Bird’s Eye View of The Bible

Pastor Colin Meadows

Many of us have a good knowledge of certain parts of the Bible. We may be familiar with the Gospel stories or with certain Old Testament narratives but may not be sure how these fit together to form a whole. Is there continuity between the Old and the New Testament or is the Bible just a collection of random documents? Are the documents historically accurate and trustworthy? These and other questions like these will be considered in this article.

The Bible is unique in world literature. No other book has so shaped our civilization and language and yet at the same time generated such controversy. Some six billion copies have been published over the years in hundreds of languages. The structure of the Bible is quite straight forward: In the Old Testament, there are 39 books (the Hebrew Bible has 24 books corresponding exactly to these NT books) written over a thousand year period (1400-400 BC) while the New Testament consists of 27 books written over a period of about 50 years (45-95 AD). These 66 books of the Old and New Testament were recognized and accepted by the churches before being confirmed as the ‘canon’ (measuring stick) of Scripture by the Council of Carthage in 387AD.

In the Old Testament, we see the foundations of God’s message to his world. We learn who God is, what he does and how he works. God has entered into a relationship with his people, based on his promises. In the New Testament, we see the fulfillment of these promises in Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that God appointed Jesus Christ as the saving ruler of God’s kingdom. By his life, death and resurrection, Jesus began God’s kingdom, and he will return in coming days to establish it forever.

There are however other books, called ’The Apocrypha’, that are included in Roman Catholic and Orthodox Bibles. These books were written over the period 300 BC– 50 AD and cover the trials and persecution of the Jewish people during that time. They are of historical significance but are not accepted by Protestants as authoritative Scripture. ‘The Apocrypha’ however provides an important bridge between the two Testaments.

The Bible is often called the Word of God for it is the speech of God recorded for all time. See Exodus 32:16, 2 Peter 1:21, 1 Peter 1:10-12). There are many other words and phrases used to describe the Bible. See Ps 19:7-11 and Hebrews 4:12. God has given us the Bible so that we can be transformed by its content. See Ps 119:11, 2 Tim 3:16-17. Other books provide information, the Bible leads to transformation. We need to remember that God’s Holy Spirit is the one who gives insight in understanding the Bible. See 1 Cor 1:18-20, 25. We need to submit to God with a repentant heart and so be willing to receive his Word.

Old Testament Outline

God’s Kingdom—God Rules

(Dates where shown are mostly from the NIV Study Bible and are approximate in many cases)

1. The Creation: Read Genesis 1:1 ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.’ See also John 1:1-4. Genesis 1:31-2:1 where we read that all that God created was ‘very good.’ God created all as ruler and put Adam and Eve as responsible caretakers over his creation.

2. The Fall:  Humanity chose to reject God as ruler. They disobeyed his command and were driven out of the garden. See Genesis 3, and Romans 1:18-20. God further judged the nations at the time of Noah through the flood. See Genesis 6-9. There is archeological evidence of a major flood around the city of Ur in 3400BC. In Genesis 11:4, the people in their rebellion sought to build the tower of Babel (Babylon) that reached to the heavens. As a result, God scattered the nations. To give us the historical setting - cuneiform writing was developed in Sumeria around 2900B, the Gilgamesh Epic of Babylon, which contained a flood story, was written around 2750BC, while the pyramid-building era in Egypt began around 2570BC. Papyrus writing materials appeared around 2500BC.

3. The Pledge: Read Genesis 12:1-3. God made a special pledge (agreement or covenant) with Abraham (2166-1981BC) and his descendents. He would be their God if they would live in obedience to Him. Through Abraham, all nations on earth would be blessed. See also Hebrews 6:13-20. Through Abraham’s son, Isaac, the blessing was passed on to Jacob (who was later called Israel).  One of Israel’s twelve sons was Joseph, and he was sold into slavery in Egypt. Later his whole family ended up there. The Hyksos kings were reigning in Egypt until around 1570BC, when Ahmose expelled them. See Exodus 1:8.

4. The Exodus from Slavery:  After 400 years of captivity in Egypt, Jacob’s children, by then known as the children of ‘Israel’, were set free under Moses (1525-1406BC). See Ex 2:23-24, 14:29-30. The Exodus from Egypt is dated at around 1446BC. This was close to the time of King Tutankhamun whose burial site was found in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor in 1922 .

5. The Promised Land: God led his people into the land of promise under Joshua (1406BC). See Deut 26:8-9. This was in fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham many years before. This was followed by a period under the Judges. There was no central government and individual judges served local areas. The last of the judges was Samuel, who was also a prophet. See 1 Sam 3:20. The Assyrian Empire began to rise at this time, while the Philistines settled in Southern Canaan.

6. The Law: On their way to the Promised Land, God gave the people of Israel instructions by on how they should live. These instructions were focused around the Ten Commandments.  See Deuteronomy 6:1-2. Moses died, due to his own disobedience, without being able to enter the land. See Deut 34.

