EVANGELICAL BIBLE COLLEGE OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA
EVANGELICAL BIBLE COLLEGE OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA
COURSE NOTES – O.T. INTRODUCTION 212
DIPLOMA IN THEOLOGY.
BY
DR JOHN C McEWAN
[BOOK 8 of 13]
Revised May 2013
WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?
Professor Simon Greenleaf was one of the most eminent lawyers of all time. His “Laws of Evidence” for many years were accepted by all States in the United States as the standard methodology for evaluating cases. He was teaching law at a university in the United States when one of his students asked Professor Greenleaf if he would apply his “Laws of Evidence” to evaluate an historical figure. When Greenleaf agreed to the project he asked the student who was to be the subject of the review. The student replied that the person to be examined would be Jesus Christ. Professor Greenleaf agreed to undertake the examination of Jesus Christ and as a result, when he had finished the review, Simon Greenleaf personally accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour.
Professor Greenleaf then sent an open letter to all jurists in the United States jurists saying in part “I personally have investigated one called Jesus Christ. I have found the evidence concerning him to be historically accurate. I have also discovered that Jesus Christ is more than a human being, he is either God or nothing and having examined the evidence it is impossible to conclude other than he is God. Having concluded that he is God I have accepted him as my personal Saviour. I urge all members of the legal profession to use the “Laws of Evidence” to investigate the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and if you find that he is wrong expose him as a faker but if not consider him as your Saviour and Lord”
HOW CAN I BE SAVED?
Salvation is available for all members of the human race.
Salvation is the most important undertaking in all of God's universe. The salvation of sinners is never on the basis of God's merely passing over or closing His eyes to sin. God saves sinners on a completely righteous basis consistent with the divine holiness of His character. This is called grace. It relies on God so man cannot work for salvation neither can he deserve it. We need to realise that the creation of this vast unmeasured universe was far less an undertaking than the working out of God's plan to save sinners.
However the acceptance of God's salvation by the sinner is the most simple thing in all of life. One need not be rich, nor wise nor educated. Age is no barrier nor the colour of one's skin. The reception of the enormous benefits of God's redemption is based upon the simplest of terms so that there is no one in all this wide universe who need be turned away.
How do I become a Christian?
There is but one simple step divided into three parts. First of all I have to recognise that I am a sinner (Romans 3:23; 6:23; Ezekiel 18:4; John 5:24).
Secondly, realising that if I want a relationship with Almighty God who is perfect, and recognising that I am not perfect, I need to look to the Lord Jesus Christ as the only Saviour (1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 Peter 2:24; lsaiah 53:6; John 3:16).
Thirdly, by the exercise of my own free will I personally receive the Lord Jesus Christ as my Saviour, believing that He died personally for me and that He is what He claims to be in an individual, personal and living way (John 1:12; 3:36; Acts 16:31; 4:12).
The results of Salvation
The results of this are unbelievably wonderful:
My sins are taken away (John 1:29),
I possess eternal life now (1 John 5:11,12),
I become a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17),
The Holy Spirit takes up His residence in my life (1 Corinthians 6:19),
And I will never perish (John 10:28-30).
This truthfully is life's greatest transaction. This is the goal of all people; this is the ultimate of our existence. We invite and exhort any reader who has not become a Christian by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ to follow these simple instructions and be born again eternally into God's family (Matthew 11:28; John 1:12; Acts 4:12; 16:31).
© Evangelical Bible College of Western Australia 2004 - PO Box 163 Armadale Western Australia 6992
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PAPER 212 - OLD TESTAMENT INTRODUCTION
LECTURE / SUBJECT / PAGELecture 1 / Unfolding Drama Of Redemption / 3
Lecture 2 / Introduction / 5
Lecture 3 / Genesis / 8
Lecture 4 / Exodus / 15
Lecture 5 / Leviticus / 20
Lecture 6 / Numbers / 25
Lecture 7 / Deuteronomy / 30
Lecture 8 / Joshua / 35
Lecture 9 / Judges / 39
Lecture 10 / Ruth / 43
Lecture 11 / 1 Samuel / 47
Lecture 12 / 2 Samuel / 51
Lecture 13 / 1 Kings / 55
Lecture 14 / 2 Kings / 60
Lecture 15 / 1 Chronicles / 64
Lecture 16 / 2 Chronicles / 66
Lecture 17 / Ezra / 70
Lecture 18 / Nehemiah / 74
Lecture 19 / Esther / 78
Lecture 20 / Job / 82
Lecture 21 / Psalms / 87
Lecture 22 / Proverbs / 95
Lecture 23 / Ecclesiastes / 98
Lecture 24 / Song of Solomon / 103
Lecture 25 / Isaiah / 106
Lecture 26 / Jeremiah / 112
Lecture 27 / Lamentations / 117
Lecture 28 / Ezekiel / 110
Lecture 29 / Daniel / 124
Lecture 30 / Jonah / 130
Lecture 31 / Amos / 133
Lecture 32 / Hosea / 136
Lecture 33 / Obadiah / 140
Lecture 34 / Joel / 142
Lecture 35 / Micah / 145
Lecture 36 / Nahum / 147
Lecture 37 / Zephaniah / 150
Lecture 38 / Habakkuk / 153
Lecture 39 / Haggai / 155
Lecture 40 / Zechariah / 157
Lecture 41 / Malachi / 161
Doctrine Index / 166
TEXT BOOK - Jensen's Survey of the Old Testament - I.L.Jensen Abbreviation - JOT
Bible Topic Book [Condensed Version] - P J Moses - Abbreviation –BTB. If possible have this for all students.
