Institute for Training in Ministry
A Survey
of the
Old Testament
Robert L. Samms
This 24-lesson course is
a part of the iTIM Bible Teaching Track.
It can also be used for individual study or
small group Bible studies.
© 2017 by Discipleship Overseas, Inc.
To purchase this book, log on to:
TrainingInMinistry.com
Locate the title, and then click on:
Introducing
iTIM
The Institute for Training In Ministry (iTIM) is a church-based program to help pastors “equip the saints for the work of ministry”. The iTIM curriculum begins withChristianity 101—which will make and multiply disciples, and other church ministry equipping courses, including those that will train pastors, who can also start and multiply churches.
Every iTIM course includes a related practicum. These ministry assignments help assure that learning results in ministry, and that—“for building up the body of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:12)
Your possession of this iTIM book is an indicator that God may be calling you to serve our Lord. Jesus’ commission to his followers is simply: “make disciples”. Disciples are learners—who learn from him, do his bidding, and make more disciples.
iTIM seeks to make its materials available to every church, in every country of the world. Every church needs to equip its people for ministry. iTIM is a practical and effective tool to make and multiply disciples. We believe that every church needs iTIM.
Denominations can adapt the course content, design their own covers, and print their own iTIM courses. Email admin@traininginministrycom for details.
About the Author: Robert Samms is the founder of Discipleship Overseas, and the Institute for Training In Ministry. Samms holds the DMin from Denver Seminary and the MA in New Testament from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School). He and his wife Maryann served for over two decades as missionary educators in the Philippines. They have five grown children and eleven grandchildren.
Bible translation: Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois.
Table of
Contents
For Study Leaders ...... 4
Curriculum of TIM Courses ...... 5
1 Introduction to the Old Testament ...... 8
2 Genesis ...... 13
3.Exodus, Leviticus...... 20
4.Numbers, Deuteronomy...... 30
5.Joshua ...... 38
6.Judges, Ruth ...... 43
7.1 and 2 Samuel ...... 48
8.1 and 2 Kings ...... 53
9.1 and 2 Chronicles ...... 58
10.Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther...... 62
11.Job ...... 67
12.Psalms 1-72 ...... 71
13.Psalms 74-150 ...... 76
14.Proverbs ...... 81
15.Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon ...... 87
16.Isaiah 1-39 ...... 94
17. Isaiah 40-66 ...... 100
18Jeremiah,Lamentations ...... 105
19.Ezekiel ...... 116
20.Daniel ...... 127
21.Hosea, Joel, Amos ...... 138
22.Obadiah Jonah, Micah ...... 145
23.Nahum, Habakkuk,Zephaniah ...... 150
24.Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi ...... 154
Final Examination ...... 163
For Study Leaders
Jesus’ last Great Commission was: “make disciples” (Matthew 28:18-20). Every iTIM course will help you do this.
First, log on to TrainingInMinistry.com to obtain a copy of the iTIM Operations Manual.
Next,purchase copies of the iTIM course you plan to start with, available from: traininginministry.com. We recommend beginning with the discipling course, Christianity 101, and its Leader’s Guide.
Educational Philosophy
Every iTIM course incorporates a head, heart, and hands approach to learning. Head represents content to be learned.Heartis the application of this truth to one’s own life. Handsrepresents involvement in ministry as learners begin to minister, using the course content.
Time Commitment
As the Group Study Leader, you need to carefully: 1) Prepare the workbook lesson—as thoroughly as you want your learners to prepare theirs. 2) Read the Leader’s Guide and mark questions you want to ask during the group sessions.
The Weekly Group Meeting
This 60-90 minute weekly meeting should feature a discussion of the lesson. The Leader’s Guide focuses on integrative and application type questions. It should consist of an hour of interaction with the lesson, as well as time for prayer and group fellowship.
Ministry Involvement
This iTIM course-related ministry opportunity should be appropriate to the gifts and ministry experiences of each learner, resulting in their growth; and the “building up” of the Body of Christ.
The iTIM
Curriculum
The Institute for Training In Ministry will enable you to “equip the saints for the work of ministry and so build up the body of Christ.” iTIM courses are organized under 5 ministry tracks.
To purchase these courses and their Leader’s Guides, log on to TrainingInMinistry.com; select the track, then the course. We recommend that you start with Track 1 courses.
Discipleship Track
Christianity 101 is designed to disciple new Christians, either in small groups, or one-to-one. MinistryOutcome: Learners will lead another person through this course.
A Panorama of the Bible features easy-to-remember visuals for each of the 12 Bible periods. Learners will thrill to find that they can remember the major themes of Bible content and message. MinistryOutcome: With the aid of the Leader’s Guide, learners will lead another person, or a small group through this course.
