THE BIBLE STORY
Lesson
Two
Before
we proceed with the study of lesson two, it will be helpful to review the
conclusions of lesson one. Remember the three proposals?
The
Bible is:
GOD’S PRESERVED
INSPIRED WORD;
THE COMPLETE
REVELATION OF GOD’S WILL;
THE
ONLY SOURCE OF DIVINE AUTHORITY TODAY.
If
these proposals are correct assessments of the Bible, we can be confident that
the Bible is the fully reliable revelation of God’s will and that it is all we
need and all we can have as the source of divine authority.
Opening
our Bibles to examine its message is exciting—exciting for both the beginner
and the Bible scholar. We never exhaust the flow of divine direction that
comes to us through our Bibles. Neither do we ever tire of the newly
discovered concepts that come as our Bible knowledge builds.
The
purpose of this second lesson is to introduce the message of the Bible.
In order to do that, we will try to build a panoramic view of the overall Bible
Story. We will obviously be able to examine only the main points of the
story, but these will allow us to build a good foundation for further study and
will bring to light the continuity that threads itself throughout the Bible.
Remember
that a chart has been printed on the back page of this outline.
Frequently referring to this chart should be helpful.
I.
FOUR MAJOR PREMISES.
In order to initiate our approach to
understanding the message of the Bible, we are going to present four major
premises. We will carefully examine each premise in its order, eventually
connecting the information we gather to complete the overall view we are
seeking.
We will examine each premise in its
order:
A.
THERE IS ONLY ONE BIBLE STORY.
From
the front page of our Bibles to the very last, only one story is told.
It is important for us to realize that this is true. The Bible is not a
series of disjointed short stories as some might suppose.
This may seem
strange in that we know the Bible was written over a 1500-year span of time by
40 different men who lived at different times. We also know that the
messages of the inspired writers primarily served the needs of the people
living in that day. Still, it is true. There is only one Bible
story and we will see this come to light as we proceed
B. THE STORY OF THE BIBLE
UNFOLDS THE ETERNAL PURPOSE OF GOD.
It is both logical and necessary to
realize that the Bible story has one central theme. That theme is
expressed in Bible terms as the “ETERNAL PURPOSE OF GOD.” The
term “Eternal Purpose” is clearly stated in
scripture. The apostle Paul wrote that the church is a fulfillment of
prophecy and that its existence revealed the “manifold wisdom of God”
(Ephesians 3:10). Then he goes on to state, “This was in
accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our
Lord” (v. 11).
A passage of scripture that sums up the
design of God’s Eternal Purpose is Ephesians 1:3,4.
Read it carefully:
“Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every
spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before
Him. In love.”
There
are four important connecting points to examine in this passage. Notice:
1.
All spiritual blessings are in Christ;
2.
God chose us in him;
3.
Before the foundation of the
world;
4.
That we should be holy and blameless before him.
This is a summary of God’s purpose for
mankind. Though there is so much more to learn about the Eternal Purpose
of God, this provides a basis for beginning.
Let us look once more at what these
verses are saying; only this time we will express it in a slightly different
way in order to approach it from every angle.
Before the foundation of the world, God
purposed that His people should stand before Him holy and blameless. He
knew that this could only be done through Christ; therefore, all spiritual
blessings come to us through Christ.
With this in mind, an examination of the
meaning of “holy and blameless” is essential. The
word holy is a translation of the original Greek word “hagios”. In its most complete sense,
the word means “separated from sin and therefore consecrated to God”
An Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, (W. E.
Vine, p.307). The word is also translated “sanctification,” having
the same meaning.
How absolute is this requirement of
holiness or sanctification? Consider just three passages of scripture: “Pursue
peace with all men, and the SANCTIFICATION without
which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews. 12:14).
“..... but like
the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;
because it is written,’ YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY”
(1 Peter 1: 15,16).
“For God has not
called us for the purpose of impurity, but in SANCTIFICATION. Consequently, he
who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to
you” (1 Thessalonians
4:7,8).
