THE STORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT: THE PROGRESSIVE FULFILLMENT OF GOD’S REDEMPTIVE PROMISES

LECTURE #1 – INTRODUCTION & OVERVIEW

I. Introduction

We are going to start as close to 9:00 as possible every class because we simply have a ton of material to go through! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is David Hamm and I am the staff minister of equipping. This is the first of our equipping classes – entitled “The Story of the Old Testament: The Progressive Fulfillment of God’s Redemptive Promises.” This is the first of four classes that we will be rolling out over the next 2 years. The next is “The Story of the New Testament.” The third is “Making The Word Our Treasure.” And the fourth is “Core Biblical Doctrines.” This is an exciting morning for me. We have been praying about and planning the development and structure of these classes since before I came on staff in May of 2013. We are finally here, starting this journey together! I’m glad that you are here with me!’’

We are going to start this morning like we are going to start every morning – with worship. Why? We are going to start with a time of worship because we are not simply here to learn about God, we are here to encounter the living God through his Word. So, with that in mind, let’s get started!

II. Worship

Video of Shane & Shane – Yearn.

III. What Is This Class?

The topic before us is huge - the story of the Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi. 39 Old Testament books in all. We are just going to scratch the surface. Many have spent their entire lives pursuing and studying this topic. And, as believers, we are all called to grow in our knowledge of the Bible as we continue to grow in our faith and walk with the Lord.

I’m going to pose a couple of preliminary questions before we dig in the Old Testament together.

First, is it even possible to discern and understand the big-picture story of the Old Testament?

There are some Christians who believe that the diversity exists in the Old Testament precludes our ability to see an overarching unity of the Old Testament. They believe that the fact that the Old Testament comes to us in the form of so many different types of literature (e.g., prophecy, law, narrative, wisdom, poetry,

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apocalyptic, etc.), written by so many different authors (many believe 39 authors were involved in writing the whole Bible), over such a long period of time (many believe that the entire Bible was written over a period of 1,500 years) simply cannot yield one big-picture story.

While we do not disagree that there is a significant amount of diversity in the text, we do not believe this diversity means that the Bible contradicts itself, but rather that the diversity of the different parts complements the others and helps to add layers of richness and depth to the big-picture story being told by the whole of the Old Testament. In fact, it is only in light of the unity of the Old Testament that the diversity can be understood. That is the deep conviction that underlies this entire class.

Second, why is it necessary or beneficial to discern and understand the big-picture story of the Old Testament? I think it is necessary to know and understand the big-picture story of the Old Testament for, at least, the following reasons:

1. Understand Big Picture to Understand Any Part - In the words of Graeme Goldsworthy: “Learning to grasp the unity of the Bible, of its one overall message from Genesis to Revelation, is necessary for a right understanding of the meaning of any individual text.” This is the most important reason that we are engaging in this endeavor together. It has been said that what we think about God is the most important thing about us. And, since God reveals himself most fully through the pages of Scripture, in a very real way, they way that we understand Scripture is one of the most important things about us. This is not a light endeavor.

2. Changes Our Worldview – One of the great benefits that I have enjoyed over the past several months of getting ready for this class is a shift in my overarching worldview. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have not had an entire shift and now think correctly all the time. But I have noticed a shift in my perspective. During this class, we will be reminded that (1) the story of the Bible is ultimately about God – not us, (2) everything in all of creation is God’s – not ours, and (3) the story of the Bible takes place over the endless span of eternity – not the limited years of our lives. I hope that you will experience this benefit as well during the course of our time together. This is an extremely healthy shift for us.

Third, how are we going to go about learning and talking about the big-picture story of the Old Testament in this class? First, a couple of general observations about the approach of this class:

1. Lecture format - Out of necessity, this is going to be a lecture format. Meaning, that this class is going to primarily be me standing up here talking to you rather than a discussion format where I pose questions and we discuss them. If you don’t like that format, this may not be the class for you. And, that is okay! Just across the hall Bob Nida is currently walking through the book of 1 Corinthians in a discussion based format. Bob is a lawyer like me and teaches through the Socractic

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method. I personally love Bob’s class and would highly recommend it to you. Before this class started, I tried to make it as often as I could. My responsibilities on staff precluded my attendance often, but I was always encouraged and challenged when I went. And, it is a wonderful group of folks in that class.

