INTRODUCTION TO THE OLD TESTAMENT
A course prepared for Wesley Bible Institute
April/May 2010
Instructor: Rev. James Swanson
Location: Waterford, NY (April 22-24) or Malone, NY (May 20-22)
Course Description:
This course is designed to provide the student with an overview of the Old Testament by looking at major Old Testament themes and characters. These major themes run throughout the Old Testament books providing glimpses into the character of God and His plan for His creatures/creation.
Texts:
· A Bible with Old Testament (required)
· Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (suggested)
Course Objectives: Participants will . . .
· read a wide selection of passages from the Old Testament,
· write about and discuss their insights from scripture,
· learn about the ancient Near Eastern setting of the Old Testament,
· understand a timeline of Old Testament events,
· learn about several of the major Old Testament characters,
· gain a basic understanding of the land of Palestine ,
· review some of the major themes found in the Old Testament
Teaching methods and Assessment:
· reading and response - reading selections from every book in the Old Testament and recording information, ideas and questions
· lecture and related discussions
· You will be graded upon the quality of your involvement in discussions about our reading assignments and upon your final project which is described in the 'Post-Course' section below.
Schedule of Classes
Pre-Course
If possible, all readings and assignments on the Old Testament Reading Schedule should be completed before coming to the first class. Our in-class discussions will key off of these scriptures. Please read at least the “Books of the Law” and “History Books” readings prior to class; the “Poetic Books and “Major and Minor Prophets” readings could be read in the weeks following class if necessary.
Thursday afternoon
· Welcome and 'Getting to Know You'
· Introduction to the Bible
· God the Creator
· 'In the Beginning . . .'
Thursday evening
· A synopsis of the Books of the Old Testament
· An Overview of the Pentateuch
· Character Study - Adam and Eve
· Reading Plan Discussion
o Books of the Law
Friday morning
· Maps
· An Overview of the Book of Judges
· Character Study - David
· Reading Plan Discussion
o History Books - Joshua-Samuel
Friday afternoon
· Timeline of the Old Testament
· An Overview of the Books Ezra and Nehemiah
· Character Study - Elijah
· Reading Plan Discussion
o History Books - Kings-Esther
Friday evening
· Introduction to the Ancient Near East
· An overview of the the Book of Psalms
· Wisdom from the Book of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes
· Reading Plan Discussion
o the Poetic books
Saturday morning
· An Overview of the Book of Jeremiah
· How to Use Strong's Concordance
· Reading Plan Discussion
o Major Prophets and Minor Prophets
· Course wrap-up
Post-Course
· Write a sermon, character study or Bible study from the Old Testament
o expose a major theme that runs through the Old Testament
o show that you have an understanding of the ancient Near Eastern setting of this scripture
o use supporting scripture references from at least one other book in the Old Testament
o share your work with someone else (preferably in a church setting as a Bible study or sermon)
o send me a copy of your study and a few of the comments you received after you shared it
§ or Wesley Bible Institute, 1063 State Route 4, Fort Edward, NY 12828
· If you did not read the “Poetic Books” and “Major and Minor Prophets” readings prior to class, finish those readings
Useful Websites:
www.Biblegateway.com – concordance http://bible.crosswalk.com/Commentaries/MatthewHenryConcise/ - lots of http://www.bible.org/series.php - lots of tools/ pastor’s helps
http://www.sermoncentral.com – searchable sermons, illustrations, etc.
Old Testament Reading Schedule
Read the selected scripture passages below and write/type any new information, ideas or questions that come to you. Please understand that I am not asking you to write a tremendous amount about a scripture passage, and you do not have to write about each passage. These notes are for your own benefit, so write what will help you to grab onto valuable information, ideas and questions.
Thought-starters: What can I learn from this scripture about God, or about humans? What questions do I have about this scripture? What intrigued me? What could I use from this scripture in a sermon or Bible study?
BOOKS OF THE LAW
Genesis - Creation to the tower of Babel Genesis 1-11
Exodus - Slavery through the Ten Commandments Exodus 1-20
Leviticus - Priesthood; Festivals Leviticus 8-11, 23-27
Numbers - Moses and the Israelites in the desert Num. 11-17, 20-25, 33
Deuteronomy - God's People; Blessings and Curses Deut. 4-15, 27-31
HISTORY BOOKS - JOSHUA-SAMUEL
Joshua - Joshua and the Promised Land Joshua 1-11, 22-24
Judges - The land of Israel without a king Judges 1-16, 21:25
Ruth - God reaches to the Gentiles Ruth
1 Samuel - Samuel, King Saul, David 1 Samuel 1-17, 23-26
2 Samuel - King David; Israel is unified 2 Samuel 1-7, 11-19
HISTORY BOOKS - KINGS-ESTHER
1 Kings - King Solomon; The kings of Judah 1 Kings 1-4, 9-12, 16:29-19
2 Kings - The kings of Israel and Judah; Exile 2 Kings 1-5, 17-25
1 & 2 Chronicles - A restatement of 1 & 2 Kings 2 Chronicles 34-36
Ezra, Nehemiah - Some exiles return to Israel Ezra 1-6; Nehemiah 1-9
Esther - The Jews in Exile Esther 1-10
POETIC BOOKS
Job - A picture of suffering Job 1-4, 8-9, 11-12, 30-32, 38-42
Psalms - Introduction; David's conflict with Saul Psalms 1-3, 8, 19, 22-23
King David; Assyrian conflict; Exile Psalms 46, 51, 99, 100, 103
Praise; The new era; Conclusion Psalms 110, 121, 137, 139, 150
Proverbs - Wisdom and fatherly counsel Proverbs 1-4
Contrasts - Evil/Good, Wisdom/Folly Proverbs 10-20, 31
Ecclesiastes - All is meaningless Ecclesiastes 1-3, 7-9, 12
Song of Songs - God's Love Song of Songs 1-4
MAJOR PROPHETS
Isaiah - Messiah; Praise to God; Israel Isaiah 1-12, 25-26, 36-45
Jeremiah, Lamentations - God, Israel and the Babylonians Jeremiah 21-45, 52
Ezekiel - Exilic Prophecy Ezekiel 33-37
Daniel - Visions Daniel 1-6
MINOR PROPHETS
Amos, Hosea - Prophecy; Northern Prophets Amos 7-9; Hosea 1-3, 14
Joel, Jonah, Malachi - God's mercy to Gentiles & Israel Joel; Malachi; Jonah
Micah, Zephaniah, Nahum - Assyria Micah 7; Zephaniah; Nahum
Haggai, Zechariah - Exilic Prophecy Haggai; Zechariah 12-14
Habakkuk, Obadiah - Prophecies against other nations Habakkuk; Obadiah
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11.03.2010