SEPTEMBER 10, 2024

THE OLD TESTAMENT PART 1:

THE TORAH, THE HISTORICAL BOOKS & THE POETICAL BOOKS

Good Afternoon Everyone! LET’S PRAY!

This semester, we will be looking at the Bible from a Legal point of view,

in that we will be looking at the original languages of the Old and New

Testaments, the Hebrew, the Aramaic, and the Greek languages, which were the

inspired Word of God.

Today, we will talk about the Bible which consists of 66 separate books

penned by over 40 Holy Spirit inspired authors over a period of several

thousand years. The Old Testament (Covenant) consists of 39 Books, which

were originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic and then ultimately translated

into Greek, known as The Greek Septuagint Version of the Bible, of which

Jesus, His Disciples and Apostles, quoted from in the New Testament. The New

Testament (Covenant) consists of 27 Books, which were originally written in

Greek. Greek is probably the most precise language known to mankind and it is

very specific.

Most Protestant Bibles consist of a Masoretic Hebrew Text Old Testament

and a Greek New Testament. The two do NOT correspond one to another.

However, the Greek New Testament DOES match with the Greek Septuagint, to

the point that there is direct quoting from each text.

As such, I will be using the Septuagint Version of the Old Testament, the

King James Version, and the Aramaic New Testament. Also, I will be using
Halley’s Bible Handbook by Henry H. Halley, Nelson’s Complete Book of

Bible Maps & Charts, The Believer’s Bible Commentary by William

MacDonald, and The Student Bible Dictionary by Karen Dockery, et al. for the

majority of this sermon series on the Bible.

Also, the Old Covenant (Testament) was a Covenant between Father

YAHWEH and Israel. According to Jeremiah 31:31 - 32, “Behold the days are

coming, saith the Lord, when I will make a New Covenant (Testament) with

the House of Israel and the House of Judah. Not according to the Covenant

which I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand

to bring them out of the land of Egypt. Because they did not abide by this

Covenant of Mine, therefore I took no care of them.”

The New Covenant (Testament) was made with the same groups of

People. According to Hebrews 8:8 – 11, “For finding fault with them , He

saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new

Covenant with the House of Israel and with the House of Judah: not

according to the Covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I

took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they

continued not in My Covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

For this is the Covenant that I will make with the House of Israel after

those days, saith the Lord; I will put My Laws into their mind, and write

them in their hearts: : and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me

a people: and they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man
his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know Me, from the least to

the greatest.”

And remember what the Apostle Paul admonishes in First Corinthians

10:11 which states, “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples

(examples): and they are written (The Bible) for our admonition, upon whom

the ends of the world (age) are come.” So, what the Apostle Paul is saying is

that the Bible was written as an example and an admonition to all of us today –

even the Old Testament! So, let’s delve into Part 1 of the Old Testament, in

which we will cover the Torah, the Historical Books, and the Poetical Books.

The first five Books of the Old Testament are known as the Torah, and

they are:

Genesis is the first Book in the Bible, which means “beginnings,” is a

history book about Creation, the Adamic Race and the Fall in the Garden of

Eden, the genealogy of Adam to Noah and the flood, then the history of

Abraham, Isaac (the chosen seed), and Jacob/Israel and his 12 sons, who

became the Patriarchs of Israel. Jacob/Israel moved from Canaan to the land of

Goshen in Egypt under the guidance of Joseph, 2 nd only to Pharaoh, where they

multiplied into a multitude, and then went into bondage, under a Pharaoh who

didn’t know Joseph.

In Genesis, we see YAHWEH make Covenants with Adam, Noah, Abrah,

Isaac, and Jacob, Moses, and the Nation of Israel. This requires in-depth study,

and we do not have the time to discuss the Covenants in detail here.
 Genesis is also a Book of prophecy, which is basically history in advance.

For example, in Genesis 48, Jacob/Israel, who is basically near death, adopts

both of Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, and blesses them by putting his

name on them, Israel, and blessing them with all the blessings of Abraham,

Isaac, and himself. Thus, they are included as part of the 12 Tribes of Israel.

