Old Testament
George Liepart & Art Nesterenko
Job
April 7, 2024 • George Liepart • Job
The book of Job is likely the oldest book in the Bible. Internal and external evidence indicates that it was originally written during the patriarchal period—likely in the latter half of the second millennium BC—making Job a contemporary of Abraham and/or his offspring. In many ways, the book of Job poses questions that the rest of Scripture answers—questions about the problem of evil, righteous suffering, pain, and the justice of God. Fundamentally, Job’s question is our question: why? Why does God do what He does? Why has He ordained what He has ordained? Job never questions God’s right to do whatever He pleases; he simply struggles to understand if God is right in what He has done.
Exodus
January 21, 2024 • George Liepart
The book Exodus relates the period of time from Jacob’s entrance into the land of Egypt (circa 1876 B.C.) to the building of the Tabernacle (circa 1445 B.C.), a total of 430 years as related in Exodus 12:41. The title, taken from the LXX, means “exit” or “departure,” referring to Israel’s departure from Egypt—though the majority of the book focuses on Israel’s experience at Mount Sinai. The book picks up where Genesis leaves off—with the offspring of Abraham dwelling in the land of Egypt. The continuity between the two books is evident in 1:1-8. Importantly, we see an echo of the Adamic mandate in 1:7 where Moses writes, “The people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong.” Abraham’s offspring are growing numerous as God promised, but they are in the wrong place: Egypt, instead of the Promised Land. Exodus and the rest of the Pentateuch narrate Israel’s movement from slavery in Egypt to the borders of Canaan.
Genesis
January 14, 2024 • George Liepart • Genesis
Genesis is the book of beginnings and contains the foundation for much of the theology of the Old Testament. . . An understanding of the book’s content and message is essential to the study of the rest of the Bible. It is not a book of science, though scientists are right to investigate its claims. It is not a book of biographies, though much can be learned from the lives of men and women portrayed in its pages. It is not a book of history, though history is the path it follows. It is a book of theology, though its task is not accomplished systematically.
Introduction
January 7, 2024 • George Liepart
Most Christians, when they sit down to study their Bible, immediately and almost reflexively open to the last quarter of Scripture, with scant attention paid to what precedes it. While many are familiar with New Testament revelation, few would claim the same sort of familiarity with the Old Testament. Often, the Old Testament is treated as a collection of moralistic stories for kids rather than an indispensable part of God’s self-disclosure. This priority of the New Testament over the Old is reflected in both the pulpit and the pew, and even in the names given to the testaments themselves (“Old” vs. “New”). Christians are worse off for this. Scripture is a unified piece of literature, written under the superintending guidance of a single, divine Author. Just as you would not expect to understand a book by only reading the last chapter, so we cannot expect to understand God’s revelation if we relegate ourselves solely to its closing section. For us to truly comprehend and appreciate God’s redemptive work accomplished by His Son and recorded in the New Testament, we must understand all that came before. We must understand the Old Testament. This course is designed to introduce you to the rich depths of God’s revelation in the first testament of Scripture. Though time will not permit us to explore each book as much as we might like, this course will orient you to each Old Testament book and its purpose in the greater story God has written.