NOTE - There are a number of Character Studies in this volume. Each character study deals with a particular feature rather than a complete overview of the Character - e.g. Abraham - Faith, Joseph - Plan of God in the life of a believer
If you are teaching this module without Jensen’s text, please utilize the study in the “Other Studies” file of the latest CD, and spend more time in lectures discussing the Bible book outlines that are now imbedded in the notes.
LECTURE 1 - THE UNFOLDING DRAMA OF REDEMPTION
The Bible shows God's revelation of His redemptive purpose for mankind. The Bible is, as W G Scroggie put it in his wonderful three volume work, "The Unfolding Drama of Redemption". If you ever get the chance to buy the three volume set do not hesitate, sell anything you need to sell and buy those volumes, they will be a Bible study feast that will complement our text book wonderfully.
Turn to and read the following passage of God's wonderful word, Deuteronomy 32: 1- 4.
The pastor, should be a person who is almost invisible, for if he is talking about the Lord Jesus Christ, and basing all his preaching in the Word Of God, people will see Jesus, and walk out praising God, rather than the pastor. In this passage Moses says, "Give ears o ye heavens and I will speak - just is the Lord. The message that Moses had was the work of God on the earth and in the heaven. This is called the song of Moses. It is one of the last things he does in his life, he sings about the joys and stability that Bible doctrine provides.
FORMS OF STUDY
In verse 2 we are told how a bible study should proceed. The teaching should distil as the dew and drop as the rain. There are three different types of rain in Palestine, the third being the heavy rain. Moses point is that the teacher of God's Word needs to pour the Word out, many times each week, and in different ways, with different emphases, and depth to the teaching.
[a] The dew in the morning is the equivalent of a morning devotional study, something to freshen up the day; it is light but relevant to life, and something to pray over as the day begins.
[b] The light rains is, what we might call, the three point sermon, which gives you something to think about for a while, and meditate upon and apply to life.
[c] The heavy rain is the systematic doctrinal studies of God's Word where the person analyses the text line by line. It refers to the rains that produce the real growth of the plant, just as the deep systematic teaching of God's Word is the thing that produces growth in the believer.
All three are important. God's Word is to be taken in, in many ways. Try to spend an hour or so pouring over God's Word every day.
Begin the day with your morning coffee, or tea, or juice and have your devotional reading with it.
Then ensure you get some light study in before the sun sets. The best way to do this is have a reading plan whereby you read a chapter from the gospels, letters, and Proverbs/Psalms daily. Just let the words wash over you lightly, think about the passages and praise God for them - light rain.
Read good commentaries on the books of the Bible regularly; make them your reading matter rather than escapist books and magazines. This part of the course itself, is mainly of the "light rain" type of Bible study. We won't have time to go in depth into verses but will lightly introduce the themes and highlight the significance of each book of the Old Testament to encourage you and give you more to praise God for.
JENSEN’S OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY
This book and the one on the New Testament survey the books of the Bible. There will be one lecture on every book. Jensen shows how the whole fits together, and his text is the best single volume available today that has useful charts and maps and comments on every book; it will be a reference for you for the rest of your ministry. As you understand how the whole fits together you will be able to analyse the parts.
This survey ensures that you do not preach out of context. It allows you to understand the whole concept and context of a particular book, so that you are able to evaluate chapters individually and verses of an individual chapter, in the correct context of that book and its place in the scriptures. Thus you teach what the Holy Spirit is teaching and not something different, by doing it in context and in compatibility with the rest of the Scriptures. If you cannot get Jensen’s book download/find another, and use the file “Other Studies” on the CD where there are four files with introductions to the Old Testament and New.
PRINCIPLES FOR ACCURATE BIBLE STUDY
There are always three principles behind all accurate Bible study and teaching; these can be called by the acronym ICE -
"I", is for isagogics. This refers to the historical, cultural, and the spiritual context of the book, its author, where it was written from, to whom it was written and so on.
"C", represents categories. Each book, and even chapter may have a significant role in the unfolding of doctrines from the Holy Spirit to mankind, and getting these correctly categorised within the whole scriptures is the area of systematic theology. We will tie things in with the Bible Topic Book (BTB) which is a categorical study aid.