After this, Genesis 49:1 states, “Then Jacob called his sons and said to them,

Assemble that I may tell you what will happen to you in the latter days.”

Jacob/Israel blesses all 12 of the Patriarchs, while giving Joseph a double

portion and Judah being the Royal Line. Remember, Jacob/Israel said that these

were End Time Prophecies for the 12 Tribes of Israel.

Exodus is the history of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egyptian

captivity and to the Promised Land, over a 40-year period. It is during this

period where YAHWEH marries Israel at Mount Sinai and gives Israel its

marriage vows, known as the Ten Commandments, thus giving birth to the

Nation of Israel, thus making it a Theocracy ruled by YAHWEH. It is also in

this Book in which we find the building of the Tabernacle.

Leviticus outlines the duties of the Levitical Priesthood and guidelines

for the sacrificial system, purification, and the Feasts of Israel. The Levites

were a Priesthood, which consisted of Aaron and his descendants. The Levites

did not receive a territorial inheritance but were allowed to live in 48 cities.

They performed their duties in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple. The

received support from the tithes and offerings given by the Israelites that they
were commanded to do according to YAHWEH’s Law. This is the Book of the

Law of YAHWEH.

Numbers contains the census of the Tribes of Israel, their wilderness

wanderings, the murmurings of the people, the Levitical and other Laws, along

with the preparation for the conquest of the Promised Land of Canaan.

Deuteronomy, which means The Second Law, reviews and explains

YAHWEH’s work with His people, Israel, and encourages their renewed

commitment to Him. In Deuteronomy 28, we find the Blessings for following

YAHWEH’s Laws in verses 1-14, and we find the Cursings for disobeying

YAHWEH’s Laws in verses 15-68. (As a side note, we are under these

Cursings today as a result of our national and personal sins, and the rejection of

His Laws.) Further, we see Moses commissioning Joshua as Israel’s next leader,

the division of the land of Canaan for an inheritance to the 12 Tribes of Israel,

as well as the death of Moses.

The Torah is followed by the 12 Historical Books, which are divided by

two major events in Israel’s history: The Assyrian Captivity and Deportation of

the 10 Northern Tribes of Israel, known as The House of Israel, from 745 to 676

B.C. (never to return to the Land of Palestine again) and the Babylonian

Captivity of the 2 Southern Tribes of Judah, known as The House of Judah,

from 606 to 586 B.C. of which only 42,000+ returned while the rest remained in

Babylon.
 Joshua’s name means “YAHWEH is Salvation.” Under the leadership

of Joshua, during the three major military campaigns, the Israelites learned a

crucial lesson in that victory comes through faith in YAHWEH and obedience to

His Word, rather than through numerical or military superiority. The Book of

Joshua is divided into two principal sections: Chapters 1 through 12 record the

Conquest of Canaan which took 7 years; and Chapters 13 through 24 describe

the assignment of tribal territories and the settlement of the tribes throughout the

Promised Land which took 8 years. Nine and a half tribes were settled West of

the Jordan River, while the remaining two and a half tribes settled East of the

Jordan River. Joshua established six Cities of Refuge throughout Israel to

provide a haven for people who killed other people by accident. In the last two

chapters, Joshua gives his farewell address wherein he calls the people to

absolute faithfulness to YAHWEH and renews their Covenant with them.

Judges deals with the history of the Israelites from the time of Joshua to

the time of Samuel – the Time of the Judges. Basically, the Israelites served and

obeyed YAHWEH until Joshua died. Then, another generation grew up who

knew not YAHWEH and the works that He had done for Israel. As a result of

this, the Book of Judges chronicles the repetitive cycle of Israel following

YAHWEH, then falling away from (sinning against) Him and thus being judged

by YAHWEH and therefore going into captivity, only for the Israelites to repent

and be saved by YAHWEH. This cycle of events happened 13 times!

