Learning Objectives:
Obtain an understanding of the overall book of the Bible and how the Old Testament fits in with the New Testament.
Obtain an understanding of the three periods of law, which one we are under today and why we are under that law today.
Lesson
1. The Bible is divided into three periods of time indicating three ways that God dispensed law to His people:
(1) Through the patriarchs or heads of certain families
(2) Through Moses and the prophets
(3) Through Jesus Christ
2. How many years did each of these periods last and in what books of the Bible are these periods covered?
B. Notice the following important points in the Patriarchal age:
1. Adam and Eve were forced to leave the garden of Eden because of sin. 1656 years later the earth was covered with people who were involved in widespread wickedness.
God promised the flood giving Noah 120 years to build an ark and preach to the people. No one repented and therefore only eight people were saved with the animals that were brought into the ark.
What should the story of the flood teach us about God?
2. When Abraham comes on the scene 500 years after Noah, God begins to build the Jewish nation. Abraham has Isaac and Isaac has Jacob whose name is changed to Israel which begins the Israel Nation.
After moving to Egypt, the families of Israel are taken into bondage by the Egyptians. During their 215 year captivity they grow to be a large nation of 2-3 million people.
At about 1500 BC is when God sends Moses and delivers Israel out of captivity and brings them to Mt. Horeb (Sinai).
C. This begins the Mosaical Age. Notice the following important points during this period:
1. Read Deuteronomy 4:10-14
What are the contents of the covenant God made with Israel at Mt. Horeb?
Note that from now on when God refers in the Bible to the covenant He made with Israel, we know what the main content of this covenant is.
2. Read Deuteronomy 5:1-3
Who did God make this covenant with?
Note that this covenant was not made with those who were before them or any of the Gentiles.
3. After Israel left Mt. Horeb they came to the land of Canaan and after conquering the land God led them by the means of Judges (military leaders) for 350 years.
The people then desired a king, and God gave them Saul, David, and Solomon.
When Solomon died the kingdom of Israel divided into a northern and southern kingdom (925 BC).
The northern kingdom (Israel) was very wicked and therefore God allowed the Assyrians to take them away into captivity (721 BC).
The southern kingdom (Judah) eventually became as wicked as the north and were taken away captive by the Babylonians (606 BC). These, however, were allowed to return to their land 70 years later and rebuild Jerusalem. It is their descendants who are the Jews today and through whom Christ came.
This concludes the history of the Old Testament.
4. The prophets did their work during the time of the two divided kingdoms mentioned above. They warned the people of their wickedness and also prophesied of a new covenant to come in the time of Christ.
Read Jeremiah 31:31-34
What will the new covenant not be like?
What is the main benefit of the new covenant?
D. This brings us to the Christian age.
1. The passage in Jeremiah is quoted in the New Testament by the Hebrew writer to show its fulfillment.
Read Hebrews 8:6-13
God provided a better covenant through Christ and it is better because this covenant provides for the forgiveness of sins by the once-for-all sacrifice Jesus made of Himself on the cross. The first covenant which is now referred to as the old covenant did not provide this.
Was the first covenant perfect as far as man was concerned?
What does verse 13 say has become of the first covenant?
Read Hebrews 10:9-10
When Christ came to do God’s will, what did He do?
Through which will (covenant) can we be sanctified?
E. It should be very clear from our study so far that we are no longer under the first covenant, which is found in the Old Testament.
We are now under the law of Christ, which is found in the New Testament. Some of the commandments of the Old are repeated in the New and therefore unchanged, but many of the laws of worship are not repeated (such as keeping the Sabbath holy).
We must understand that when we seek to do God’s will today we look to the New Testament and therefore the law of Christ. Not the Old Testament. It is called the old for a reason. It has been made obsolete by Christ.
This is one of the main reasons there are so many denominations today: many people don’t understand this and they pick and choose laws from both the Old and the New.