Church Minute

Faith and Obedience

Living and walking daily with faith and obedience to the living LORD God are themes throughout the Holy Bible. Our wholehearted faithfulness with obedience to the living LORD God leads to doing God’s will and pleasing Him. Examples of people walking with faithfulness and obedience to the living LORD God include Enoch, Noah, Moses, Joshua, David, Job, and notable Christ Jesus our Lord. Abraham of the Old Testament is another perfect example of prompt faith expressed in obedience to the living LORD God, and Abraham’s example of faith with trust and obedience is a golden thread that runs throughout the Old and New Testaments. The living LORD God of heaven and earth found Abraham’s heart faithful and obedient to Him. Abraham expressed his continual love and faithfulness to the LORD God in worship and giving by looking to and calling upon the LORD’s Name in holy reverence and worship, bringing His Presence into his life and heart. Our wholehearted faith with trust expressed in obedience and worship to the living LORD God leads to His divine blessings (happiness), mercy, and favor (grace). Genesis chapters 1 through 11 describe the good beginnings of creation, then the original sin of Adam and Eve, the flooding of Noah’s generation because of evil and violence, and the scattering of humankind throughout the earth at the tower of Babel due to pride and self-reliance without God. After the tower of Babel, the coming of Abraham (Abram) from Noah’s son Shem family line gave the world hope of redemption as Christ Jesus our Lord would come from Abraham’s family line to bring heaven’s salvation and blessings to the entire world. The living LORD God of Glory called Abraham to move from Ur in Babylon-Chaldeans (ancient Mesopotamia) and move to a new land in Canaan, the Promised Land of Israel-Palestine. The people of Canaan were descendants of Noah’s other son, Ham, who Noah cursed because of Ham’s disrespect during the time of his father’s drunkenness. Abraham obeyed the living LORD God’s voice and call with faith, and he moved with his wife Sarah (Sarai), who was barren without children, and their helpers to the new land of Canaan, which he would receive as an inheritance. Sarah’s name means princess, and she was a beautiful woman who loved and respected her husband, Abraham.The living LORD God blessed Sarah to become the mother of many nations. Also, Abraham’s nephew Lot and Lot’s helpers went to the new land with Abraham and Sarah. Soon, Abraham and Lot’s helpers began to argue with strife over the pasturelands for their animals. So, Abraham, wanting to live in peace with his nephew Lot, allowed Lot to pick which land to own and live on, and Lot chose the green grass but evil, lawless, and wicked lands of Sodom and Gomorrah for his new home. After Lot’s departure, the living LORD God of heaven and earth blessed Abraham and promised Abraham all the land of Canaan (Israel-Palestine) forever. Even more, the living LORD God blessed Abraham to become the father of many nations with many descendants (offspring) as the stars of the heavens, the dust of the earth, and the sands of the seashore because of his faith and obedience to Him. Then, the living LORD God led Abraham to the land of Hebron. Abraham was a Hebrew (Jew) along with his sons Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, and they are considered the patriarchs of the Holy Bible and they were also blessed with many descendants, including our Christ Jesus our Savior. Furthermore, Abraham was the father of Ishmael with the bond servant Hagar, and the living LORD God also promised Abraham many great nations and blessings through his son Ishmael and Ishmael’s descendants. Abraham was a wealthy man with livestock, gold, silver, and many faithful servants. Although Abraham was rich, the living LORD God was Abraham’s shield and great reward. Abraham believed and trusted in the living LORD God by faith, which led to Abraham’s righteousness before God. Ultimately, everyone who belongs to Christ Jesus by faith and obedience is also Abraham’s offspring and descendants because Abraham is the father of all who believes in the living LORD God and His Son, Christ Jesus, as Lord. The living LORD God made an everlasting covenant with Abraham, and Christ Jesus and the other New Testament writers referred to Abraham as an example of faithfulness and obedience to the living LORD God. Abraham and Sarah sometimes struggled with impatience and lack of trust regarding God’s timing of His promises, but they always returned to the living LORD God with faithfulness and obedience to Him. In the New Testament, Christ Jesus referred to Abraham’s side as the place of blessedness where the righteous go after death.