 The lesson learned here is to follow YAHWEH and if you sin,

immediately repent of it, because sin brings death! According to Romans 5:12-

14, “Wherefore, as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by

sin; and so, death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: For until the

LAW, sin was in the world: but sin in not imputed when there is no LAW.

Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not

sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of Him

(Jesus Christ) that was to come.” So, the LAW, when affirmed at Mt. Sinai by

YAHWEH and ISRAEL, defined sin and brought forth the death penalty, from

which we are redeemed by the once and for all perfect sacrificial blood of Jesus

Christ at Calvary. According to First John 3:4, “Whosever committeth sin

transgesseth also the LAW: for sin is the transgression of the LAW.” Sin is

perfectly defined as transgression of The Law. Whose Law? YAHWEH LAW

as found in His Word!

The LAW was given to ISRAEL as an example to all the nations, so that

IF Israel obeyed YAHWEH’s Law, then He blessed them. On the other hand, IF

Israel disobeyed YAHWEH’s Law, then He cursed them. Very simple.

Ultimately, Israel was to be a beacon of YAHWEH’s light to the nations, and if

they obeyed YAHWEH’s Laws, they too would be blessed and vice-versa!

Ruth, which takes place during the Judges, is an example of the Kinsman

Redeemer (Next of Kin) Law as found in Leviticus 25:25 which states, “And if

thy brother who is with thee become poor and sell any part of his possession;
when he who is next of kin to him cometh, he shall redeem what his brother

hath sold.” The whole chapter of Leviticus 25 deals with the Law of

Redemption and the Year of Jubilee. In order to be a Kinsman-Redeemer,

one had: (1) to be a blood relative; (2) to have the necessary resources; and

(3) had to be willing to buy (redeem) his brother, etc.

In the Book of Ruth, we find Ruth, who was an Israelite living in the land

of Moab; hence she was referred to as a “Moabitess,” was redeemed by her next

of kin, Boaz, and they were married. As a result, Ruth gave birth to Jesse, who

was the father of King David. So, that makes Boaz and Ruth, King David’s

Grandfather and Grandmother.

After the Books of The Judges and Ruth, are the records of the Kingdom

of Israel itself.

First and Second Samuel are named after the prophet, Samuel, the last

of the Judges. In the Septuagint Version, they are known as First and Second

Kings. First Samuel chronicles Samuel’s life and death and King Saul’s life and

death and introduces us to David. It documents the change in Israel from the

rule by The Judges to the rule by Kings – Israel rejected their rule by

YAHWEH. It emphasizes faithfulness to YAHWEH, no matter who rules.

Second Samuel begins with King David’s anointing as King and includes most

of his reign over Israel. The theme of both books is that faithfulness to

YAHWEH brings success and disobedience brings disaster.

 The first three Kings of Israel reigned 40 years each. King Saul was

deposed by YAHWEH and killed in battle. King David, a man after YAHEH’s

own heart, lived a long life, and YAHWEH made a permanent Covenant with

him, that there would always be a man on his throne. King Solomon, David’s

son, was the wisest man on the earth at that time and built YAHWEH’s Temple.

However, according to First Kings 11:3, King Solomon had disobeyed

YAHWEH and had married 700 foreign wives and had 300 concubines. The

problem laid in the worshipping of foreign gods by his foreign wives, which

YAHWEH had strictly forbidden. As a result, Solomon started worshipping the

gods of Canaan, for example, Ashtaroth, Marduk, and Remphan. Because of

this, YAHWEH took the Kingdom away from him and divided the nation of

Israel into two: The Northern 10 Tribed House of Israel which was ruled by 19

Kings before going into captivity and ultimately dispersed by the Assyrians –

never to return to the land, and the Southern 2 Tribed House of Judah which was

ruled by 20 Kings before going into a 70-year captivity by the Babylonians.

After this captivity, only 42,000+ Judahites returned to the land.