"E", is for exegesis which implies going into a passage word by word, phrase by phrase so that the correct meaning is obtained as the Holy Spirit gave the message to the writer.
The analysis of every passage of the scriptures should be made in the order, I - C - E.
ORIGINAL LANGUAGES
JOT Pages 9-19. It is very important to go to the original languages so that you can be sure what the passage means. The English version being used for this course is the copyright free KJV. The KJV is a version which is suited to analytical evaluation and was made as literal as possible, and within this translation we know the problems and can correct and clarify difficult passages from the original. English and the Hebrew of the Old Testament are two totally different languages with many different words in the Hebrew being translated by the same English word.
The Hebrew language is constructed totally differently to English and the thinking of the Hebrew speaker is totally different in it's structure to the English speaker. Be careful when you apply things from the English translation without adequate study of the Hebrew words involved, as the shade of meaning may differ from what you think initially; this is God's Word, so take your time, meditate and pray and be sure before you apply, but once you understand, fully apply the Word, for it is your only guide for life and spiritual health.
Pamphlets have been issued by groups indicating that there are major errors between Hebrew and Greek texts as against the English translation we hold in our hands today (be it KJV, NASB, or NIV). Over 95% are spelling errors, in the words, or slight variations in words. Not one doctrine of Scripture is in dispute by any variation in the existing ancient manuscripts to a point where any doctrine is even under question! No other ancient book is like God's Word. We can depend on the text we have as we approach it prayerfully and carefully with solemn study.
The purpose of Bible study is that we might see God and know Him as He has revealed Himself to mankind, through the prophets of old and then through our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. Our objective in all study is not knowledge alone therefore, it is spiritual growth.
ISAIAH 28:7-13
Turn to and read the following passage of God's wonderful Word, Isaiah 28 : 7 - 13.
Isaiah identifies that we make choices every day whether we are going to be carnal or spiritually minded through that day. You are going to make a choice every day as to whether you are going to study and make yourself approved of God or not. This is the choice you make about your daily feeding upon the Word of God.
We have to choose whether we are going to open God's Word and apply it to our lives or not. In this passage we have the drunkards of Ephraim who are going to go into captivity with many of them dying horribly because they preferred to drink themselves under the table rather than study God's Word. Most of us would not be in their state in relation to drink, but how many of us are wasting our time with other things that lead to neglect of the Word?
If our garden plants die because we fail to water or weed around them, our neighbours rightly call us a fool, for we planted our garden but failed to care for it. How much more foolish are we having received eternal life through salvation, and then not growing spiritually, but starving ourselves to the point of spiritual death?
In verse 7 it also says that they have erred through wine. Drinking of wine as part of a meal is never condemned, but those that sit at their drinks are condemned, for they are intent on drowning their problems in an alcoholic haze rather than facing them with the spiritual assets God has provided.
"All Scripture is God breathed and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness". Turn to and read the following passage of god's wonderful Word, 2 Timothy 3:16, 17. The Old Testament is very important, for in it we see the path that led to Christ, and within it we see many examples of men and women who walked with the Lord, and show us how to have faith in very practical ways. We must know the whole of the Scriptures; all were given for us and all are to be known.
For example, a thorough knowledge of Leviticus, shows what was happening on the Cross, as Leviticus teaches about the sacrifice the Lord made. In the gospels we get man's view of Jesus Christ on the Cross, they see His physical suffering and hear His words. In the Old Testament we see the inner view of the Cross, as God reveals hundreds of years before the event, what was in his heart regarding the cross. It is of the greatest importance that the Old and New Testament are brought together. Study the whole counsel of God.
JOT Pages 15-18. The Old Testament is spiritual food for the Christian. We therefore need to be well grounded in the Old Testament before we study the New Testament.Look up in any Bible Encyclopaedia the following; Greek, Hebrew and Manuscripts, Versions of the Bible. Read JOT pages 18-50 before the next lecture.
DOCTRINE
REDEMPTION
1. Redemption is the work of the Lord Jesus Christ towards sin. The implications of the Greek words (lutron, lutrosis, apolutrosis, antilutrosis) is ransom, redeem, pay money to set a slave free, pay a price, or (exagorazo) purchase from the slave market (of sin).
2. The principle of redemption is found in (John 8:31-36).
3. The Lord paid the price for us, redeeming us from the slave market of sin by his perfect sacrifice for sin on the cross. Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 2:14.
4. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only qualified redeemer. Through His virgin birth he has no inherited Old Sin Nature, by His perfect life He had no acquired sin or sin nature, and through His hypostatic union He is equal with both parties: God and man. Isaiah 53:9, John 8:46, 19:4, 2Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 1:3,4:15,7,25,28, 1 Timothy 3:16.