World of Wickedness

In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve’s disobedience and rebellion against the living LORD God and obedience to the evil serpent empowered by Satan plunged a world once filled with life, goodness, and joy into a world of sin, violence, and death. Even the grounds of the earth became cursed with thorns and thistles because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience and rebellion against the voice and command of the living LORD God. The living LORD God banished Adam and Eve from Eden, the divine sanctuary of God. After leaving Eden, Adam and Eve made love and gave birth to Cain and then Cain’s younger brother, Abel. Cain was a tiller of the cursed ground, and Abel was a shepherd. Eventually, Cain brought an offering of fruit from the cursed ground without faith to the LORD God that He rejected, while righteous Abel brought a better offering with faith to Him from the firstborn of his flock and their fat (firstborn and fat belong to the LORD). The living LORD God warned Cain to follow the ways of goodness and reject Satan's ways of sin and evildoing. However, Cain followed the ways of sinful and lawless Satan by becoming angry and jealous of Abel’s offering, murdered his younger brother Abel, and then lied with deceit to the living LORD God about murdering Abel. So, the living LORD God punished Cain because of his evil heart pursuing evil deeds with a curse because of following Satan’s evil ways, and Cain became a wanderer on earth. Later, Cain’s son Lamech married two women and introduced the sin of polygamy in the world. Lamech was also vengeful and filled with pride after murdering two other men. Next, Adam and Eve gave birth to another son, Seth, and the people began to call upon the Name of the LORD (Yahweh). Genesis 5 provides a genealogy from Adam and Seth and goes into the days of Noah. Before Noah, Genesis noted that only Enoch lived and walked by faith with the living LORD God, which pleased Him so Enoch did not experience death, and God also blessed Enoch’s son Methuselah with the longest life. Later, righteous Noah was born with the hope that Noah would be the one to comfort the world from the ground’s curse. Sadly, Satan’s wickedness, corruption, badness, and violence ran rampant throughout the earth because of the evil within humans’ hearts, and the living LORD God’s Spirit was saddened and disappointed in humankind, so He shortened humankind’s lifespan to 120 years by His grace. However, righteous Noah found grace (favor) in God’s eyes because he loved God and walked with goodness, obedience, and faith in the living LORD God. Notably, Christ Jesus our Savior and Moses found favor in God’s sight because they obeyed the living LORD God and His commands.The living LORD God announced a covenant with Noah, and He informed Noah He would destroy the world with a great flood and begin the earth anew with Noah, his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and his sons’ wives - eight humans and two of every animal with the breath of life (male and female) so they could be fruitful, multiple, and repopulate the earth after the great flood. Also, the living LORD God instructed Noah to build an ark to save him, his family, and the living creatures, and Noah obeyed all the living LORD God commanded by building the ark. After Noah completed the ark, the living LORD God brought forth rain on the earth from the heavens, and all the fountains of the great deep were broken up for forty days and forty nights to flood the whole earth with waters to unleash His judgment on sinful humanity and destroy from the face of the earth all living things that He had created. The great flood prevailed on the earth for one hundred and fifty days, and then the living LORD God brought the winds of the Holy Spirit to remove the waters so the earth could be renewed and reborn. After the great flood, Noah built an altar for the living LORD God in the worship of Him, and the living LORD God promised Noah a covenant to never curse the ground and destroy the earth with floodwaters. The living LORD God blessed Noah and his family and commanded them to govern His earth. Also, the living LORD God gave Noah and his family permission to meat for food and the green herb as long as they NEVER eat flesh with its lifeblood and never kill another human, who is made in God’s image. Then, the living LORD God appeared in the heavens as a rainbow cloud, a sign of His covenant promises never again to destroy the earth with floodwaters. However, the world continued in Satan’s pride and sin because the human heart remained unchanged and evil. Noah became unwise by becoming drunk with wine, and his son Ham treated his father Noah with disrespect and dishonor, so Noah cursed his son, Ham. Afterward, Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, with their wives, began replenishing and filling the earth with humans after the great floodwater. The whole world had one language and one speech. Then, the people of Shinar became prideful and wanted to build a tower to become famous and reach the heavens to rebel against God. The living LORD God of heaven came down to earth,  confused the humans’ language, and scattered humans throughout the whole earth. Although the human heart remained unchanged, the living LORD God would call Abram (Abraham) so the world would become blessed and obey Him by faith. Nothing goes well without having humble and wholehearted faith in the living LORD God found in His Son, Christ Jesus our Savior, because only with Him and obedience to His commandments with love and goodness towards others do we find true wisdom, joy, righteousness, and pleasure with peace. Jesus is Lord!

