LHIM Classes

5: How to Read Old Testament History

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Lesson 5 Notes

Old Testament history includes the following books:

  1. Genesis
  2. Exodus
  3. Leviticus
  4. Numbers
  5. Deuteronomy
  6. Joshua
  7. Judges
  8. Ruth
  9. 1 Samuel
  10. 2 Samuel
  11. 1 Kings
  12. 2 Kings
  13. 1 Chronicles
  14. 2 Chronicles
  15. Ezra
  16. Nehemiah
  17. Esther

    18. Chronology of major OT events:

    1. Creation and Eden
    2. Rebellions and Consequences
    3. Abraham & Sarah & Descendants
    4. Sojourning in Egypt
    5. 10 Plagues and Exodus
    6. Receiving Torah at Mount Sinai
    7. 40 Years of Wandering
    8. Entering the Promised Land
    9. Judges
    10. Samuel (Hinge of History)
    11. Kings of the United Kingdom
    12. Succession of the Northern Tribes
    13. Assyrian Deportation of Israel
    14. Babylonian Deportation of Judah
    15.  70 Year Exile
    16.  Return from Exile

      17. Cultural backgrounds:

      • Pre-flood
      • Patriarchs
      • Egypt
      • Tribes (Judges 17:6)
      • Monarchy
      • Empires

        • Their History vs. Our History:

        • Real Events
        • Ancient Historiography
        • Biased but Honest
        • Genealogies
        • Etiologies

          • The Name of God:

          • God’s Name is יְהוָה
          • Hebrew Letters: yod hey vav hey (YHVH)
          • Pronounced “Yahweh”
          • Typically translated “the LORD”
          • God’s proper name (Ex 20:2-3)
          • “Lord GOD” = “Lord Yahweh” (Ezek 3:11)

            • Parallels

            • Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5
            • Chronicles and Kings
            • Prophets sometimes rehearse historical overview (Daniel 9:4-19; Ezra 9:5-15; Nehemiah 9:6-37)
            • Assyrian threat to Jerusalem triply attested (2 Kings 18-19; 2 Chron 32; Is 36-37)

              • Value of reading OT history

              • Sacred history
              • Your history
              • Hones moral intuitions
              • Necessary background

                • Review:

                • Read OT history asking the question, “What does this tell me about God?”
                • OT history serves as the backbone of the entire OT. Getting your bearings amid the chronology of major events will help you understand the rest.
                • When you encounter “the LORD” or “GOD”, substitute in “Yahweh”, God’s personal name.
                • Since the OT covers thousands of years, it’s helpful to determine the cultural background for the time period you’re reading.
                • It’s fine to skim or even skip genealogies, though they do have value in establishing legitimacy in their culture.
                • OT history is not objective or as concerned with precision as our modern history books.
                • Names of individuals and places bespeak the parents’ faith in God, a historical event, or a play on words.
                • Reading OT history influences your moral intuitions as you encounter positive and negative examples.
                  • The post 5: How to Read Old Testament History first appeared on Living Hope.
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