2. Final Form of the Old Testament – Out of necessity, for the most part, we are not going to discuss the background of the different books, authorship of the different books, or the cultural contexts in which the different books of the Old Testament were written. That is not to say that such an inquiry is not important – it is. We simply don’t have time to do it in this class. Our approach in this class is the same as Dr. Schreiner’s approach in the book that I will reference in just a bit. That is, this class will look at the “canonical writings in their final form.” Meaning, that we will examine the content of the Old Testament books as we have them today without worrying about the process that resulted in the Old Testament books as we have them today.

3. General/Broad Rather Than Narrow/Specific – Out of necessity, we will not be able to discuss the details contained within each book of the Old Testament. That is not to say that the details that we discuss are not important, or, even less important. We just simply do not have time to discuss every detail, for we would be here forever. John Piper took 10 years to go through one book with his congregation. We have 9 hours to go over the entire Old Testament. I do believe, however, that the details and passages examined in this course are sufficient to tell the big-picture story of the Old Testament. I hope you will agree. This approach may, at times, be frustrating to some of you who know a great deal about the Old Testament. Hang in there with me!

With these general observations behind us, let’s turn to the nuts and bolts of how this course is going to proceed. I have printed out several copies of the Syllabus for this course – hopefully enough for everyone to have a copy. We had no idea how many people would attend the class before this morning! Let’s look at this together:

1. Title & My Contact Information – At the top of the first page is the title. As we have noted, we are going to be looking at the “story of the old testament.” So, nothing new there. But, the subtitle is significant “the progressive fulfillment of God’s redemptive promises.” If someone asked me to summarize the story of the Bible in one sentence, I would say: “The story of the bible is the progressive fulfillment of God’s redemptive promises.” The entire course tracks this progressive fulfillment, as we will see during out time together.

Next is my contact information. I put it there intentionally. A good number of you already have my contact information – but, my giving it to you again is an invitation for you to contact me during the duration of this course so that we can discuss this material together. It is my hope that you will encounter the Old Testament in new and exciting ways during this course and I would love to share that journey with you.

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2. Overview – You can read this on your own. We have gone over most of it already together.

3. Learning Objectives – Turn to the learning objectives. These objectives are what I want you to get, from a substantive point of view, from this class. I want you to be able to articulate the big-picture story of the Old Testament; the covenants of the Old Testament; how these covenants relate to one another; how they find their ultimate fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ; and how to interpret any passage of the Old Testament in light of its fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

4. Recommended Materials – I have read all or most of these books in preparation for this class and I would recommend them all to you. They each take different approaches and come to results that are not exactly the same, but they are all extremely helpful. The primary text that I leaned on in the preparation of this class is Thomas Schreiner’s book “The King in His Beauty: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments.” The more books I read on the subject of the big-picture of the Bible, the more I like this book. I would highly recommend it to you. Time spent in this book is time well spent.

I also lean heavily on Graeme Goldsworthy’s book “According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible.” I would highly recommend this book, as well. I found it extremely helpful.

During each of the lectures, I have included the relevant pages in both of these works in the event you would like to read along in these books as we go through the lectures.

5. Syllabus – As a preliminary remark, there is no homework for this class – only suggested readings. If you can only read one thing – you should read the actual Biblical Text that will be discussed during that lecture. That is very demanding, in and of itself, for we will be covering very large portions of the Old Testament during each lecture. If you make time for additional reading, I would highly recommend, as I noted a second ago, reading the relevant portions of Goldsworthy’s book and Schreiner’s book. You will notice how influential they both have been in my thinking about the quest for understanding the big-picture of the Old Testament and the Bible as a whole.

Today, we have already covered a good deal of introductory material. In just a few moments we are going to paint the big picture of the entire Old Testament in a very brief and summary fashion. By doing this, we will have a picture in our mind of the general flow of the story that we will spend studying together in more depth over the next several weeks. We will always be coming back to the big-picture as we look more closely at each of the Old Testament books so that the forest is not lost for the trees.