Beginning of Sin

In the beginning, the living LORD God created the world with abundance and goodness without sin or shame. The living LORD God graciously blessed Adam and Eve, except He commanded Adam and Eve never to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as eating the forbidden fruit would lead to death. Genesis 3 describes the beginning of sin on earth. In Genesis 3, a sneaky and tricky snake (serpent) empowered by Satan (Devil) came into Eden, the divine sanctuary of God. The lying snake saw Eve, and he deceived Eve and Adam into disobeying God's commandment by eating from the forbidden tree. Eve saw that the fruit from the forbidden tree was good food, a delight (pleasing) to the eyes, and desirable for wisdom, so she took and ate the forbidden fruit and gave some to Adam to eat. Then, Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened, and they felt shame. Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command and followed Satan by eating the forbidden fruit. The living LORD God was walking through Eden, but Adam and Eve hid themselves amongst the trees in shame and fear of the living LORD God. Disobedience to God and following Satan always brings shame and fear! The living LORD God asked Adam and Eve if they had eaten the forbidden tree. Adam said yes but blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent. The living LORD God cursed the snake to always crawl on his belly and eat the ground dust. Also, the LORD God punished Adam and Eve and cursed the grounds with thorns and thistles due to Adam and Eve’s disobedience in obeying Satan. Adam named his wife Eve because she was the mother of all living as a life-giver. However, the living LORD God removed Adam and Eve from the tree of life and Eden. The living LORD God placed angels (cherubim) and a flaming sword to guard Eden’s entrance and the tree of life. Adam and Eve’s disobedience to the living LORD God caused the original sin and the great fall of humankind, leading to shame and death. Since the beginning, Satan and his dark workers are lawless and deceiving liars, thieves, and murderers who roam the earth seeking to accuse, tempt, kill, steal, and destroy all the goodness and abundance of God. Obeying Satan leads to depression, destruction, and death. Here is the good news: Satan and his evil workers will be destroyed and NEVER enter the new heavens and earth. Here is more good news: God brought the hope of Christ Jesus as the Seed of Eve to defeat and crush the serpent’s head. Christ Jesus is our Savior and Second Adam from heaven who brings new life, salvation, forgiveness, righteousness, and reconciliation with the LORD God. The Holy Bible promises the crown of life and access to the tree of life to those who love and obey the living LORD God and His Son, Christ Jesus, even during testing, trials, and temptations. Let EVERYONE become wise and blameless by resisting, fleeing, and running from Satan and his evil temptations that try to lead you astray into sin and shame and away from God’s goodness and joy. Jesus is Lord!