First and Second Kings, also known as Third and Fourth Kings in the

Septuagint, cover the last days of King David through the division of the

Kingdom of Israel after the reign of King Solomon into two different nations

because of their sins, but especially idolatry: The Northern House of Israel (10

Tribes) and the Southern House of Judah (2 Tribes). Because of the sin of

adultery against YAHWEH, the House of Israel was taken and captured by the
Assyrians through 4 deportations: 745 B.C. and 741 B.C. under Emperor

Tiglath-pileser, 721 B.C. under Emperor Shalmaneser (Sargon), and 676 B.C.

under Esar-Haddon, in which 200 walled villages of the Southern House of

Judah were taken as well. The House of Israel, according to YAHWEH, would

NEVER return to the land of Palestine. On the other hand, what was left of the

House of Judah was taken into captivity by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon

from 606-586 B.C. After the 70 years of judgment as pronounced by

YAHWEH, according to Ezra 2:64, only 42,360 Judahites plus 7,373 men and

maid servants came back into the land of Palestine; the rest remained in

Babylon, where it was very comfortable for them to live.

First and Second Chronicles are a record of Israel’s family history.

These books retell, from a different perspective, events recorded in the Books of

Samuel and Kings. These books emphasize the faithfulness and greatness of

YAHWEH as He uses events of history to work out His purpose. The Books

also emphasize the importance of demonstrating one’s identity as a person of

YAHWEH. The purposes of these Books are to show that YAHWEH still keeps

His promises to His people in spite of disasters and to show the origin of the

worship of YAHWEH in the Temple at Jerusalem. You will note that this is a

continuation of the chronologies found throughout the Old Testament.

The major promise by YAHWEH to His People is found in 2 Chronicles

7:14 which states, “When My People, who are called by My name (1)

humble themselves, and (2) pray to Me and (3) seek My favor, and (4) turn
from their evil ways, (1) I will hear from heaven and (2) forgive their sins,

and (3) heal their land.” That is what we all need to do on a national level as

well as a personal level!

Ezra, who was an Israelite priest and scribe, describes the return of

Judahite exiles from Babylon, where they had been held captive. Ezra

documents the rebuilding of life and worship in Jerusalem. A first group of

exiles, who returned under Cyrus the Persian Emperor, rebuilt and dedicated the

Temple in Jerusalem. Other groups returned later, including a group under

Artaxerxes II led by Ezra. Ezra helped them reorganize their religious and

social life in a way that expressed their spiritual heritage.

Nehemiah tells of Nehemiah’s return to Jerusalem, his leadership in the

rebuilding of the city walls, the dedication of the walls, and other reforms that

he carried out. Nehemiah had the LAW and read it to the people and recounted

to them their history with YAHWEH. As a result of this, the people of Judah

made a Covenant with YAHWEH to follow His Laws.

The Book of Esther is a bit of a conundrum in that it is the only Book in

the Bible which does not have the name of YAHWEH in it, with some scholars

believing that it was not a part of the original manuscripts. Also, the Laws of

the Medes and Persians, once written and signed, were permanent; whereas, in

this Book, we see that “Artaxeres” changed his law every time Esther made a

request of him. That was against the Law of the Medes and Persians. With that

being said, this Book describes the events leading up to and the meaning of the
“Jewish” feast day of Purim. This is not one of the 7 Feasts of YAHWEH.

Another point to consider.

Which brings us to the five Books of Poetry – Job, which is the oldest

Book in the Bible, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and The Song of Solomon.

Job, which is the oldest Book in the Bible, was the perfect example of

what a true believer in the Almighty should be. Job focuses on YAHWEH’s

arrangement with Satan concerning Job, Job’s many trials and sufferings, the

responses of his wife and friends, and Job’s steadfastness toward YAHWEH.

YAHWEH’s presence, not answers to questions, proved to be what Job needed,

just like us today!

The main verses and attitude that we all should have, can be found in Job

1:21 which states, “The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed

by the name of the LORD,” and in Job 28:28 which states, “The fear of the

LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.” This is very

wise counsel!