Having examined the meaning of “holiness” (sanctification), we need to
look closely at the meaning of “blamelessness.”
Remember, the requirement is that we are to be “holy” and “blameless.”
We read, ‘How blessed are those whose way is BLAMELESS, Who walk in the law of the
Lord” (Psalms 119:1). We all know that the only person who
ever walked blamelessly on earth was Christ.
How can we then be expected to be
blameless?
The apostle John wrote, “but if we
walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one
another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1
John 1:7). Being cleansed of every sin makes one blameless.
Notice that it is accomplished through Christ, in whom all spiritual blessings
dwell.
In this regard, Jude wrote, “Now to
Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the
presence of His glory BLAMELESS with great joy, to the only God our Savior,
through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority,
before all time and now and forever. Amen” (vs. 24,25).
It is Christ that makes it possible for
us to stand before our Father as holy and blameless people. We will see
this unfold as we advance with our studies.
C. EVERY
EVENT PLAYS A PART IN GOD’S ETERNAL PURPOSE.
We have already mentioned that there is
only one story in the Bible and that the theme of that one story is GOD’S
ETERNAL PURPOSE. Now, as we look at some of the major events of the
Bible (see the chart on the back page), we need to realize that every event had
a part to play in the step-by-step unfolding of that one story. In a
manner of speaking, each event is a chapter in the one story. In a
moment, we will show how this is true.
D.
CHRIST IS THE CENTRAL CHARACTER OF THE
ONE STORY.
We just learned that it is through Christ
that all blessings come to us. As we go through some of the major events
of the Bible story, we will see that from the very beginning Christ is the main
focus of each event. He is the central character of the Bible story.
The word “Christ” is
the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name “Messiah,” which means
“anointed.” Anointing signified divine appointment, such
as priests, kings, etc. The entire Old Testament predicts the coming of a
particular Messiah. We know now that this Messiah (“anointed one”)
was Jesus. We also need to know that every Old Testament event points
directly to Him, preparing the way for his advent.
Look
at the sum of what we have just learned:
1
There is only Bible story.
2
The story of the Bible unfolds the Eternal Purpose of God.
3
Each event plays a part in the Eternal Purpose of God.
4
Christ is the central character of the
one Bible story.
With all of this in mind, let us now examine the major events listed on
the chart, observing the precise way each event has a part in the Eternal
Purpose.
II.
THE EVENTS OF THE ONE STORY.
We mentioned in the first lesson that the
Bible consists of the Old and New Testaments and that the Old Testament was
completed a little more than 400 years before the advent of Jesus.
Our chart (back page) shows a
representation of the entire period of man’s existence on earth. This
period of time is merely a segment of eternity. Observe how we have shown
the beginning and the end of that time period, as revealed by the Bible
story. On either side of the time period we have eternity.
God’s purpose is an eternal purpose
because it was designed in eternity before the beginning of time and because it
will being forth its final results when the
time-period has ended.
You can see that there are three natural
Biblical divisions of this time-period (as shown on the chart). The first
is the “Patriarchal” division, so called because it was a period
when the Patriarchs were the spiritual leaders of the families of God’s
people. The second division had its beginning when the law was given on
As we begin with our examination of the
Bible events, keep in mind that our present aim is to show that every event
plays an important role in the unfolding of God’s Eternal Purpose, and that
each Old Testament event had a part to play in preparing for the advent of the
Messiah.
A.
THE CREATION.
This is the first event of the Bible
story. What important role does it play? Obviously this is the
event that begins it all, explaining how and why man was placed on earth.
Though
the story of the creation is recorded in the first two chapters of the Bible,
in a way we might say that these two chapters constitute chapter one of the one
Bible story. Approaching it in this way, we must inquire, “What do
we learn about God’s Eternal Purpose from this first chapter (viz. the story of
the creation)?” Notice:
1. Everything was created in an orderly fashion
and man was not placed on earth until everything had been properly prepared for
him. The reason for the entire creation was for the benefit of
mankind. This establishes the value of man in the eyes of God.
