Creation and Primeval History
Genesis begins with the words “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” (Genesis 1:1, ESV). That single sentence sets off an amazing timeline of incredible events that took place throughout the Old Testament. On the sixth day, God created man and woman, Adam and Eve, "in [His] image, after [His] likeness," (Gen. 1:26). Adam and Eve were given the simple instruction by God to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, with the freedom to eat of any other tree in the garden. Tempted by the serpent, they ate of the fruit and then hid from God. It is here that the first prophecy of the Bible was made, with God saying, "I will put enmity between you and this woman… he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel," (Gen. 3:15). “This promise of the annihilation of the wicked instigator by the promise of a human conqueror… made clear that one day God would send one who would defeat God’s enemy,”. The Lord sent Adam and Eve out of the garden, knowing that their knowledge of good and evil would change the course of history. “Though man is still in the image of God, in every aspect of life some parts of that image have been distorted or lost,”. After leaving the garden, Adam and Eve have two children, Cain and Abel. Cain ends up murdering his brother out of jealousy that God accepted Abel’s offering but not his own. Cain’s act of murder shows the effect of sin from eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Generations pass, bringing the story of the Old Testament to the time of Noah. The earth had become increasingly wicked, which displeased God. God intended to destroy all of humanity with a great flood, but "Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord," (Gen. 6:8). The Lord gave Noah specific instructions on how to build the ark and what to bring with him during the flood. After Noah had built the ark and gathered all of the food, the animals, and his family, the Lord began the torrent of rain that would wipe out the earth. Once the flood subsided and the ground was beginning to dry, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat, located in modern-day Turkey. Upon departing the ark, Noah made a burnt offering to God, leading to the Noahic covenant, that God “will never again curse the ground because of man,” (Gen. 8:21). He also says, “Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done,” (Gen. 8:21). The story of Noah is almost a sequel to the story of Adam, in that they were both called to multiply and fill the earth with their descendants. The descendants of Noah's son Ham settled in Northern Africa and the eastern Mediterranean, while Japheth's descendants settled in Europe. Shem's descendants, the life from which Abraham is born, settled in Mesopotamia and Arabia.
In order to obtain security and to not be dispersed across the land as God had directed, the people began to build the tower at Babel. God quickly intervened, coming down and confusing the languages, forcing the people to disperse over all the earth.
The Patriarchal Period
While the first part of Genesis focuses on the beginning of the human race, the life of Abraham tells about the beginning of the Hebrew race. Though Abraham and Sarah were sure that their age would prevent them from giving birth to a child, God promised otherwise. In Genesis 15:5, God tells Abraham to “look toward heaven, and number the stars… so shall your offspring be.” To ensure His promise, God came to Abraham in his sleep, performing an official Near Eastern treaty, walking through the halves of the animals on His own to show Abraham that the treaty was totally dependent on God. After doubting God again and having a child with their servant, Hagar, Abraham comes back to the covenant that God had made with him. Again, God said, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations,” (Gen. 17:3). In time, Sarah gives birth to a baby boy, which God tells them to name “Isaac”, meaning “laughter”. Later on, to prove Abraham’s strengthened faith in Him, the Lord asks Abraham to take Isaac to the land of Moriah and to offer him as a burnt sacrifice. Abraham had faith that God would provide for the offering because of the covenant they made. Right as Abraham was about to sacrifice his son, God provided a ram to take his place. Abraham then named the place of the sacrifice “The Lord will provide”.
Abraham passed the covenant on to Isaac, who married Rebekah. They gave birth to two sons, Jacob and Esau. Jacob was Rebekah’s favorite, and Isaac’s favorite was Esau. During her pregnancy, Rebekah was told by God that “two nations are in your womb… the older shall serve the younger,” (Gen. 25:23). She later helped Jacob to disguise himself so that Isaac, in his old age, would think that he was Esau and give him the blessing instead. Already, “Esau’s character weakness is evident in his despising his birthright and selling it to Jacob,” so Jacob and his mother thought he was a better fit. The disguise worked, and Jacob received the blessing.
Jacob’s life, even after tricking his brother, continues to be full of deception. When he arrives in Haran, he meets Rachel, the woman that he wants to marry. Her father, Laban, tells Jacob that he has to work seven years to earn her, then on their wedding day, tricks Jacob with his other daughter, Leah. Upset, Jacob agrees to work seven more years so that he can still marry Rachel. The children of Jacob were the twelve sons that would later become the twelve tribes of Israel. Jacob’s first son by Rachel, His favorite wife, was Joseph, who became his favorite son. Joseph had dreams of his success, which he shared with his brothers. Out of jealousy and anger, the brothers took Joseph, faked his death, and sold him to Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt. Once in Egypt, God provided for Joseph, for “whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed,” (Gen. 39:23). After leaving the house of Potiphar, though he did no wrong, Joseph ended up in prison. Again, God provides, and Joseph becomes second in command in Egypt, next to Pharaoh. Joseph is shocked when during the famine he sees his brothers, who do not recognize him. He forgave his brothers and moved the family to Egypt.
