5 Lessons I’ve Learned from Surveying the Old Testament
About 2 years ago, the class I teach on Sunday mornings at 9th Avenue started a major project. We began a survey of the entire Bible. The key word is “survey.” We are not going verse-by-verse. I prefer to say we are going “chunk-by-chunk,” as we are trying to simply see the big picture of Scripture and the major movements of each book.
Last Sunday, we completed the Old Testament, as we surveyed the book of Malachi. I am really proud of the students who have been there for these two years. I know I have struggled to teach some of the portions of the Old Testament, but I have prayed over and over again that our knowledge has grown.
While there are almost countless lessons I have learned from surveying the 39 books of the Old Testament, here are 5 “big picture” lessons that I have taken away over the last two years of this survey.
It Really is All about God. That’s what we are calling our survey: “It’s All about God.” But it is more than a class title. On every column of every page, one simply cannot miss the power, providence, love, wrath, mercy, wisdom, and counsel of God Almighty. Tied to that, I have been reminded of the balanced picture of God that is sometimes lost on those who do not look carefully at the Old Testament. Too many paint Him as some tyrant when there is so much love and grace in the Old Testament.
Sin is Atrocious. Especially as we have looked recently at the prophets, God’s abhorrence of sin is so clear. But when we dig into the accounts of the Old Testament and gain some understanding of what sin does to individuals, families, and even nations, it should help us only draw ever nearer to the Lord. To say some of these accounts are grotesque and frightening is an understatement.
God is Patient and Faithful. If we just read through the Old Testament–maybe in a daily Bible reading plan–one simple fact that can easily be missed is just how much time elapses. Yet, through the centuries that pass in Old Testament history, God continually reaches out to His people despite their rebellion and sin, and God is patient with them far longer than any human could ever be. Further, the covenant God makes with Abraham and then with His people Israel? It is upheld perfectly by the faithful Father, though the people break their covenant multiple times.
Jesus is Everywhere. While the Old Testament is simply building our anticipation for the Promised One, glimpses of Him are all over the place! The number of prophecies and pictures that give us glimpses of the Messiah are staggering if we would just take the time to notice them. It makes turning that “blank page” over to the New Testament so much more exciting.
I’ve Got a Lot More to Learn! There were portions of the Old Testament I had barely studied in depth before. This survey “forced” me (in a good way!) to study them more in-depth, but I came away realizing that I have a great deal more to learn. Books like Ezekiel and Zechariah challenged me greatly but left me excited to tackle them more in-depth in the future.
As I said, I really don’t know how effective I am being as a teacher, but my prayer is that the students are excited about what they have learned. And, now, as we turn to the New Testament, I pray they have a greater background to grasp so many of the pictures and fulfilled prophecies found in these final 27 books.
[By the way, for each book of the Bible we study, I create a simple handout with some background information, so the students can build a small notebook. If you would like to view, download, or print the handouts that I have completed, I upload them to this page on our website, and they are free. Enjoy!]
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AUTHOR: Adam Faughn
Photo background credit: Thoroughly Reviewed on Creative Commons
