God's Touchpoints - An Old Testament JourneySample

OLD TESTAMENT SUMMARY Why is the OT important to us? Timothy emphasizes that “All Scripture is God-breathed.” Christ’s last command in Matt 28:19.20 also stresses “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you”. In addition, it is timeless, vivid and full of dramatic stories. In 35 lessons, we will focus on the direct connect God had with key men and women of the bible (touchpoints) and lessons we can derive from those interactions. Today, most people sample tidbits of the bible losing out on the magnificent feast and the true context, not to mention failing to obey Christ’s command. The great diversity of 40 authors, from various occupations wrote the Bible in two major languages (Hebrew and Greek) and one minor (Aramaic). The 66 books, (Old Testament - 39, New Testament - 27) cover approximately 1600 years. In contrast, the amazing unity, converging at: • One theme – one true God • One purpose – redemption of mankind • One Savior – Jesus Christ, points to the real author – God Himself. The Old Testament is organized as: • Law (Genesis to Deuteronomy) • History (Joshua to Esther) • Poetry (Job to Song of Solomon) • Major Prophets (Isaiah to Daniel) • Minor Prophets (Hosea to Malachi) The Bible was compiled from various sources. There was the: 1. Masoretic Text on which most Bibles are based. 2. Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in caves 20 km East of Jerusalem 3. The Septuagint (LXX), the Greek translation of OT. 4. Nash Papyrus containing text of the 10 commandments. 5. Cairo Geniza Fragments retrieved from “Geniza” or storerooms.. 6. Syriac Peshitta translated from the Hebrew into Syriac, a dialect of Aramaic. 7. Latin Vulgate the Latin translation of the Bible by Jerome. Compiling the Canon (Bible) was also done by various godly individuals and councils including council of Nicea led by Emperor Constantine in 325 AD. In 367 AD Athanasius provided listing of the 66 books. The Old Testament, beginning from creation, demonstrates the roller-coaster ride of man’s failure and God’s faithfulness. It warns of painful consequences of rebellion through Israel’s division and downfall highlighting the need for a divine Savior. It exposes the current condition of the church – very similar to the nation of Israel. It reflects the hope in the midst of darkness - the few “touchpoints” today that God is using to fulfill His divine purposes. Are we prepared to study and share the knowledge of the Bible, as Christ commands?