We are now beginning our study of the Old Testament Survey.
Below are the notes for this week's manuscript.

Week 1

1. The concept of time. Humans are preoccupied with time whereas; God’s view is that of the eternal.
a. One of the characteristics of God is that his view of the universe is one of eternity rather than in terms of standards of time. The Biblical account of creation is not concerned with the “when” but rather is centered on the “why”.
b. So the question we should ask ourselves is why did God bother to create humanity?
c. From the apologetic perspective, The scriptures give us a graphic detail of how God created man. He did so from the dust of the earth. The Hebrew word for “Adam” has its origin as coming from the root word translated “Red Earth” Also although the Hebrew word for Day although in some contexts does mean “age”, in the Genesis account, the emphasis which indicates both Morning and evening, would mean a regular day of the week.
d. If you would like additional resources to provide more scientific evidence supporting the Biblical account of creation, I would recommend “The Genesis Flood” by John C. Whitcomb and Henry M. Morris.
2. One of the attributes of God is that He foreordains all things to happen according to His divine will. A.W. Pink provides us with an excellent Biblical reference found in Acts 2:23. There was no “Plan B” in the mind of God. God knew that Adam and Eve would sin. He also foreknew whom he would call to faith and those who He would not call. So, in the eternal mind and purpose of God, He had but one sole purpose. That purpose was to save some through the finished work of Calvary. If one directs their focus in that venue, the understanding of history from a Biblical perspective makes perfect sense.
3. Genesis chapter 2 deals with a detailed description of the creation of man and the unique relationship God has with man. God’s tender love for man and God’s desire to man be productive and fruitful for the God’s Glory. Man was the crowning jewel of God’s creation. We see in chapter 2 the innocence with which Adam and Eve are placed in a garden to tend it and cultivate that garden. There was no sense of shame with which Adam and Eve viewed each other’s appearance. The reason of course is explained once we read what follows in Chapter 3.
4. In chapter 3, we see a test of obedience. The test was for Adam not Eve. Yet both Adam and Eve had been warned that if they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil they would surely die. (Genesis 2:17). In fact the literal translation of Genesis 2:17 renders itself thus: “dying you shall die” We also understand that the sin of Adam would cause the entire human race to fall into a depraved state of sin. The apostle Paul clarifies this for us in Romans 5:12. So the bent to sin is a hereditary/genetic disorder passed on from Adam to all men. One may ask the question, “If Adam had been warned that he would die, why would he do such a thing? Many Bible commentators have pondered that very thought. Dr J. Vernon McGee believed that Adam probably knew that because his bride was now going to die, he made the choice to die with her. This death would be more that just a physical death. It would be the death of a relationship. The unique relationship that God had with Adam would be lost. The closest analogy I can relate to is this broken relationship would be akin to divorce. The death of the relationship between a husband and his wife must have been close to the type of death Adam experienced the very day he ate the fruit given to him by his wife. It is interesting to note that Adam is not mentioned in chapter 11 of the book of Hebrews as one dying in the faith.
5. In Genesis chapters 4 and 5, we see the progression of sin. We see the murder of Abel by Cain. We see the sexual perversion of polygamy by Lamech. Even though there was great progress in agriculture and architecture, the perversion of mankind progresses until we see that God is ready to start over with man. Enter one righteous man, Noah. Noah was the son of Lamech. At the tender age of 500 years old, Noah would be tasked to carry on the remnant of God.
6. Chapters 6-10 would give the Biblical account of a world wide flood. It would fall upon Noah to build a ship that would carry the promise of a fresh start for God’s creation. This ship would be called the Ark. In the Biblical account, God gives Noah the dimensions to be that of cubits. Normally we think of a cubit to be 18 inches, but in the ancient word, the cubit was more on the order of 21 inches. This would make the overall dimensions of the ark to be: five hundred and forty-seven feet; the fifty for its breadth, ninety-one feet two inches; and the thirty for its height, fifty-four feet eight inches. These dimensions would be more than adequate to handle all the animals, fauna and vegetation to start over when God completed executing judgment upon the sin of a rebellious creation. From a marine engineering standpoint, the Ark would be roughly the same dimensions of a World War 1 Battle Ship. In 2005 a Dutch carpenter built a replica of the Ark to exactly 1 half the size of Noah’s Ark:

An animated tour of the replica can be seen on you tube here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wkpsr_2KYwc

7. The Ark would carry its precious cargo for a full year until the flood would recede. The Ark would come to rest in the mountains of Ararat. Most Biblical archeologists believe that the remains of the Ark will someday be found on Mount Ararat in Turkey. Several expeditions to Turkey have been made, but so far, little has come from those expeditions.
