, as purposed to create a better union with God, God makes a covenant with Noah saying, “I will never again curse the ground because of man… Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.” God blesses Noah and his sons but Noah’s descendants eventually turn against God, their revolt culminating in the building of the tower of Babel.

God raises up a faithful servant in Abraham, a man with which His next covenant is made. God promises to bless Abraham as the father of a multitude of nations through which he will bless Abraham’s family, community, and the world overall, so long as every male among Abraham is circumcised. We see here one of the first examples of God’s grace as a prime element in the purpose of covenant, as it was Abrahams faith in the promise of God that credited him with righteousness.

Through Abraham, Isaac is born, the eventual father to Jacob who has twelve sons (the twelve tribes of Israel). To escape famine, Jacob moves his family to Egypt, where Jacob’s descendants, now known as Israel, would be enslaved for four hundred years.

The people of Israel grow to large number in Egypt, and the Egyptian king begins to see them as a threat. Pharoah enslaves Israel and they endure great pain and suffering. God chooses Moses to liberate Israel from Egypt. Moses leads them across the Red Sea where they escape Egypt and make their way to Mt. Sinai, where God will institute yet another covenant, establishing the law of God. In this covenant we witness a continuation of God’s covenant of grace, giving His commandments to a people he had already redeemed and claimed as His own.

God commands the Israelites to build a tent so that He might always be with them as they wander in the desert for 40 years, awaiting the promised land. Failing to have faith in the promise of the Lord, the Israelites rebel, worshipping idols and foreign gods, showing the necessity for a new covenant that would grant them the power to obey.

God raises up a leader in Joshua, who leads His people into the promised land. But a generation later, the Israelites would again be unfaithful, despite the fulfilled promises of the Lord. The Lord became angry and gave His people over to their plunderers, but quickly showed mercy again through the raising up of judges, or military leaders, to lead them.

But the Israelites rebellion does not cease. The people ask for a king, so they might be powerful like other nations. After the failure of their first king Saul, king David enters the picture as a humble servant of God. Creating a capital city in Jerusalem, David’s kingdom prospers for forty years. God creates a covenant with David promising him an enduring kingdom. The peak of the Old Testament, God’s promise for a Davidic kingdom achieves two main things: it more fully realizes the purpose and promise of God’s previous covenants (namely the promise of God’s blessing for the seed of Abraham) and ignites the hope for a Messiah, inspiring the faith of Israel for the coming of the true and complete fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

After David, Solomon rules but the people turn back towards rebellion. Through a series of failed kings, Israel is split into two kingdoms: the southern kingdom (called Judah), and the northern kingdom (called Israel). The Assyrians eventually conquer Israel and the Babylonians eventually conquer Judah, exiling the Jews. During the conquest of Israel, the temple is destroyed.

The Jews return to their land, attempting to reinstitute the law (an effort led by Ezra) and build walls around Jerusalem (an effort led by Nehemiah), but Israel would not return to its former strength.

Amidst the pain and sorrow of His people, God brings prophets to speak of the hope and promise of the Lord for a Messiah who will deliver them and bring complete redemption through the fulfillment of the law.

PART 2: Character/Event of the Old Testament that helps us understand Christ better.

God’s Covenant with Abraham

This event is an excellent example of the establishing of our justification by faith, not through works; a truth manifest in the achievement of Christ. Christ was the sacrifice for our sin, calling us to serve Him in obedience because we believe in the power of His sacrifice, not in order to achieve God’s favor.

Abraham had no children, yet believed the most unlikely of circumstances when God vowed that his offspring would number the stars.

His righteousness was founded in his faith, not in his works of obedience. As Genesis 15:6 says “And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” Because of his faith in the promise of the Lord, Abraham chose to obey the Lord’s covenant demands. Abraham exemplified the purpose of obedience as worship, showing us that even from the beginning of the biblical narrative, we are told that we are saved by faith, not through works.