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After we paint this broad picture together, we will then dig a bit deeper and start our journey through the book of Genesis.

Next week, October 12, we will continue our journey through Genesis. Then on October 19, we will look at the rest of the Pentateuch together, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

On October 26, we will look at Joshua, Judges, and Ruth.

On November 2, we will look at 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, and 1-2 Chronicles.

On November 9, we will look at Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther.

On November 16, we will look at the wisdom literature and psalms.

On November 23, we will look at Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel – the major prophets.

On November 20, we will look at the books commonly referred to as “The Book of the Twelve” or the “Minor Prophets.” Namely, Hosea to Malachi.

In all of these lectures we will be looking at the progressive fulfillment of God’s redemptive promises. It is going to be an exciting journey over these next few weeks and I hope that you stick with me through it!

A couple of final words of encouragement before we paint the broad picture of the Old Testament together. To some of us, the material presented in this course will be quite familiar to you. While that is a blessing, it is also a potential danger. One of my professors in seminary said often that the key to reading your bible properly was to interact with each text like it is the first time that you have ever interacted with that text. When we approach the texts of the bible with a “been there, done that” mentality, we are in trouble. For, as the author of Hebrews makes clear in Hebrews 4:12: “[T]he word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing the division of the soul and of the spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” And, Paul warns us all in 1 Corinthians 8:2 that: “If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.”

Finally, as with all of our classes here at NFCC, the goal is not simply the accumulation of knowledge. Rather, it is our desire that you grow in your walk with Jesus Christ. At NFCC, we believe that Christian growth is multidimensional – it encompasses every part of our being as a Christian. Jesus summed up the essence of the Mosaic Law in our calling to love the Lord with all of our heart, our soul, our

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mind, and our strength and our neighbor as ourselves. (Mark 12:30-31) John Newton, the famous hymn writer, understood this well. He said that: “The grace of God influences both the understanding and the affections. Warm affections, without knowledge, can rise no higher than superstition; and that knowledge which does not influence the heart and affections will only make a hypocrite.” (Newton, A; or Grace in the Blade)

Colossians 1:9-12 captures the multidimensional nature of Christian growth in the context of Paul’s prayer of intercession for the church at Colossae: “[W]e have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.”

The desired result of this class is an expanded knowledge and love of God through his grace as expressed in the gospel of Jesus Christ, not merely the accumulation of information. But, an expanded knowledge and love of God requires the accumulation of information that, in turn, stirs the affections toward a deeper knowledge and love of God, which, in turn, leads to a life that increasingly reflects the holiness (albeit dimly and imperfectly) of the one who has captured our affections.

Okay, you guys ready? Let’s get started.

IV. A Brief Overview of the Old Testament

Genesis - The story of Genesis begins with the Lord speaking all things into existence. The chief of his creation is man and woman, whom he made in his image to have intimate fellowship with him and to rule over the creation under his authority. The Lord’s relationship with Adam and Eve is referred to as the Adamic Covenant. The only requirement of continued enjoyment of the covenant blessings (intimate fellowship and subordinate rule over all creation) was obedience.

But, Adam and Eve disobeyed. Rather than enjoying the offered intimacy and fulfilling their prescribed roles in the created order, man and woman rebelled against the Lord and instituted the unraveling of the perfect order that was established by the Lord through his act of creation. The essence of the unraveling of this order was outlined by the curses that flowed from the Fall. But, the essence of the Lord’s promise and means of restoration was also outlined in the midst of these curses. For, in Genesis 3:15, the Lord promises that an offspring of the woman would one day defeat the serpent and restore all things lost because of the Fall but, this restoration would come through severe conflict between a line of rebellion (those who rebel against the Lord and his acts of restoration) and a line of

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restoration (those who are partakers of the Lord’s grace and are used to bring about his acts of restoration). As the narrative of Genesis moves forward, we see this conflict play out. At several points it seems that the line of rebellion has the upper hand. Before the judgment of the flood it appears that everyone except Noah and his immediate family has been included within the line of rebellion. After the flood, the Lord enters into a covenant with Noah, commonly referred to as the Noahic Covenant, whereby the Lord promises that the world would be preserved until God brings the promised salvation – that is, the restoration of all things through the promised offspring of the woman who will crush the head of the serpent.