Beginning of Goodness

The living LORD God is the Creator-King from everlasting to everlasting that has existed before creation with wisdom and power. The beginning of all creation with the heavens and earth began in goodness and wisdom with the living LORD God (Holy Trinity) of God the Father, God the Son (Christ Jesus), and God the Spirit. In the beginning, the heavens and earth were empty and filled with darkness without form until the Spirit of the living God hovered over the waters of the earth and then the living LORD God Almighty spoke with power the Word of God and brought forth light and life on the earth. The Holy Bible declares that the living LORD God (Elohim, Yahweh) with wisdom and power spoke the Word of God, created, and named day and night, the heavenly skies, oceans and seas, dry grounds and lands with mountains, hills, fruit and vegetation, and then the sun, moon, and stars in the universe. Then, the living God Almighty spoke and created the fish and sea creatures in the oceans, the birds and other flying creatures in the sky from the dust of the ground, and then He made the animals from the dust of the ground so they all could be fruitful and multiply (increase) in numbers. The living LORD God’s most important creation was humans, both male and female, whom He created in His image and likeness to conform to the image of Christ Jesus to multiply and rule with dominion. Adam was the first man created and formed from the dust of the earth and given the breath of life, and then the living LORD God created a woman from Adam to be his helper and companion so together they could care for God’s creation and Kingdom on earth. The living LORD God planted a beautiful garden for Adam and Eve to live called Eden, and Eden was paradise and a divine sanctuary filled with abundance and goodness without any sin or shame. The Spirit of the living God flowed with rivers through the Garden of Eden to bring life and creation. Together, Adam and Eve took care of Eden. Many trees and plants grew in Eden. The living God graciously gave Adam and Eve all fruits and vegetables in Eden, except He commanded Adam and Eve never eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. After creating the heavens and earth, the living LORD God rested on the seventh day (Shabbat) from all His good works. One day, all creation will end after cleansing by fire with the appearance of Christ Jesus in the sky to begin anew in goodness with the living LORD God. The Holy Trinity of God (Triune God) brings light and life that defeats and conquers ALL darkness and evil. Only the living LORD God deserves all our first love, worship, and praise as King of kings and Lord of lords of the heavens and earth as the heavens declare His glory, majesty, and sovereignty. 

Center of the Bible

Jesus is the central story of the Holy Bible. The center of the Holy Bible is Jesus and His loving death on Calvary’s Cross as the Passover Lamb of God to bring salvation, redemption, unity, and healing from Satan’s darkness, despair, and depression. The Old Testament prophets predicted Jesus’s coming as the Messiah (Christ, Anointed One, Son of David) so we can receive heaven’s new spiritual life, forgiveness, peace, and salvation through repentance (turning from Satan) with faith and obedience to Jesus. Our repentance with faith and obedience to Jesus provides divine healing, inner peace, salvation, and new life within our lives and hearts. All God’s grace, promises, and blessings find their fulfillment in Jesus, and they are YES and AMEN. The living Sovereign LORD God of heaven and earth has given His Son Jesus all power, authority, and dominion, and He anointed Jesus as Lord and Head of the Church, which is His body. Jesus is the Creator and the glorious image of His Holy Father. Moreover, Jesus is God and the incarnate Word of God that became human flesh and now reigns as King and Ruler of the world. King Jesus is the Anointed One from Father Abraham and King David’s family line, as promised by the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). Jesus is not only the King and Savior of the Jews, but He is the Savior and King of the world. Jesus is the all-powerful King of kings and Lord of lords and He reigns as One with this Holy Father. The New Testament writers declare that Jesus is the Son of the living God empowered by the Holy Spirit, and everyone must listen and obey Him, which brings life. Jesus is truth and grace without deception, falsehood, or trickery, and we must obey His commandments and teachings. The teaching of Jesus focused on love, mercy, and goodness towards others. Moreover, Jesus taught everyone to love and trust our Holy Father, the Sovereign LORD God of heaven and earth, for all our needs as He is our provider and protector. Jesus the Messiah is the power and wisdom of God, and He graciously gives everyone His righteousness, holiness, and wisdom who repents and believes in Him. Through our repentance with faith and obedience, believers of Jesus are reborn and adopted into the family of God, and we become joint heirs with the Resurrected Jesus as His brothers and sisters. Jesus is Lord!

