Old Testament Overview Homework
Please bring a Bible with you to use during our Old Testament overview class. If possible, bring a study bible (one that has references and footnotes) that is in a relatively modern translation. New International Version is what I will be using. Please avoid bringing paraphrased versions.
Discussion Questions -- be prepared to share!
What part(s) of the Old Testament do you enjoy reading/studying or that minister to you the most?
What part(s) of the Old Testament are the most problematic for you?
Read the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5) What was Jesus’ attitude toward the Old Testament?
Briefly thumb through the book of Romans. Look at how often Paul quotes the Old Testament. What is the relationship of Paul’s theology to the Old Testament?
List some reasons why (or why not) you think that the Old Testament might be important for a Christian to read.
List some reasons how more familiarity with the Old Testament might benefit you personally or in your area of ministry.
Review the book of Hebrews to get the context of chapter 11. Carefully read all of the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. Hebrews 11 lists Abel as a person of faith. (each of us has a different person to research!) Read about this person in the Old (and New!) Testament. Be prepared to share this person’s story with the group, why you think that they were included in this list of people of faith and how their experience relates to us today. (We will be doing Abraham as a group during class)
As you work through your assignment, consider the following suggestions.
1) Pray. The Holy Spirit is your teacher. It is only in Christ that the veil is taken away from the Old Testament. Stay close as you read.
1) If possible, use several translations. You might be surprised at some of the differences.
3) Read the footnotes and cross references, but be aware that they may reflect the opinion of whoever edited your study Bible.
3) If you have an exhaustive concordance (like Strong’s), look up your person’s name. You may find references to them in unexpected places. One “on-line” resource is http://bible.crosswalk.com/index.cgi You may find others with search engines.
3) It is sometimes useful to look up place names on a map.
3) Please don’t get help from anyone else, use a commentary or another book or teaching for this particular assignment. Only you, the Holy Spirit and the Bible, anything else is cheating. Let’s bring our own ideas to the table for this discussion. One of our objectives for this study is for each of us to experience studying the Old Testament directly.