8. From Noah’s sons would come the future of mankind. Ham would populate the African continent and parts of Canaan. Shem would populate the Arab Peninsula, Japheth would populate Europe and Asia.
9. Genesis chapter 11 begins an attempt by mankind to formulate a religion based upon works. Here is the account of the tower of Babel. Most Biblical archeologists feel that Susa Iran was the place where the original Tower of Babel once stood. However, the Iraqi’s would take exception to that claim. Babylon is located in Iraq and not Persia. It was here at Babel that God would confound man by disrupting the ability to communicate with each other.
10. In Genesis chapter 12, God calls a man out of the land called Ur. Ur is located in modern day Iraq. It is here that God calls to himself a man named Abram. God will one day give him a new name. He will call him Abraham. This is where God will begin to build a nation. Abraham will be known are the “Father of the faithful, the father of those that believe. Because God calls Abraham to himself, Abraham obeys God and starts out on a journey of faith. Abraham is 75 years of age at this point in his life. From Genesis chapter 12 through chapter 50, the Bible chronicles the life of one family. This family begins with Abraham and Sarah. When they begin this journey, neither one of them are “Spring Chickens” Abraham is 75 and Sarah is 65. Sarah is the half sister of Abraham. They are both the children of a man called Terah. Sarah is Abraham’s wife. She is a breathtakingly beautiful woman. This beauty and Abraham’s tendency to lie, would get both of these sojourners in hot soup. Not just once with Pharaoh, but later on in their journey with a local king named Abimelech. After Abraham and Sarah leave Egypt, God renews his promises to Abraham and promises that from him will come descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky. (Genesis chapter 15). Yet in chapter we see that there is desperation upon the part of Sarah. All these years she has had no children so Sarah convinces Abraham to commit adultery with Hagar, an Egyptian servant girl and bear Sarah and child through Hagar. You might say that Hagar was the 1st historical account of a surrogate mother. From this union a son by the name of Ishmael is born. God foretells a fate for this boy in Genesis 16:11-12. Ishmael would father the nations known as the Arabs. Looking back at what happened on September 11, 2001, it is an eerie reminder that God is still in control of human events that trace their way all the way back to 2000 BC.
11. In chapter 17 of Genesis, God once again reminds Abraham of his promise to him, but this time, God commands Abraham to live before him as a man of righteousness. From this conversation, God institutes the rite of circumcision. The Hebrew word here means to “cut around”. Ishmael is 13 years old when this rite is performed. God promises to bless Ishmael for the sake of Abraham, but the promise does not come through Ishmael. It comes through a son that will be born to Sarah. The future son’s name will be called Isaac. Isaac means: “laughter” Abraham would be 99 years old at this point in his life.
12. Genesis chapters 18 and 19 deals with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. In this chapter, the Lord visits Abraham and the Lord confides in Abraham that the cry of the sin from the city is great. Abraham knows what will happen and remembers his nephew named Lot. So Abraham pleads with the Lord not to destroy the city if there are 10 righteous people within the city. It is also in chapter 18 that the Lord will confront Sarah for her unbelief. Sarah was close to 90 at this time. In fact in this account, Sarah laughs to herself contemplating how is it that she who is so old could now bear Abraham a son. In the case of Lot, things will not go so well, He, his wife and daughters would be saved from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, but Lot would loose his wife and his two daughters would get their father inebriated and have incestual relations with their father. From that relationship, two nations would come forth that would later play havoc with the future nation of Israel. Those two sons would be named Moab and Ammon.
