Old Testamemt
Chapter 1 Framework for reading the Old Testament
Three key concepts: Covenant, Revelation & Inspiration
A. Covenant
A covenant is basically an agreement between parties
The word from which we get covenant is testementus in
Latin diatheki in Greek and Bi`rith in Hebrew.
Three Basic parts of a Covenant
Parties: People involved
Provisions: Terms, conditions, or stipulation
Promises: Results, (Blessing or Curse)
what will happen if you follow the covenant(Blessing)
what will happen if you do not follow the covenant(Curse)
Parties: Me & Wife Bank
Provisions: Money, down payment, Clear Title, Good Closing Costs, Loan Condition of House
Promises: The House Money
Genesis 2 Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden
Covenant of Works
Parties: Adam & Eve God(The Creator)
Provisions: Do not eat from the tree(which tree?)
Promise: Curse: You eat, you die
Blessing:(Implied) I will give you life so you will live
Your God, my People
Covenant explains how God relates to us.
The Heart of the Covenant is the union established between God and man:
Genesis 17:1-8 Exodus 6:6-8 "I will be your God. You will be my people."
Exodus 4:22 :Israel is my first born."
Rev 21:7 "He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son."
Revelation - way God reveals himself to us comes to is in two ways
1. General Revelation
A. God's revelation through the creation
Psalm 19:1-6
There is order to the universe. It is all around you.
Romans 1:20
B. Human Conscience Roman 2:14-15
sense of right and wrong is built into each person everyone has a code of honor, even pirates, drug dealers, etc..
2. Special Revelation
More direct way he reveals to us
Appearance of God, vision, Dream, God's word, Scriptures, Angels
theomustas - like Moses and the tablet - an appearance by God a unusual sign of God appearance
Psalm 19:7-10 reveals through stories
Inspiration
Inspiration is the process by which God's very words came to be written down by human authors.
II Tim 3:16 "All scripture is God breathed"
Theopneutos - Theo - God - Pneutos - breath = God breathed
A. Prepared by the author
Jeremiah 1:4,m5: "The word of the lord came to me"
Gal 1:15
In the words, God formed men and the man, breathed out his word.
B. Divine guidance in the written process
Rather then breath into God "breathed out" his word
Psalm 33:6 "BY the word of the lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth."
Process of inspiration
II Pet 1:21 "Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.