But, as the story moves forward, it becomes clear that this promised restoration is not going to come easily. For, the flood did not cure the rebellion placed deeply within the human heart, for, it appears that all of humanity once again has been aligned with the line of rebellion at the tower of Babel. Rather than living for the glory of the Lord and calling upon his name (Gen. 4:26), the line of rebellion is seen shamelessly seeking its own glory and basking in the pride of their own accomplishments and ambitions.

But, just when all seems lost, the Lord again speaks and appears to Abraham and enters into a covenant with him, commonly referred to as the Abrahamic Covenant, promising him land, children and worldwide blessing. Through the Lord’s covenant with Abraham, we see that the promised offspring of the woman in Genesis 3:15 will be an offspring of Abraham. Thus, the line of restoration is aligned with Abraham and his descendants. But, not all of his descendants. For the line of restoration is carried forward by Isaac, not Ishmael. And by Jacob, and not Esau. The Lord’s great promise of restoration will come through the line of restoration defined as the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Jacob’s name is changed to Israel and he has twelve sons whose descendants become the twelve tribes of Israel. We learn however that the tribe of Judah is the one chosen to bring about the restoration promised in Genesis 3:15. So, the promised offspring of the woman in Genesis 3:15 will be an offspring of Abraham, an offspring of Isaac, an offspring of Jacob, and an offspring of Judah.

As we leave the book of Genesis it is becomes clear that the promises to Abraham are not going to be fulfilled quickly – as we understand quickness. For, Abraham’s descendants number only 70 when they flee to Egypt because of the famine to find refuge there. This is hardly a number of descendants, as the Lord promised, as numerous as the stars in the sky or sand on the seashore!1

Exodus – As we enter Exodus, we see the promises to Abraham of descendants coming true – the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob “multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land [of Egypt] was filled with them.” (Ex. 1:7) But, “hundreds of years had passed and Israel was [still] enslaved in Egypt”

1 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 102.

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rather than free and possessing the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 2 But, the book of Exodus traces the Lord’s activities in fulfillment of his promise of land. For, the Lord raises a deliverer for the people of Israel in the person of Moses, he delivers them through a majestic and devastating display of the Lord’s supremacy and power over the line of rebellion as expressed through the Pharaoh of Egypt.

Israel’s freedom from Egyptian slavery begins their journey through the wilderness to the promised land. In is with the background of the Lord’s gracious deliverance that he enters into a covenant with the nation of Israel, commonly referred to as the Mosaic Covenant, whereby the Abrahamic promises of children, land, and worldwide blessing would be fulfilled through the nation of Israel if they trusted and obeyed the Lord. But, from the very beginning, the nation of Israel follows in the footsteps of Adam and fails to trust and obey the Lord. It becomes clear as the narrative continues that the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant will not ultimately be fulfilled through the people of Israel through the Mosaic Covenant. But, in his great grace, the Lord does not do away with Israel and begin again, he continues to allow his presence to dwell in the midst of a rebellious people through the tabernacle.

Leviticus – The narrative is not carried forward by the book of Leviticus. Rather, the book of Leviticus is concerned with the obvious question of how it is possible for a Holy God to dwell in in the midst of an Unholy People? For the Lord is not only a God of grace but also justice. The Lord, in his great grace provides a means by which he can dwell in the midst of an unholy people through (1) sacrifices which held back the wrath of God rightly directed toward the unholiness of the people and which pointed to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ which finally provides the atonement that was pointed to through Israel’s sacrifices, and (2) complying with extensive purity regulations, and by walking in the manner that the Lord has prescribed through his law.3 But, it is always important to note that: “The summons to obedience is presented not as an oppressive duty but rather as a grateful response to the Lord’s saving love. The Lord who saved them declares how they should live under his lordship.”4 In Leviticus 26, the Lord makes it clear that blessings will follow obedience (the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant) but that curses will follow disobedience.

