This document provides an overview of the story and major themes of the Old Testament. It traces the key events from Creation through the exile and return of Israel. The document emphasizes God's calling of Israel to be a blessing to the world, their disobedience which led to punishment, and the prophets' message of hope for restoration. It aims to familiarize readers with the overall narrative arc and theological themes that provide important context for understanding the New Testament.

1. ENCOUNTERING THE NEW TESTAMENT
MARK POWLEY & JON SWALES
MODULE
DATE SBTC
SAT 1ST FEB/1ST MAR TUTORS
STORY OF THE OT
• Creation
“And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very
good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”
(Genesis 1:31, ESV)
“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the
birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth
and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”” (Genesis
1:26, ESV)
STORY OF THE OT
• Creation
• Chaos
Exile from
Eden
Cain
FLOOD ,
Noah’s Rape
Babel
“If you do well, will you not be accepted?
And if you do not do well, sin is
crouching at the door. Its desire is for
you, but you must rule over it.”” (Genesis
4:7, ESV)
Sons of God/
Daughters of
Men
“The Lord saw that the wickedness of
man was great in the earth, and that
every intention of the thoughts of his
heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis
6:5, ESV)
“Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight,
and the earth was filled with violence. And
God saw the earth, and behold, it was
corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their
way on the earth.” (Genesis 6:11–12,
ESV)

2. STORY OF THE OT
• Creation
• Chaos
• Calling
Patriarchs “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from
your country and your kindred and your
father’s house to the land that I will show
you. And I will make of you a great nation,
and I will bless you and make your name
great, so that you will be a blessing. I will
bless those who bless you, and him who
dishonors you I will curse, and in you all
the families of the earth shall be
blessed.”” (Genesis 12:1–3, ESV)
Egypt
Monotheism
Covenant
Eschatology
The Creator
God called
Israel to be a
Blessing to to
the World
Does YHWH care? Does he have
the power to do something about
it?
STORY OF THE OT
• Creation
• Chaos
• Calling
Patriarchs
Exodus (Presence)
Sinai (Law)
Wilderness (Rebellion)
Blessing Curse
“Now therefore, if you will indeed
obey my voice and keep my
covenant, you shall be my treasured
possession among all peoples, for all
the earth is mine; and you shall be to
me a kingdom of priests and a holy
nation. These are the words that you
shall speak to the people of
Israel.”” (Exodus 19:5–6, ESV)
““See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the
commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and the curse, if you do
not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way that I am
commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known.” (Deuteronomy
11:26–28, ESV)
STORY OF THE OT
• Creation
• Chaos
• Calling
• Conquest
Entry Into the
Land “See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as
the Lord my God commanded me, that you
should do them in the land that you are
entering to take possession of it. Keep them
and do them, for that will be your wisdom
and your understanding in the sight of the
peoples, who, when they hear all these
statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a
wise and understanding people.’ For what
great nation is there that has a god so near to
it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we
call upon him? And what great nation is there,
that has statutes and rules so righteous as all
this law that I set before you today? “Only
take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest
you forget the things that your eyes have
seen, and lest they depart from your heart all
the days of your life. Make them known to
your children and your children’s children—”
(Deuteronomy 4:5–9, ESV)
Will Doctor Israel
live up to his
calling?
STORY OF THE OT
• Creation
• Chaos
• Calling
• Conquest
• Kingship
David “As soon as Solomon finished his prayer,
fire came down from heaven and
consumed the burnt offering and the
sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord
filled the temple. And the priests could
not enter the house of the Lord, because
the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s
house. When all the people of Israel saw
the fire come down and the glory of the
Lord on the temple, they bowed down
with their faces to the ground on the
pavement and worshiped and gave
thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is
good, for his steadfast love endures
forever.”” (2 Chronicles 7:1–3, ESV)
Solomon
Land,
Presence,
Torah

3. STORY OF THE OT
• Creation
• Chaos
• Calling
• Conquest
• Kingship
• Catastrophe
David
Solomon
Israel (North) Judah (South
STORY OF THE OT
• Creation
• Chaos
• Calling
• Conquest
• Kingship
• Catastrophe
David
Solomon
Israel (North) Judah (South
STORY OF THE OT
• Creation
• Chaos
• Calling
• Conquest
• Kingship
• Catastrophe
Israel (North) ASSYRIANS
14 But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had
been, who did not believe in the Lord their God. 15 They despised his
statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the
warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became
false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning
whom the Lord had commanded them that they should not do like
them. 16 And they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their
God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they
made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served
Baal. 17 And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings
and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the
sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. 18 Therefore the Lord was
very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. None was
left but the tribe of Judah only. (2 Kings 17:14)
STORY OF THE OT
• Creation
• Chaos
• Calling
• Conquest
• Kingship
• Catastrophe
JUDAH BABYLONIANS
““Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house, and proclaim there
this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all you men of
Judah who enter these gates to worship the Lord. Thus says
the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and
your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. Do not trust
in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the
temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’ “For if you truly
amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly execute justice
one with another, if you do not oppress the sojourner, the
fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place,
and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm, then I
will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old
to your fathers forever. “Behold, you trust in deceptive words
to no avail.” (Jeremiah 7:2–8, ESV)

4. STORY OF THE OT
• Creation
• Chaos
• Calling
• Conquest
• Kingship
• Catastrophe
JUDAH BABYLONIANS
“By the waters of Babylon, there we
sat down and wept, when we
remembered Zion. On the willows
there we hung up our lyres. For there
our captors required of us songs, and
our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing
us one of the songs of Zion!”” (Psalm
137:1–3, ESV)
STORY OF THE OT
• Creation
• Chaos
• Calling
• Conquest
• Kingship
• Catastrophe
• Confidence
JUDAH (EXILE) BABYLONIANS
PERSIANS
Does YHWH care?
Does he have the
power to do
something about
it?
STORY OF THE OT
• Creation
• Chaos
• Calling
• Conquest
• Kingship
• Catastrophe
• Confidence
JUDAH (EXILE) BABYLONIANS
PERSIANS
“Comfort, comfort my people, says your
God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry
to her that her warfare is ended, that her
iniquity is pardoned, that she has received
from the Lord’s hand double for all her
sins. A voice cries: “In the wilderness
prepare the way of the Lord; make straight
in the desert a highway for our God. Every
valley shall be lifted up, and every
mountain and hill be made low; the uneven
ground shall become level, and the rough
places a plain. And the glory of the Lord
shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it
together, for the mouth of the Lord has
spoken.”” (Isaiah 40:1–5, ESV)
STORY OF THE OT
• Creation
• Chaos
• Calling
• Conquest
• Kingship
• Catastrophe
• Confidence
JUDAH (Post-Exilic) PERSIANS
Back in Land TEMPLE REBUILT
Increase in Prophetic Criticism and
Prophetic Hope
“Oh that you would rend the heavens and come
down, that the mountains might quake at your
presence—” (Isaiah 64:1, ESV)
Story in Search of an Ending

5. OLAM HA-ZEH OLAM HA-BA
‘HOPE OF ISRAEL’
1. Return from Exile
2. Renewed and Abundant Prosperity
3. Messianic Figure
4. Renewed Covenant and Outpouring of Spirit
5. Building a New Temple
6. Return of YHWH to ZIon
7. Future of Nations
8. Climatic Period of Tribulation/Suffering
9. Defeat of Satan
10. Final Judgement
Choose two groups of texts from the
‘Hope of Israel’ primary source
document. Read biblical and second
temple texts slowly and carefully.
What do these texts tell us about the
Jewish hope?