Prophecy

Prophecy runs throughout the Holy Bible, including the Old and New Testaments. Holy prophets are true prophets of God empowered and strengthened by the Holy Spirit for service to proclaim God’s message, encourage and comfort His people, and explain or predict God’s will for the future. The Sovereign LORD God appoints His prophets and places His words in His holy prophets’ mouths and tongues, and their message comes true. True prophets of God are given access to God’s heavenly throne room, and these holy men and women have seen God’s glory and power so they can speak His moral and holy message to all people. Many great men and women of the Old and New Testaments are called prophets or prophetesses, including Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, and prophetesses, Miriam, Deborah, and Anna. Some of the holy prophets’ messages include visions and dreams of the future, and their message calls all people to the Sovereign LORD God with wholehearted love, faithfulness, obedience to Him, and goodness and fairness towards others. Holy prophecy with love is the church’s foundation and a spiritual gift from the Holy Spirit for helping, teaching, comforting, strengthening, and uplifting God’s people while also declaring Jesus’s Lordship. The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy as the Old Testament prophets predicted His coming as the Messiah (Christ, Anointed One, Son of David). The New Testament wrote that the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings of the Old Testament predicted God’s Gospel message of redemption, restoration, and forgiveness through Jesus the Messiah. Jesus is the Great Prophet of God and the new Moses filled with God’s words, and everyone must listen to and obey Jesus’s holy words and teachings. Often, holy prophecy spoke against leaders and the people for their disobedience to God’s covenants, evil behavior, wickedness, injustice, and idolatry, and they spoke of God’s judgment and punishment because of such evildoing. The Holy Bible describes the requirements of a holy prophet and warns everyone to reject any false and deceiving prophecy of Satan that calls for worshiping and seeking guidance from other gods, goddesses, witchcraft, mediums, spiritists, occult practices, magic, omens, or sorcery. These false and dark prophets of Satan are filled with blasphemy, greed, and lying spirits to lead people astray into utter darkness, evildoing, wickedness, sexual sins, and unfaithfulness to God. False prophets and teachers are often disguised as angels of light, but their deeds, bad fruits, and teachings are wicked, sinful, and lawless, and they deny the Lordship of Jesus. Jesus is Lord!

Wisdom and Songbooks

 The wisdom and song books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs come between the historical books and the Old Testament prophetic books in the English Bible. These sacred Scriptures are filled with poetry, hymns, and prayers. Biblical scholars believe Solomon wrote many of the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs, and David wrote many of the Psalms. The Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) includes wisdom and songbooks as part of the Writings (Ketuvim). The Writings include the books of Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra/Nehemiah, and Chronicles. The main theme of the Writings is the importance of fearing and honoring the Sovereign LORD God, obeying His commandments, and shunning (rejecting) Satan’s evildoing, as such good living brings true wisdom. These books focus on walking and living blameless lives, doing what is good and right, and wholehearted faith and obedience to the Sovereign LORD God. The Writings teach that the Sovereign LORD God created the world through wisdom, who has existed since the beginning of time. The living Sovereign LORD God, with His Son Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit as One, is the Creator and Sustainer of all life. The New Testament attributes all wisdom and truth to Christ Jesus. When one lives wisely, one lives in harmony with God and creation. The Sovereign LORD God gives everyone His wisdom, guidance, and understanding when we ask and seek Him through prayer. The Writings discuss human nature, life issues, and the importance of morality and good living. The book of Job discusses why bad things and suffering happen to good and righteous people like Job. In the book, righteous Job suffers hard times and a series of traumas, including the death of his children. Jobs’s friends believe that Job’s tragedies resulted from his sinful living. However, the Sovereign LORD God allowed Job’s temporary suffering to prove Job’s righteousness to Satan, and in the end, Job received double blessings and restoration from the Sovereign LORD God. The book of Proverbs embraces all areas of life and teaches that following wisdom leads to true life and joy, while following folly and foolishness leads to destruction and death. Proverbs uses a good wife and a wicked woman to highlight the goodness of wisdom and the destruction of foolish living. The book of Proverbs teaches that God’s favor and blessings come to those living lives with integrity, truth, and righteousness (goodness). The book of Ecclesiastes discusses life’s meaninglessness and vanity under the sun without God, who gives life true meaning and purpose. Ecclesiastes teaches that riches, fame, possession, pleasures, education, and hard work are all meaningless and vanity without fearing and obeying the Sovereign LORD God and obeying His commandments.  The book of Psalms, with 150 hymns of praises and prayers, focuses on wholehearted trust and worship of the Sovereign LORD God. The Song of Songs focuses on romantic and passionate love between a man and a woman. Many biblical scholars see the Song of Songs as a picture of God’s endless love for the world and His longing for fellowship and union with His creation. 