Learning to Serve: Jesus As Role Model teaches the servant life-style of Jesus in many ministry related contexts, and helps learners put this into practice in their ministry. MinistryOutcome: Learners will be given a ministry role wherein they demonstrate the servant-leader style of Jesus.
Church Ministry Track
The Church Ministry track consists of the Discipleship Track courses, plus any three of the following courses:
Welcome to Your Ministry teaches the important truth that God has called and gifted all believers for ministry and challenges them to get involved in some basic ministries in the church. MinistryOutcome: Learners will commit to getting additional training for ministry, and getting involved in it.
How To Discover Your Spiritual Gifts will provide believers with a better understanding of which spiritual gifts they may have, and how to use their gifts in service for Christ. MinistryOutcome: A short-term assignment will be given, wherein learners use one of their gifts in an approved ministry.
Your Ministry of Prayer studies prayer in Scripture, and will help learners become involved in a significant ministry of prayer. MinistryOutcome: Participants will commit to a ministry of prayer as suggested in the course content.
Outreach as a Life-style will train lay people to develop friendships with people, leading to sharing Christ with them. MinistryOutcome: Learners will practice this personal evangelism approach in their lives of sharing their faith.
Your Ministry at Home provides practical principles in how to establish and maintain a truly Christian home. MinistryOutcome: Applying the principles week by week within the learner’s family, including being consistent in reading the weekly schedule of verses and journaling based on these verses.
Touching Tomorrow By Teaching Children is a superb tool to train more workers to serve in the exciting ministry of teaching children. MinistryOutcome: Teaming up with an experienced teacher as an assistant for one quarter or more.
Christianity in the Workplace relates faith to practical and ethical issues on the job. Its focus is how to be like Christ in the work world. MinistryOutcome: Learners will apply these biblical principles to their areas of work.
Church Leadership Track
The Church Leadership track consists of the three Discipleship Track courses, plus the following courses.
Truth That Transforms will provide learners with a solid foundation in the major doctrines of Scripture, with an emphasis on practical applications. MinistryOutcome: Learners will, with the aid of the Leader’s Guide, lead another individual, or group of people through this course.
Equipping for Leadership will encourage, equip, and train Christian men and women for increased effectiveness in leadership. MinistryOutcome: Learners will demonstrate the skills taught in this course in an assigned ministry position.
Bible Teaching Track
The Bible Teaching track consists of the three Discipleship Track courses, the Church Leadership Track courses, plus the following courses.
A Survey of the New Testament is a 24-lesson N.T. survey. It includes outlines of each book, background information, and questions for individual study. MinistryOutcome: Learners will be able to lead Bible studies in any New Testament book.
A Survey of the Old Testament (24 lessons) includes background information, the main idea of each book, an outline of each book, and questions of practical and spiritual value. MinistryOutcome: Learners will learn how Old Testament books relate to the New Testament, and will be enabled to lead Bible studies in Old Testament books.
How to Study the Bible (24 lessons) will give students an in-depth exposure to the inductive method of Bible study and help them develop their own outlines for leading Bible studies. MinistryOutcome: Based on their study, learners will lead 10 Bible studies in the book of Ephesians.
Pastoral Track
The Pastoral Track consists of the three Discipleship Track courses, all courses in the Bible Teaching Track, plus the following courses:
Preparing to Preach teaches and illustrates the basic elements of the sermon, and helps learners develop, and preach, their own sermon from each of these three types. MinistryOutcome: Learners will prepare and preachone topical, one textual, and one expository sermon.
A Panorama of Christian History provides a “big picture” view of the Church from the 1st through the 20th century. It also emphasizes practical lessons we can apply to our own ministry. MinistryOutcome: Learners will teach this course in another context.
Contending For The Faith is a course on Christian apologetics, which will equip learners to defend and share their faith, especially among intellectual unbelievers. MinistryOutcome: Learners will engage in a ministry of defending and sharing their faith.
Lesson 1
Introduction to the
Old Testament
Welcome to this study of the Old Testament section of the Bible. The Bible was written in two main parts: The Old Testament was written by Jewish people and for the Jewish people.
In regard to the New Testament, it was written mainly by Jews who were convinced that Jesus was the Messiah promised in the Old Testament, and had become his committed followers.
In order to help you better understand the significance of the Old Testament, focus on the following key facts.
The Old Testament is a Jewish Book
The entire O.T. was written by people of the Jewish race. Essentially Moses, their great spiritual and political leader, wrote the first five books. Most of the rest of the O.T. was written by prophets that God raised up to speak to their people. The Psalms were written mostly by their great King David.David’s son King Solomon wrote Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon (also known as Song of Songs, 1:1).
The O.T. has always been the inspirational guide in all thingsmoral, ethical, and spiritual for the Jewish people.
The Old Testament is an Ancient Book
How old? Somewere written in the early 2nd millennium B.C.[1]and the last in the 4th century B.C.
