So yeah I decided to share what this Book is teaching me and give some info on the bible and what i am learning so here goes.
Just to let you know a bit about me i grew up on the outskirts of Blandford Forum in Dorset (South west United Kingdom) and i have believed in god for all my life, I just knew he was there but didn't accept him as my saviour until i was about 12-13, when i went on a south west youth ministries (SWYM) Camp called XL. An amazing thing happened to me at the camp, when we were asked if we wanted to become a christian i was a bit afraid at the time and decided to hang back with some of the cooler people on the trip (at the time they were cool), however god had other plans, for the next thing i remember was walking across the floor and sitting and saying a prayer that i will never ever forget. once i got back from the camp i tried out a few differnt churches but didn't find somewhere i felt at home. So i forgot about it all for a while, until i got invited to the church i grew up in when i was younger, Blandford Parish Church. I got involved with the youth group 'Thirst' and after a couple of months i decided to be baptised and confirmed. However after a short time i decided to switch churches to Blandford Evangelical Church i had been a member of the youth Group "Focus" At B.E.C for over a year and attended a couple of evening services and found the church to be more my cup of tea. I have had many amazing experiences at B.E.C going on Outreach Trips Such as RE:ACT run by urban saints and Outreaches in Manchester with Make Jesus Known. I left Home Two Years ago to go to university were i am currently in my third and final year Studying sound engineering. Over the past two years i have been involved with Hillsong church london on there sound team and a smaller newfrontiers: new community church which i am now committing too so in at nutshell thats me a jesus freak sound geek :)
anyways on with the book,i have only read the overview of the old testament at the mo but i am going to crack off with genesis in the next few days, as i am swamped with uni work.
History of the Old Testament
So the greek word 'Biblio' which is where we get the word bible means Library/series of books, and this is what the bible is a series of books that tell the story of god written by many different authors, focusing on his creation and his character, his people and his ultimate plan. It is also a guide in a sense to how to live a good life for his glory and kingdom.
The old testament as we know it today was written over a period of 2000Years and consists of 39 Books.
It presents life before christ came to earth following the promise people (The hebrews). Genesis 1-11 covers In the grand scheme of things what we know as 'Prehistoric history' in biblical terms it covers creation, the fall of man from the garden of eden, the great flood and the tower of babel. the focus on this chunk of history is humankind.
The period of the 2000 years begins with god calling abraham and can be split into four sections of 500 years.Each of the periods have 3 things in common 1.A key event 2.A specific person 3.And a Type of Leadership.
Dates Events Leader leadership type
2000-1500BC = 1.Election, 2.Abraham, 3.Patriachs
1500-1000BC = 1.Exodus, 2.Moses, 3.Prophets
1000-500BC = 1.Empire, 2.David, 3.Princes
500-0BC = 1.Exile, 2.Isaiah, 3.Priests
Leaders
Patriachs = Abraham, Isaac, Jacob & Joseph
Prophets = Moses to Samuel
Pinces(Kings) = Zaul to Zedakiah
Priests = Joshua (who arrived back from exile under Zerubbabels rule to caiaphas in the time of christ
However there was a problem none of the above leaders where ideal types and each bought there own flaws to there people. Not until a baby Was Born In Bethlehem was a sufficient leader called to power. Were a baby called 'jesus' (Meaning 'the lord is salvation') was born,who was not only a king but a priest as well.
Timeline of the old testament books
During this timeline there are two gaps were god is silent and inactive these are around 1900-1500BC between Patriach Rule and the Prophets. And the other around 400-0BC after the priests reign and before jesus' life.
2000BC = Genesis
1500BC = Exodus,Leviticus,Numbers,Deuteronomy,Joshua,Judges,Ruth.
1000BC = 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, 1&2 Chronicles
750-400BC (Before Exile) = Psalms,Song of Solomon, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes,Joel, Amos, Hosea, Micah, Isaiah, Jonah, Nahum, Obadiah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah
(During Exile) = Jeremiah, (Lamentations), Ezekiel
(After Exile) = Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Daniel, Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah.
During the 4000 year Gap Before Christ philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle Rose also leaders such as Buddha, Confucius, Alexander the great and Julius Caesar rose to power. thats a brief look at the history of the old testament now to look at the geography.
Geography
Too Understand the old testament we need to know two maps the first is of the middle east. The second is of The Promise Land.
Above is the map of the fertile crescent which stretches from the river nile north/north east through Israel and the south/south east to the plains near the Tigris and Euphrates which used to be called Mesopotamia. (which means middle of rivers)The Fertile crescent refers to the area of power during the time of the old testament it is also the only green area within the surrounding desert and mountainous areas. Because of this it was often the battle ground between egypt and babylon so most of there battles took place in the israel area.
Below is the picture of the promise land.
The area known as the crossroads of the world is located near Megiddo, which Nazareth overlooks, so jesus would probably would of sat and watched the people come and go during his lifetime. spiritually though god planted these crossroads so that his whole people could be a light to the world and lead by example to everyone on their travels. The area the promise land covers is probably the size of Wales and has every kind of climate and scenery. The place most like england is just south of Tel Aviv.
ok so that pretty much is the overview of the old testament the history and setting it may seem like info overload, but once you get you head around it all, its pretty interesting its the first real time i have looked into the history of the old testament or any of the bible sections. But the conclusion of the overview says this:
"God has inspired the writing of the old testament and will meet with you through its pages."it is so true if we look through the old testament alone it shows us various images of god, creator, loving father, destroyer and just. These are only a few not only does it give us imagery of god it also foretells of a coming king (jesus) and has many prophecies of tasks jesus will commit during his life.
okay so its nearly 2AM and i think i am going to close this with a prayer so here goes.
"Father God
In reading this overview it has taught me more about you, in the next few days as i begin to delve into your word properly for the first few times alone, i pray you will give me the understanding of you word and more knowledge of you. Also i pray if anyone reads this blog of my thoughts and feelings and history that they would feel inspired to delve into you word also. And Maybe open the hearts of some of the people who have not yet found you.
Amen "
God Bless, Mike X
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