The Book of Psalms, which consists of 150 Psalms (five for each day of

the month), was written by many different Israelites. 73 were written by King

David, 12 were written by Asaph, one of David’s chief musicians; 10 were

written by the Sons of Korah; 2 were written by Solomon; 1 is entitled “a Prayer

of Moses, the man of God;” 1 by Heman and 1 by Ethan (both sages); and the

remaining 50 Psalms are anonymous.

 The Psalms can be divided into 5 groups: Book 1 (Psalms 1-41); Book 2

(Psalms 52-72); Book 3 (Psalms 73-89); Book 4 (Psalms 90-106); and Book 5

(Psalms 107-150). These Psalms were basically the hymnbook of the Nation of

Israel, which not only contains beautiful hymns and praise but includes some

incredible Messianic and Second Coming prophecies. The Psalms are made up

of prayers, praises, and Thanksgiving. In general, most Christians turn to this

Book as a Book of Comfort in their time of need.

The summation of the Psalms can be found in Psalm 1, which states,

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth

in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in

the Law of the LORD; and in His Law doth he mediated day and night. And he

shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in

his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the

congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous:

but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” Godly righteous people versus

ungodly wicked people. Which camp do we want to be in?

The Proverbs, which consists of 31 Proverbs – one for each day of the

month, was written by Solomon according to First Kings 4:32 which states, “He

(Solomon) uttered 3,000 Parables (Proverbs), and his odes were 5,000.” These

Proverbs can be divided into 6 parts:

 Chapters 1-7: The simple difference between right and wrong

Chapters 8-9: The wisdom of goodness

Chapters 10-19: The folly of wrongdoing

Chapters 20-29: Various warnings and instructions

Chapter 30: The words of Agur

Chapter 31: The words of King Lemuel – the characteristics of a

virtuous woman

Of all the Proverbs written, Chapter 3 is perhaps the most quoted:

Proverbs 3:5-7: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not

unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall

direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD and depart from

evil.”

Ecclesiastes is a Book of wisdom and tells us plainly who the author was

according to Chapter 1:1 which states, “The words of the preacher, the son of

David, king of Israel in Jerusalem:” Now, we know that David had many sons,

however, it was King Solomon who wrote this Book.

The main theme to the Book is found in Ecclesiastes 1:14b which states,

“And behold they (all things on earth) are all vanity and vexation of spirit.”

Solomon further states in Chapter 3:1-8, “TIME is for all things: but there is a

particular portion of time for every particular affair under heaven: a time to be

born and a time to die – a time to plant and time to root up what was planted – a

time to kill and a time to heal – a time to pull down and a time to build up – a
time to weep and a time to laugh – a time to mourn and a time to dance – a time

to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together – a time to seek and a

time to lose – a time to keep and a time to throw away – a time to rend and a

time to sew – a time to be silent and a time to speak – a time to love and a time

to hate – a time of war and a time of peace.” Solomon concludes the matter in

Ecclesiastes 12:13, “As a conclusion of the discourse, hear thou the whole sum

and substance. Fear God and keep His commandments: for this conclusion

every man should draw, that God will bring the whole work into judgment in

every case not taken notice of, whether it be good or whether it be evil.”

The Song of Songs also known as The Song of Solomon is composed of

six love songs from a husband to his wife and a wife to her husband. This book

celebrates the love between a married couple. Most Christians also see this

Book as representing the strength of the relationship between YAHWEH and

His People Israel and/or Jesus Christ and His Church.

This concludes Part 1 of our journey into the Old Testament. Today, we

have covered the Torah, the Historical Books, and the Poetical Books. Next

week, we will delve into Bible Prophecy with regard to the 16 Prophetical

Books of the Old Testament, which are made up of the four Major Prophets and

the 12 Minor Prophets.

LET’S PRAY!

BENEDICTION

Please receive the Benediction!

 May the peace of God which passeth all understanding, keep your

hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of His Son Jesus

Christ our Lord; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son,

and the Holy Ghost, be amongst you and remain with you always. AMEN!