7. The Kings: In the Promised Land, God gave Israel kings, for they would not accept God himself as their king. The king came to be God’s representative on earth. See 1 Samuel 12:13-14. The first king was Saul (1050-1010BC). The temple in Jerusalem was built during Solomon’s reign. The kingdom of Israel was divided after the death of Solomon (930BC) into Israel in the north (Samaria the capital) under King Jeroboam and Judah in the south (Jerusalem the capital) under King Rehoboam.

8. Exile: Because of their continued disobedience, God’s people were sent into exile. The Northern Kingdom of Israel went first as captives of the Assyrians around 722BC (2 Kings 17:1-6), and the land was populated with people from other regions (later called Samaritans). See 2 Kings 17:24-34. Around 626BC Babylon established its independence from Assyria, leading to the overthrow of Nineveh in 612BC. The Southern Kingdom of Judah went into captivity in Babylon over a period of time, with the last group going around 587BC. Read 2 Kings 25:1-7 and Psalm 137. The Persians then conquered Babylon in 539BC. In 538BC, an edict from the Persian king Cyrus allowed the exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple (Ezra 1:1-4). Then in 445BC Nehemiah came back to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls of the city.

9. The Prophets: God used his prophets during much of this time to call the people back to follow him. They reminded the people of the pledge or covenant that they had made with God. They warned of God’s judgment but they also gave hope that God would not forget his pledge. Read Jeremiah 31:31-33 with the promise of a new covenant. In most cases, the people ignored the warnings of the prophets.

The Importance of the Old Testament for Christians

In the OT we learn of the character, purposes and work of God. It tells us that God is a God of love and compassion but He is also a holy God. He desires to be in fellowship with us but for that to take place, we must turn from our evil ways and submit to him. His law shows us the way we should live and the sacrificial system reminds us that blood must be shed for the forgiveness of sin. It is only in Christ that the requirements of the law were fulfilled! There was a period of some 400 years between the testaments when no further word from God was heard. The Greeks overran the region around 330BC. In 250BC, the Hebrew Old Testament was translated into Greek (called the Septuagint).  The Romans occupied Israel from 63BC under Pompey.

New Testament Outline

God saves—Through Jesus

1. The Life of Christ: God kept his pledge or promise and sent his son Jesus into the world. Christ was born around 6BC, just before King Herod died in 4BC. Jesus was from the family of King David. In his life he fulfilled the words of the prophets and obeyed his Father. He told people to repent and come back to God. See Mark 1:14-15.

2. The Death of Jesus: Jesus willingly died on behalf of humanity to take the punishment due to us all because of our rebellion. The Old Testament pointed forward to this event (see passages such as Isaiah 53 and others). On the cross, God the King became God the Saviour. It was an incredible act of self-sacrifice that began his kingdom here on earth. See Romans 5:6-8.

3. The Resurrection of Jesus: God the Father raised Jesus from the dead, demonstrating that the penalty for disobedience had been paid. He ascended to the Father’s right hand and began his reign as ruler of God’s kingdom. Read Acts 1:3-11 and 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. 

The Messianic Expectation

There had been a strong expectation of a divine deliverer amongst the Jewish people from earliest times. See Deut 18:15ff, Psalm 2, 45:6-7, 72 and 110. The people longed for a perfect future state (Isaiah 54:10, Jer 31:31-34, Ez 37:26-27), which would be centered on a powerful person, Immanuel or ‘God with us’ (Isaiah 7:14). This was especially so during times of persecution, when the Jewish people longed for a deliverer who would free them. The expectation around the time of Christ was for a mighty warrior and king, like David, who would liberate them from the Romans. The word ‘Messiah’ in Hebrew is translated ‘Christ’ in Greek. Thus when Jesus took this title upon himself, the Jewish Messianic expectation was raised. They did not anticipate however that their Messiah end up crucified on a cross. The Jews thus largely turned their backs on Jesus when the nature of his mission became known to them.

The place of the Jews today

Has God now turned his back on the Jewish nation? The firm answer to this is no! The teaching of Paul in the book of Romans is very clear in this matter. In Romans 9-11, Paul puts forward the case that while the Jews have initially rejected Jesus the Messiah, this has provided an opportunity for the Gentiles (non-Jews) to enter the kingdom of God. See Romans 11:25. After this time, it will be the time for the Jews. God still has a special place and plan for his covenantal people. Salvation, for Jew or non-Jew alike, will always be on the same basis—by grace through faith in Christ the Messiah.

Developing your personal Bible Study

Seek to set aside time regularly to read and understand God’s Word. Pray, asking God’s Spirit to guide you. One suggested method to study the Bible is called the COMA approach and is outlined here.

Context: How does the passage you are reading fit into the overall message of the Bible? What took place before it and what happens after it? What is the main message of the particular book of the Bible in which it is found?

Observation: What is the structure of the passage? Can it be broken down into smaller sections? What are the important words that need to be carefully understood?

Meaning: What does this passage mean to its original hearers? What does it tell us about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, God’s people, and God’s world? How would you sum up the passage in a short sentence?

Application: What meaning does this passage have for us today? How does it add to my understanding of who God is and how he wants me to live? Does it require me to ask God for strength to change any of my attitudes or behavior? How should I respond to the passage?

 

The COMA approach is thus one very helpful way in which we can study the Bible.