Egyptian Bondage and the Exodus
“After Jacob’s descendants migrated into Egypt, the Israelites began to experience numerical growth as promised by the Abrahamic covenant.” Once the Pharaoh that Joseph worked for passed away, a new Pharaoh took charge and oppressed the people of Israel. Moses, through the will of God, made his way to the daughter of the Pharaoh of Egypt by way of a basket floating down the river. He was raised in the house of the Pharaoh but fled when he killed an Egyptian for harming a Hebrew. After some time, Moses became a shepherd, when God came to him in the form of a burning bush. It was there that God told Moses that he was to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and to deliver them to the Promised Land. This would prove to be no easy task, and with that knowledge, God told Moses, "I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand,” (Ex. 3:19). After equipping Moses and Aaron with the staff that would turn into the serpent, they went to Pharaoh and told him to let the Israelites go. Of course, the first attempt did not work and only made Pharaoh make the Israelites work even harder. Even after numerous plagues, Pharaoh would not free the Israelites from their bondage. Finally, the Lord threatened one last plague that was more painful than all of the rest. The Passover, or death of the firstborn child, was the plague that finally broke down the Pharaoh's barriers, and he told Moses to take the people of Israel and leave.
Pharaoh, changing his mind, would not give up the Israelites that he had enslaved without a fight, so he sent his army after them. It is at this point that Moses proves his faith and strengthens the faith of the Israelites when he is able to part the Red Sea so that they can cross on dry land. God closes the path on the Egyptians, destroying the Pharaoh’s army. The Israelites traveled to Mount Sinai, and there Moses received the Ten Commandments.
The Conquest and Period of the Judges
After the exodus in 1446 B.C., the Israelites were ready to settle down in the Promised Land. The conquest of Canaan took place from 1405-1390 B.C. “The conquest was the fulfilling of God’s prophecy to Abraham that his descendants would possess the land of Canaan after 400 years of slavery and oppression.” After Joshua’s death, Israel had no ruler and struggled to keep control of the Promised Land. The cycles of judges were meant to help lead Israel during this time. The sixth and final cycle shows Samson as a judge, who ended the cycle of judges with his death. During the time of the judges, Israel became morally corrupt because they were meant to have a king, and participated in Idolatry and other immoral acts.
United Monarchy
Israel learned after the period of the judges that in order to be successful, they needed a real king. David was appointed by God, and under his reign, the entire nation was unified. The kingdom continued to be unified under the reign of David’s son, Solomon. During Solomon’s reign, the temple was rebuilt in Jerusalem. Due to covenant disobedience, Solomon lost most of the blessings and gifts that God had given to him, and the kingdom passed from his hand to his son, Rehoboam.
Divided Kingdom to Pre-Exilic Period
Rehoboam was inexperienced, and because of that, the kingdom divided, forming the northern and southern kingdoms. The northern kingdom suffered from wicked rulers and suffered covenant curses due to their disobedience. Under their last king, Hoshea, the kingdom fell, having been captured by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. As for the southern kingdom, Judah, they “survived the Assyrian threat in 701 B.C. and enjoyed nearly a century of divine protection.” Judah had both godly and wicked kings, concluding with the sons of Josiah, the last godly king, who were rebellious. This led to the first deportation to Babylon in 605 B.C.
Exile
In 597 B.C., after the first deportation, King Nebuchadnezzar deported 50,000 more after capturing Jerusalem. The city of Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed during the third stage of the exile, in 586 B.C. During the exile, God called Ezekiel to use the visions given by Him to tell Jerusalem that the Lord would return to them. “The Lord would restore His people in spite of their flagrant disobedience … so that peoples from all nations would know that He was the Lord.”
Isaiah told of how God would raise up Cyrus to reign over Persia and secure the release of Israel from the exile, after seventy years of captivity. During his reign, Cyrus issued a decree allowing the Jews to return to their homeland after he defeated the Babylonians.
Post-Exile
The Jews returned in three groups back to their homelands. Jeshua and Zerubbabel “built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it,” (Ez. 3:2). Also, they built the temple foundation during that time. Ezra led the people in covenant renewal. After issues during the reign of Cyrus, the Jews were finally allowed to finish the construction of the temple while under the reign of King Darius. While the temple was being completed, Nehemiah facilitated the rebuilding of the city walls.
The prophets predicted the later distress that would fall on Jerusalem, though they were to sustain a period of peace first. They also set up for the narrative of the New Testament, predicting the coming Messiah. “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me,” (Mal. 3:1).