God's Faithfulness In History

The Old Testament historical books reveal God’s faithfulness, mercy, grace, and justice. The historical books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther describe the living Sovereign LORD God’s active work in the world to bring salvation to all nations as the only true God of heaven and earth. These books follow the Torah (Genesis through Deuteronomy), and they explain Israel’s history from its entrance into the Promised Land of Israel-Palestine under the leadership of Joshua, the period of the judges, the various rulers of Israel and her sister Judah, the Great Exile, and the restoration of the Israel province. Humble foreigners such as Rahab of Canaan (Joshua 2), Ruth of Moab (Ruth 1), and a woman of Sidon (1 Kings 17) played important roles in God's salvation story to bless all nations as promised to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3. The book of Joshua describes Israel’s military conquest and victories in the Promised Land by God’s grace under the leadership of Joshua, and Israel renewed their covenant of love, faithfulness, and obedience to the Sovereign LORD God. Joshua’s name in Greek is Jesus, meaning “The LORD saves.” However, Israel’s covenant commitment to God faded in the book of Judges, which led to Israel’s defeat and civil war until Israel called out to God in repentance, and God brought His spirit-filled judges to deliver Israel. The love story of Ruth and Boaz in the book of Ruth revealed God's covenant love and salvation for all people-Jews such as Boaz and non-Jews like Ruth (a Moabite). The books of 1 and 2 Samuel opens with Hannah’s faithfulness, Samuel’s call, and later Israel’s demand for a king. The Sovereign LORD God anointed Saul as Israel’s first king, but Saul failed to obey Him, so He rejected Saul and anointed David and then David’s son Solomon as the King of Israel in the capital city of Jerusalem (Zion). With David’s kingship, God promised King David an everlasting dynasty that would be fulfilled in Christ Jesus our Savior. Israel expanded their borders under David and Solomon’s leadership along with the building of the Jerusalem Temple. However, David and Solomon could not control their desires for many women, and their sins affected their children and Israel, leading to a split kingdom with ten tribes of Israel in the north and two tribes in the south-Judah. The books of 1 and 2 Kings revealed the people’s departure from worshipping the living Sovereign LORD God and many evil deeds. Because of their idolatry and evil deeds, God allowed Israel and her sister Judah to be conquered and defeated by foreign nations, the Assyrians and Babylonians, and these foreign nations deported Israel and Judah from the Promised Land and scattered them around the world. God’s faithfulness to Israel continued by protecting them from extinction in the book of Esther. Also, the living Sovereign LORD God used the Persians to allow Israel to return to their Promised Land and rebuild the Temple (Second Temple) and the Jerusalem wall in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. The books of 1 and 2 Chronicles retell many of the same stories of God’s faithfulness from 1 and 2 Kings. 

The Torah-Pentateuch

The first five books of the Holy Bible are called the Pentateuch. Jews traditionally called these books the “Torah,” which is a Hebrew term that means “law” or “instruction.” The Torah consists of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), and biblical scholars believe that Moses wrote the Torah. The “Book of the Law” referenced in the Holy Bible usually refers to the book of Deuteronomy, specifically Deuteronomy chapters 5 through 26, spoken by Moses. Still, some scholars argue that the Book of the Law or the title “Law” means the entire Torah. The book of Genesis gives the story of God creating a good world as His sanctuary and appointing humans as His rulers, then the Original Sin of humanity with Adam and Eve’s betrayal of God and obedience to Satan (serpent), the world’s increasing violence and rebellion with Cain and Abel, Noah’s Great Flood, and then the Tower of Babel with scattering of humans in Genesis chapters 1 through 11. Genesis chapters 12 through 50 give the patriarchal period of Abraham and his family Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. The book of Genesis is important because Genesis shapes the rest of the Holy Bible with various covenant promises to bless all nations of the world through the Seed of a woman and Abraham and his descendants. Next, the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy give the story of Israel with Jacob’s twelve sons (Twelve Tribes of Israel) and Israel’s exodus (salvation) from Egyptian slavery, the Passover and parting of the Red Sea, the giving of the Mount Sinai covenant, the building of the Tabernacle (Tent of Meeting) where the Sovereign LORD God dwelt, the atonement and Holiness Code in Leviticus, Israel’s rebellion and unfaithfulness in the wilderness with the book of Numbers, and the giving of the Book of Law in Deuteronomy. The Torah teaches about the covenant relationship between the living Sovereign LORD God and His people Israel and this relationship is marked by listing various obligations and holiness standards such as the Ten Commandments, so Israel would be a royal priesthood and holy nation. In the Torah, the Sovereign LORD God transformed Israel into a holy nation with the command to live holy lives as He is holy. The Pentateuch also describes the Israel's journey from Mount Sinai and their wilderness wandering and judgment for 40 years due to their fear, rebellion, and lack of faith with trust in the living Sovereign LORD God to save Israel and deliver them safely into the Promised Land of Canaan. Deuteronomy describes the prophet Moses giving a new generation of Israel a covenant renewal with the Law of God to love and obey the Sovereign LORD God wholeheartedly and then the anointing of Joshua as Israel’s new leader to lead Israel into the Promised Land of Israel-Palestine. The Torah forms the foundation of the Holy Bible, including Christ Jesus’s hope and redemptive work of salvation and atonement for the world’s sins.  

