The Old Testament is the story of the Old Covenant (“testament” means “covenant”) between God and his people. At the same time, the Old Testament foretells the coming of a new covenant and a coming prophet, priest, and king. For many reasons, a solid understanding of the Old Testament is crucial for understanding the New Testament. If you have found the Old Testament confusing, irrelevant, or boring, or if you desire to take your understanding of the Old Testament to a new level, we recommend you start with the first lesson in our Genesis series, Introduction to the O.T., Pt. 1 – Why Study the Old Testament?
In Genesis 28 we find Jacob asleep, his head on a rock. Jacob dreams of a ladder that leads to heaven, with the Lord speaking from above, and angels descending and ascending on the ladder. He wakes up and anoints his rock pillow with oil, and names the place “the house of God." What does
In this story, crafty Jacob gets a big surprise from his Uncle Laban. As Jacob builds his family, God works through trials and blessings to teach Jacob important lessons and to prepare Jacob for His purposes. This lesson offers insights into God’s justice and the nature of the evil one. It also points to the
Jacob Builds a Family and a Flock (Gen. 29-31:13) View Lesson
Jacob Builds a Family and a Flock (Gen. 29-31:13) View Lesson
Jacob’s twenty years in Mesopotamia was a time of great trial and suffering. There is much to learn from Jacob’s experience and how it transformed him, as well as the role suffering is to play in the life of a Christian. This lesson examines what Jesus, Paul and Peter taught about suffering, as well as
Jacob Departs Mesopotamia a Changed Man (Gen. 31:14-54) View Lesson
Jacob Departs Mesopotamia a Changed Man (Gen. 31:14-54) View Lesson
After cheating his twin brother of his birthright and blessing twenty years earlier, Jacob finds himself in big trouble. He learns that Esau (who had previously wanted to kill him) is approaching Jacob's family with 400 men. What kind of man has our deceptive, conniving Jacob become over the past two decades? How will he
This lesson includes quite disturbing material: serious problems in Jacob’s family. While it might be tempting to skip over troubling stories that involve exploitation, violence, vengeance and unrestrained passion, there are important lessons to learn here as well. This passage of Scripture also provides the backdrop for fascinating prophecies to be fulfilled at the birth
Genesis 36 gives us the genealogy of Esau, father of the Edomite nation. In this passage we survey the important role of the Edomites in Biblical history, including lessons we can learn from their sin of arrogance. This chapter also provides a surprising key to unlocking the mystery of who Job was, when taken together
We now turn to the story of Jacob’s son Joseph, whose life will fill most of the remaining pages of Genesis. The story of Joseph is full of lessons for us today, including the pivotal role he played in Israel’s history, his character qualities worthy of our imitation, and foreshadowing of things to come in
**Genesis 38 contains some adult material that may be inappropriate for young listeners.** With Joseph sold into slavery by his brothers and bound for Egypt, the story of Genesis takes a strange detour as we are introduced to Tamar, who, facing a terrible situation, deceives her father-in-law Judah and bears twins. We see how God
Tamar's Story; Joseph Sent to Prison (Genesis 38-39a) View Lesson
Tamar's Story; Joseph Sent to Prison (Genesis 38-39a) View Lesson
One of the reasons to study the Old Testament is to get to know the true heroes of the faith so we can imitate their lives. We can learn much by looking at the character of Joseph, who is an upward call for all Christian men. In this lesson we start by looking at Joseph’s
The Extraordinary Character of Joseph (Genesis 39b) View Lesson
The Extraordinary Character of Joseph (Genesis 39b) View Lesson
After being sold into slavery in Egypt by his jealous brothers, Joseph is falsely accused of a crime and spends two years in prison. Then, a remarkable turnaround! Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dream and is raised up to be second in command over all of Egypt. From that position God uses him to save many lives
Joseph - from Prisoner to Ruler in Egypt (Genesis 40-45) View Lesson
Joseph - from Prisoner to Ruler in Egypt (Genesis 40-45) View Lesson