Numbers – Numbers continues to develop the narrative and contains the climax of Israel’s disobedience in “failing to obey the Lord’s direction to take the land of Canaan. . . . They feared that the peoples in Canaan were stronger than they, and therefore they refused to follow the Lord’s instructions.”5 As a result of the people’s disobedience, the generation that rebelled experienced the promised

2 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 102. 3 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 102. 4 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 63. 5 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 102.

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curses pronounced in Leviticus by failing to enter to the promised land and perishing in the desert. But, the Abrahamic promises would still be fulfilled.

Deuteronomy – The book of Deuteronomy “represents a renewal of the covenant with Israel, as the nation is again given the opportunity to trust the Lord and to enter the land.”6 In his great grace, the Lord is still working to fulfill his promises to Abraham through the sinful people of Israel. But, the Lord’s grace does not preclude the necessity for obedience. For in Deuteronomy 28 the blessings and curses are set forth before the people once again. Blessings flow from obedience; curses flow from disobedience. As the book of Deuteronomy closes, the people are at the edge of the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Joshua – Genesis-Deuteronomy (the Pentateuch) showed the Lord’s fulfillment of the promise of numerous offspring and brought the fulfillment of the promise of land near by freeing the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt and brining them to the edge of the Land of promise. While the wilderness generation disobeyed in their unbelief and failed to enter the land, in the book of Joshua, we see the next generation of Israel trusting and obeying the Lord and thereby entering the land of promise. “Joshua apportioned an inheritance to each of the tribes. Now, two out of three of the promises to Abraham were fulfilled. Israel was a large nation, dwelling in the land. Worldwide blessing seemed to be just around the corner.”7

Judges – But, the storyline shifts rapidly from an expectation of blessing in Joshua to an expectation of curses in the book of Judges because of Israel’s frequent lack of faith which led to disobedience and rebellion. The book of Judges graphically portrays Israel’s cycle of rebellion, judgment, repentance, and restoration through saviors/judges sent from the Lord.

Ruth – Despite the heavy and dark tone set by the book of Judges, the book of Ruth “shines the light on some who are righteous and godly in Israel.”8 The story of Ruth shows us that there are still some in Israel who are aligned with the line of restoration rather than the line of rebellion. Most significantly, the book of Ruth “concludes with a genealogy. Here child, Obed, is in the line that will lead to David the king.”9 It is becoming more clear that the promised restoration through the offspring of the woman, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Judah, will be through a king. There have been hints in the story to this point, but now the reality of restoration through a king is coming into focus.

1-2 Samuel – The books of 1 & 2 Samuel tells the story of how the kingship was established in Israel and, most importantly, how David came to be the king of Israel. The Lord made a covenant with David in 2 Samuel 7, commonly known as

6 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 103. 7 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 226.8 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 227.9 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 227.

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the Davidic Covenant, whereby the Lord “promised to make David’s kingdom an eternal kingdom and to give David’s house (i.e., his dynasty) an eternal ruler. That ruler was to be one of David’s sons (2 Sam. 7:12).”10 What began to come into focus through the promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the genealogy in the book of Ruth has now been made explicit in the Davidic Covenant. The promised restoration in Genesis 3:15 will come through a Davidic king. The rest of the Old Testament we are looking for the identity of this king who will finally bring about the fulfillment of the promised restoration.

1-2 Kings – As the books of 1 & 2 Kings begin, it seems that the promised king that will bring about the promised restoration and fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham will come about through David’s son, Solomon. However, Solomon’s reign ends in tragedy as he turns from the Lord in his old age. The progress made in the fulfillment of the Lord’s redemptive promises begins to be lost, or go backwards, at this point in the storyline.11 Rather than bringing about worldwide blessing through a Davidic king, the kingdom of Israel is divided in two – 10 tribes gather together in the north and are called Israel while 2 tribes gather together in the south and are called Judah.12 While there are ups and downs in both Israel and Judah, the overall trajectory is alignment with the line of rebellion rather than the line of restoration and both divisions are sent into exile. The land of promised is now lost and worldwide blessing is further away than it has ever been. Things are looking pretty bleak as the line of rebellion appears once again to have the upper hand.

