As the first half of the semester and our study in the Old Testament closed two weeks ago, I wanted to write a review to bring back to mind all that we have learned and hopefully tie up loose ends as we start this week with Dr. Peterman in the New Testament!
Just as a refresh, here's all we've talked about so far relating to our study "From the Beginning to the End. Seeing His hand in it all":
The Beginning in Genesis- Week 1
The Patriarch's Promise- Week 2
Priesthood- Week 4
The Prophets- Week 5
Kingship- Week 6
(For notes on the individual talks check out previous blog posts or ask us at SWF for a copy of the notes.)
As you can see even in just looking again at the topics of each week we have covered a lot and learned so much about God's plan for His people in Old Testament times. We started with the beginning of Creation in Genesis to the "Golden Age" of Israeli history with King David to the exile of the Jewish people, to their return, and discussed even their deep-seated hope of the coming Messiah. The Old Testament is the account of the grand story of the Jewish people as they learn to live with the consequences of their disobedience as well as with the lavish grace God bestows on them as He carries them along and sustains them even to the present day.
I hope, however, as you've been learning about the above topics over the last few weeks that you've picked up on the sense of things not being quite right with the way things were through the use of prophets and priests...the sense of longing of the Jewish people...the sense of longing that God felt for them to commune with Him and to fulfill the promise made to Abraham that all nations would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). The Old Testament was a promise, a picture, intended to show us that greater things were to come.
Galatians 3:24:26 says, "So then, the Law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith."
As we jump into the New Testament this week and learn about Jesus and the New Covenant, keep in mind all that we have learned. The story of the New Testament relates directly and beautifully to that of the Old. Get ready this week to see how God's heart moved forward and how the Kingdom has come near in just the way God planned from the beginning: through faith in Christ, apart from the commandments of the Law.