13. In chapter 20 of Genesis, Abraham and Sarah once again become wanderers and come into the land ruled by a king by the name of Abimelech. Abimelech questions Abraham about Sarah and once again, Abraham tells the king that Sarah is his sister, yet when it is discovered that Sarah is Abraham’s sister, the king summons Abraham and confronts him, yet God spares Abimelech and his kingdom for the sake of Abraham. Abimelech is blessed by God for the sake of Abraham. God is once again faithful. He has fulfilled his promise to bless those that bless Abraham.
14. Chapter 21 of the book begins the fulfillment of bringing to Abraham, the promised heir. Isaac is born, yet there is friction within the household. Abraham has a son named Ishmael. Sarah wants Ishmael and Hagar out of the picture and wants them driven out. Like any father who loves his children this greatly distresses Abraham, but God assures Abraham that Ishmael and Hagar will be cared for. God had already made a promise to Hagar is chapter 16. One of the most wonderful characteristics of God is that he is immutable and never changes and never goes back on his word.
15. Chapter 22 of Genesis will chronicle the offering of Isaac to the Lord. This will test Abraham’s faith, yet Abraham knew that if Isaac was sacrificed, God was faithful and had made a promise to Abraham that through Isaac, the blessing would come. Even as they ascend to Mount Moriah, Abraham tells his servants this: “Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” (Genesis 22:5). The Lord intervenes and provides a ram for the sacrifice instead of Isaac. After Abraham and Isaac return, God reaffirms his promise to Abraham because Abraham obeys God.
16. In chapter 23 of the book, Abraham’s beloved bride Sarah is taken in death. The scriptures tell us that she lived to be 127 years old. Abraham was still a sojourner and owned no land of his own so he purchases a cave from the sons of Heth near Hebron. There Abraham buries his beloved Sarah. Sarah’s passing would have a great deal of sorrow upon Isaac. Isaac was the one who brought laughter and happiness into the heart of Sarah. Abraham was a keen father and could see the sorrow in his son’s heart was almost as painful as it was in his. This leads us to the next chapter.
17. Chapter 23 covers the marriage of Rebekah to Isaac. Abraham want to ensure that Isaac does not marry a woman who is not a believer in the promises of God, so he has a servant contact his near kinsman Laban. Abraham’s servant asks the Lord to show him where he can find Abraham’s family. The Lord provides the answer and Rebekah goes with Abraham’s servant to be the wife of Isaac.
18. Chapter twenty four covers the death of Abraham. Abraham lives to be 175 years of age. From a relationship with a servant woman by the name of Keturah, Abraham has six more sons. Abraham provides a financial blessing to his six younger sons while he is still alive, but upon his death, Isaac receives the inheritance of his father.
19. Chapter 25 also covers the descendants of Ishmael as well as the pregnancy of Rebekah with Jacob and Esau. The Lord reveals to Rebekah that the older brother Esau would serve the younger Jacob. The trouble inside the family would soon begin because Isaac would favor Esau and Rebekah would favor Jacob. This favoritism would lead to Jacob conspiring with his mother to steal the birthright and the blessing from Esau.
20. Chapters 26 through 33 would cover the life of Jacob after his deception. During this period of time, he would end up being the father of 12 boys through 4 different women. These twelve sons would eventually become the twelve tribes of the Hebrew nation. These twelve sons would do some really horrid things. Jacob would only have one daughter named Dinah. She would become the victim of a sexual assault and her brothers would exact a deadly toll that would wipe out an entire city. Judah would end up sleeping with his daughter in law and bearing two sons. The only boy that seemed to be the one who was the apple of Jacob’s eye was Joseph.
21. From chapter 37 through 50, Genesis gives an account of the life of Joseph. Joseph was the son of Jacob and Rachel. Rachel would also bear Jacob Benjamin, but would die soon after he was born. Prior to the birth of Benjamin, Jacob would show favoritism to Joseph. This would cause Jealousy to fester within the home. Isaac had shown favoritism to Esau, now Jacob was doing the very same thing with Joseph. Joseph had been given a very special gift. It was the ability to have dreams and interoperate them accurately. This also fueled the jealously and resentment of Joseph. This festering animosity would lead the brothers to hatch a scheme where they would sell their brother into slavery. While Joseph is in Egypt, God divinely uses the life to Joseph to prepare the way for his family to come to Egypt and live in the land of Goshen. There God would raise a nation that would be lead out of the land as slaves into a land prepared by God for them.