1-2 Chronicles – The books of 1 & 2 Chronicles retells, for the most part, the accounts set forth in 1 & 2 Kings, but, with an emphasis on the house of David through which the promised restoration and fulfillment will come. The main message of these books is to make clear that: “The Lord will fulfill his promises to David even though Israel is in exile.”13 The line of rebellion will not have the last word – no matter how bleak things may appear to be (and, in fact, are).

Ezra-Nehemiah – Ezra and Nehemiah tell the story of Israel’s return from exile. Though the temple and Jerusalem were rebuilt, it was clear that the return from exile and the rebuilding of the temple and Jerusalem did not bring about the promised restoration and fulfillment that was anticipated. There are a greater restoration and a greater fulfillment that was still to come.

Esther – The book of Esther was “also written after the return from exile.”14 Like the book of Ruth that gave a ray of hope in the midst of the darkness of the book of Judges, so Esther provides a ray of hope in the midst of the disappointment in the wake of the reality of Ezra and Nehemiah, namely that the return from exile

10 Sailhamer, Biblical Prophecy, 39.11 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 228. 12 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 228. 13 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 228.14 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 229

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would not bring about the promised restoration and fulfillment of the Lord’s redeeming promises. Through the book of Esther we see the Lord preserving the line of restoration through an attempted annihilation through the line of rebellion personified in the person of Haman. Thus, the “book of Esther reminds Israel that Yahweh’s promises have not been revoked”15 The restoration promised in Genesis 3:15 will come to pass through the progressive fulfillment of the Lord’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and David.

Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes – The books of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes do not advance the storyline of the Old Testament but, rather, present a exhaustive picture of what it means to truly live as a member of the line of restoration as opposed to the line of rebellion. The fear of the Lord plays a central role in these books of wisdom. To fear the Lord is to see the Lord for who he is and everything is in the light of that reality.16 The fear of the Lord necessarily produces a life of obedience, meaning a life characterized by “keeping his commands and doing his will.”17 This obedience is expressed in every detail of life “from how one treats the poor, how hard one works, one’s sex life, and what one says with the tongue.” 18 “Proverbs generally teaches that those who do good are rewarded, that practicing righteousness pays off, and that indulging in evil has negative consequences. . . . [But,] Proverbs are generalizations, not promises. . . Job and Ecclesiastes emphasize the irrationality and absurdity of life. Life is unpredictable and incalculable. Too often the righteous suffer miserably and the wicked flourish . . . . No one can figure out life ‘under the sun.’ Life on earth is not paradise, for no pleasure or wisdom can bring ultimate satisfaction.”19 But, the message of these great books is that “[t]he Lord knows how to run the universe and needs no help or advice.”20 The encouragement of these books is for all of us to put our “trust in God, fear him, and keep his commandments. A day of judgment is coming, and then God will set everything right. In the meantime, human beings are to live one day at a time, enjoying good days as they come, while also recognizing that many things in life are beyond their understanding.”21

Song of Solomon – The Song of Solomon does not advance the storyline of the bible either but, rather, “celebrates the beauty . . . of married love, of love between King Solomon and his young bride. . . . The love relationship between the king and the young maiden points to the love of Yahweh for Israel, and the love of Christ for his church . . . . Married love, sexual love, captures the greatest joys of this life, but these joys do not last forever. They point to something greater, to a relationship

15 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 229.16 Jared Clary, Sermon Series on Proverbs, Norris Ferry Community Church, Summer 2014.17 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 320. 18 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 321. 19 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 321. 20 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 321. 21 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 321.