Overview of the Old Testament - Part Two

The living Sovereign LORD God’s story of salvation continues with the books of Samuel, which describes Israel (Jacob) rejecting Him as King and establishing Saul as Israel’s first king. Saul proved to be an unfaithful king, so the Sovereign LORD God rejected Saul as king and chose His faithful servant David from the tribe of Judah as king to reign in Jerusalem (Zion), followed by his son Solomon as king of Israel. David’s son Solomon built the Jerusalem Temple that transformed Jerusalem into the divine residence of the Sovereign LORD God. However, Israel’s united kingdom under David and Solomon became divided into two kingdoms after Solomon’s death because of Solomon’s unfaithfulness to the Sovereign LORD God. The divided kingdom existed from 930 to 586 BC with ten tribes of Israel living in northern Israel and two tribes living in southern Israel, now known as Judah. Evil leaders ruled Israel’s ten northern tribes; however, Judah in the south had some good leaders who followed David’s faithfulness to the Sovereign LORD God, such as Hezekiah and Josiah. However, Israel and Judah walked increasingly in rebellion and evil toward the living Sovereign LORD God and His covenant given at Mount Sinai (Horeb). The Sovereign LORD God empowered many holy prophets (messengers) such as Elijah, Elisha, and Jeremiah to call Israel and Judah to wholeheartedly turn from their evildoing and rebellion and return to Him with love, faithfulness, and obedience. Because of their continual sinfulness, the Sovereign LORD God used the Assyrians to destroy and scatter Israel and their ten tribes in 722 BC, and then He used Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians to destroy Judah and Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem in 586 BC, leading to the 70-year Exile of God’s people from the Promised Land of Israel-Palestine. After 586 BC, the people of God were no longer ruled by a king but by foreign powers, including the Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans. However, the Sovereign LORD God, full of mercy and grace, used Cyrus of Persia to defeat the Babylonians in 539 BC. The Persians allowed God’s people, now known as Jews, to return to their homeland in Israel-Palestine to rebuild the Jerusalem Temple (Second Temple) in 516/515 BC and the Jerusalem wall in 444 BC under the leadership of Zerubbabel, Haggai, Zechariah, Ezra, and Nehemiah. Despite Israel and Judah’s destruction, the holy prophets of God began to comfort God’s people with a message of restoration and hope with the coming of a Righteous Servant-Branch from King David’s family line that would be King of Israel and lead Israel and all nations as Savior and Ruler. This hope of a new King came with Christ Jesus as the Messiah-King. Thus, the grand story of God’s salvation moves from the Garden of Eden with the original sin, the story of Abraham and his sons, Isaac and Jacob, David and Solomon, into the New Testament. God’s salvation story, handwritten on scrolls, was written in Hebrew and Aramaic and later translated into Greek with the Septuagint (Greek version of the Old Testament Scriptures) and confirmed by the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in 1947.