The Old Testament is a Historical Book
By a historical book we mean one that was written about the history of the Jewish people.
In general, the books of the Old Testament areplaced in chronological order, meaning,as they occurred in time.
The Old Testament is a Reliable Book
We have every reason for full confidence in the reliability of the Old Testament.
The incredible accuracy of the manuscripts can be appreciated when we knowthe meticulous way of writing these manuscripts. Scribes did this in the following manner: the lead scribe would read from the older scroll, one phrase at a time. Seven scribes would sit at writing tables, with pen in hand, and write this same phrase. Before proceeding to the next phrase, each of the seven scribes would read back what he had written. Only when the phrase was absolutely exact, and was affirmed so by each scribe, would the reader proceed to the next phrase. Such a laborious and labor-intensive process we can scarcely imagine today. But it has stood the test of time. It has resulted in the most accurate and reliable texts imaginable.
An astounding verification of the degree ofaccuracy of the Old Testament is found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. In 1946 and for several years following, hundreds of manuscripts were found in sealed clay jars. Modern Jewish and Christian scholars have dated these manuscripts as being between 150 and 50 years before the coming of Christ. They are more than 2,000 years old! After the most careful examination, they were found to be virtually identical to the other HebrewOld Testament manuscripts that we have today.
The Old Testament is a Prophetic Book
The Old Testament is not just a historical account of the history of the Jewish race, their encounters with God, his leading them, and their many failures along the way. It is not just the story of their leaving Egypt and entering the promised land of Palestine. It is not just the story of their many failings along the way.It is really a much larger story—a story that affects the entire human race, down to the present day!
That story is a story of prophecy: prophecy that begins near the very beginning of creation. Turn to Genesis 3:15 in your Bible. In this verse is the very first promise about a Savior, who would redeem man from the power of Satan. Most significantly, this promise was give shortly after the fall of Adam and Eve into sin, as recorded earlier in this same chapter.
What does this verse say that gives you hope?
______
More such prophecies, and increasingly clearer ones, were given to the Jewish people in the course of their history. Look at some of the following: Genesis 22:18; 49:10; Deut. 18:15; Psalm 2; 16:10; 68:18; 110:1;118:22; 132:11; Isa. 2:4; 7:14; 9:2, 6; 11:10; 28:16; 42:1; 59:16; 61:1; 63:1; Jer. 23:5; Mic. 5:2; Zech. 3:8; 6:12; 9:9; 11:12; 12:10; 13:7; Mal. 3:1.
Even in our day, devout Jewish people still look forward to the coming of their Messiah. Christians believe he already came—in the person of God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
What is it in Isa. 53:6 that assures your heart?
______
______
The Names of the Old Testament Books
While the Old Testament was written largely in Hebrew, their names in our English Bibles are basedon the Greek translation of the O.T. called The Septuagint, or the LXX.
Overview of the Old Testament
The Old Testament is divided into fourgeneral categories, which help us to better understand its message.
- The Books of Law.
Sometimes these are called the books of Moses, or the “Pentateuch” (from the Greek Penta “five” and “teuchos” “scroll”). The overall content of these five books is the giving of the Laws of God through Moses, with their interpretations and amplifications.
- The Books of History
These books begin following the death of Moses. Joshua records the history of Israel entering the Promised Land. Judges the subsequent period of national corruption and God’s resulting judgment. The two books of Samuel record the rebuilding of the nation under early prophets (beginning with Samuel) and Kings (beginning with Saul). The two Books of Kings deal with Israel under King Solomon, his later fall into sin and idolatry, and with his fall, the nation splits into two parts soon thereafter. The two books of Chronicles retell much of this same story, but were written at a later time and from a different viewpoint.
- The Books of “Writings”.
These include the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Ruth, and Esther—all of which deal with Israel’s history following their 70-year captivity in Babylon.
4.The Books of Poetry
Included here are the books of: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon.
- The Books of Prophecy
This section includes the major prophets of Isaiah, Jeremiah, (plus Lamentations), Ezekiel and Daniel, and the 12 minor prophets, so-called because they are shorter in length.
The Old Testament and the Christian Faith
Although the Old Testament (O.T.) is a distinctively Jewish book, it also contains many applications to the Christian life. It was the Bible of the earliest Christians.
Jesus frequentlyquoted or made reference to the Old Testament and clearly taught that it was the Word of God.Jesus’ early disciples and apostles likewise studied and taught from the O.T. Scriptures.
Applying the Old Testament Today
Because we want this study to also be practical, you will be looking for applications from the Old Testament for your own Christian life and those to whom you will minister.
Course Expectations
You should know what will be expected from you during the course of this study. Some of this will be strictly cognitive, but we also want it to enhanceyour appreciation for the Old Testament, and, especially, that it be a useful tool in your ministry.