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with someone greater. They anticipate the church seeing God face to face in the new Jerusalem, to seeing the King in his beauty.”22

Psalms – The book of Psalms does not advance the storyline of the bible either. And, the breadth and depth of the Psalms are beyond description. 23 However, “the story of the Psalter as a whole is that God will fulfill his promises to David and to Israel and to the world. And that provokes praise and thanks and incredible joy. When God’s kingdom is realized through his anointed one, Jesus Christ, his people will rejoice because they will see their King, and they will be glad in his presence forever.”24

The Prophets (Isaiah to Malachi) – The prophets serve to advance the storyline of the Old Testament by pointing the reader to a time of future restoration and fulfillment. Indeed, the prophets have a pattern of pointing out the rebellion of the people of Israel, warning the people of Israel of impending judgment, and promising a future time of the ultimate fulfillment of the Lord’s promise of restoration and the fulfillment of all of his redemptive promises. It is this future restoration and fulfillment that proves that “Yahweh had not abandoned his people.”25 The line of restoration will prevail over the line of rebellion. “The promise that the offspring of the woman would triumph over the serpent was not withdrawn. The promise made to Abraham of offspring, land, and worldwide blessing would still be fulfilled, as would the promise that a king from David’s line would reign.”26

The picture of the restoration and fulfillment presented through the prophets is powerfully and beautifully presented in the prophets. This ultimate fulfillment of all the promises that have come before will be accomplished through a promised New Covenant, the last covenant in the Old Testament (and the Bible as a whole). The failure of the Old Covenant (Mosaic Covenant) was the inability of the people of Israel due to their corrupt hearts. But, even as far back as Deuteronomy, the Lord promises a time with the hearts of his people will be circumcised so that his people can love him with their whole being.27 This hope in Deuteronomy is given fuller expression in the prophets, particularly in the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, were we learn that the Lord, through this New Covenant, will “write the law on the hearts of his people. He would pour out his Spirit, and the Spirit would indwell their hearts so that they would do his will. Israel would gladly submit to Yahweh’s rule, and the coming new creation would be a new paradise, but it would be a paradise better than the old paradise, for nothing will ever defile it.”28

22 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 322. 23 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 322. 24 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 323.25 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 421.26 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 421.27 Deuteronomy 30:6. 28 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 421.

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The prophets also speak of a new heavens, a new earth, a new temple, a new David and a son of man who will rule the new heavens and earth under the New Covenant, and a new exodus brought about by the servant of the Lord who bears the sins of the people.29 The prophets are equally clear that these promises are “not restricted to Israel but have a universal dimension. The salvation brought about by this new David, this son of man, and this servant of the Lord will extend beyond Israel so that Gentiles will be included.”30

The prophets speak of a time when the enmity between the line of rebellion and line of restoration will cease and that the victory promised by the Lord in Genesis 3:15 will come to pass. They speak of a time when all of the promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and David will be completely fulfilled and all things lost in the fall will be restored.

But, this is a time in the future, for as the Old Testament concludes, we are still left waiting on this future fulfillment. When will this promised New Covenant come to pass? Who is the promised offspring in Genesis 3:15? Who is the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and David who will bring about the fulfillment of all of God’s promises? When will this new exodus occur through the servant of the Lord who will bear the sins of the people?

The people of the Old Testament were a people left waiting, hoping, and searching. Peter clearly describes this reality in 1 Peter 1:10-12: “Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.”

The wait ended upon the coming of Jesus Christ. As Matthew 1:1 provides: “The genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” The New Covenant was inaugurated with the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Jesus Christ is the offspring promised in Genesis 3:15, the promised offspring of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Judah. Jesus Christ is the new David and the son of man who will reign forever and ever over the new heavens and new earth. Jesus Christ is the servant of the Lord who bears the sins of his people and brings about the new exodus.

In fact, all of the Old Testament speaks of Jesus. Jesus made this clear in Luke 24:27 and Luke 24:44-45, two of the most important passages in the New

29 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 421-22.30 Schreiner, The King in His Beauty, 422.

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Testament about how to properly view, understand, interpret and apply the entirely of the Old Testament. In Luke 24:27, Jesus’ instruction on how to properly understand the Old Testament is describes as follows: “[B]eginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” In Luke 24:44 we read Jesus saying to his disciples: “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.” Then in Luke 24:45, Luke explains what happened next: “Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.”

It is my prayer that the Holy Spirit would open our minds throughout the course of our time together so that we too can properly understand the Scriptures through the lens of the person and work of Jesus Christ.

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