Overview of Three Key Themes In the Old Testament
In the coming weeks/months, I will be giving my teaching notes for an overview of the Gospels class I did for a local training group known as the Seminary Without Walls. This week is simply an overview of three key themes we had taught when we did an Old Testament overview. These are foundational to understanding how to read the Gospels.
- Worship
- Humans were created to worship, glorify, and enjoy communion with God.
- God is establishing a place where He dwells among humans so they can worship, glorify, and enjoy communion with God.
- God reveals the rules and means for entering His presence to worship and commune with Him.
- Humans are created to extend the rule of God over all creation (including all nations), bringing out its potential and causing it to flourish.
- The Seed
- God promised to bring a Seed of the woman to restore humanity to its relationship with God.
- There will be a conflict between the Seed and those who belong to Him and the serpent and those who belong to him.
- This conflict often makes it appear that the Seed and His people are in great danger and the covenant promise will fail.
- Barrenness – Sarah, Rachel
- Exile from the land God gives and the presence of God – exile from the Garden, Joseph and the Israelites go into Egypt
- Physical danger and death – Abel, the flood, killing Israelite males in Egypt, domination in the period of Judges
- Covenant (a solemn bond, sovereignly administered – the way God relates to humans)
- Adam is the covenant head for humanity, and his fall brings sin, the curse, and death to humanity and all creation.
- Noah – God covenants to preserve humanity (and thus the promised Seed)
- Abraham – God will bless Abraham and bring the Seed through him so that people from every nation will be blessed.
- Sinai – God gives the law to His covenant people because of sin, to cover their sin until the Seed comes (see Galatians 3:16-19).
In Christ,
Bret