2. Man was created in God’s image. This
means many things, not the least of which is that man was created a holy and
blameless being, the state, we have learned, in which God expects us to stand
before Him. It is the only reasonable state in which man could be placed
in the garden.
3.
The first man and his wife were placed in
a paradise that provided everything they could rightfully desire—even the
presence of the creator. Nothing on God’s part indicated a lack of
confidence in man’s ability to maintain his created holy state.
The Creator knew that the man and his wife would not remain holy and
blameless in His presence, but He certainly gave them every benefit of doubt
and allowed them to try. He knew that they would not be able to meet the
divine requirement of holiness and blamelessness without the help of
Christ. However, mankind did not know this and it would take centuries of
one failure after another before the world would be ready for Christ.
B.
THE TEST AND THE FALL.
Chapter two reveals the circumstance of a
test and fall. God created the man and the woman to be free to
choose. They were to be holy and blameless, but they were to be so by
choice. Thus, they were given that choice.
The couple was told, “From any tree
of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall
surely die “ (Genesis 2:16,17).
Remember, they were in a paradise.
Of all of the desirable fruits of the garden, God withholds only one.
But, almost immediately the couple chose to disregard even this generous
restriction and initiated mankind’s continual practice of overruling divine
direction. This provides the first glimpse of the NATURAL INCLINATION
OF MANKIND. From the very beginning of time, mankind has
demonstrated an attitude of disdaining divine direction. This disdain
brought serious consequences for the man and his wife in the garden and for all
generations following. It will do no less today.
So, we see here that the
first couple was given the opportunity to meet the requirement of holiness and
blamelessness on their own, and that they immediately failed. And,
because they sinned, the penalty for sin must be paid.
1.
THE PENALTY FOR SIN.
God had warned them, “...for in the
day that you eat from it you shall surely die.” (Genesis
2:17). Death is the penalty for sin. Paul wrote, “For the
wages of sin is death...” (Romans 6:23). Did Adam and Eve die on
the day they sinned? Actually, they lived much longer. Adam lived
for more than 800 years after he sinned.
What, then, did God mean when He told the
couple that they would die on the day they sinned? Is it possible to be
alive in one sense and dead in another? The apostle Paul wrote to the
Christians in
These Christians were alive physically
but they were dead spiritually. This is exactly the circumstance Adam and
Eve experienced in the garden. They did begin the process of physical
death on the day they sinned. About this physical death, Paul wrote, “...in
Adam all die...” (1 Corinthians 15:22). In Romans 5:12 he
wrote, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and
death through sin.” So, all of mankind must die
physically because Adam sinned. There is nothing we can do about
that. However, we die spiritually as the result of our own sins and there
is much we must do about that.
Consider the words of Isaiah, “...your
iniquities have made a separation between you and your God...”
(Isaiah 59:2). They were cast out of the garden, immediately
experiencing separation from God in spiritual death.
God cannot tolerate sin in His presence,
which is why we must be holy and blameless. The very moment sin was
present in the first couple, that couple could not be
in the presence of God.
In the course of time, Adam and Eve died
physically. Thus, the penalty for sin is both a spiritual and a physical
death. Keeping this in mind, we will see how God’s plan provides
deliverance from both.
2.
THE PROMISE OF RECOVERY.
God could have left the man and his wife
under the curse of death. After all, He had warned them and they chose to
disobey almost immediately. However, God’s love for His children is much
deeper than that. Before He sent the fallen couple from His presence
(something He had to do because of their sin), He made a promise of
recovery. This promise was actually the very first prediction of the
coming Messiah, through whom the recovery would be effected.
In the story of the fall of mankind, the
Devil makes his first appearance. We don’t know much about this
being. We do know that he is of the angelic order, that he is evil, that
he has the power t lead humanity into temptation, desiring the total
destruction of mankind.
The Devil played a major role in the fall
of man. He (in the form of a serpent) was the one who enticed the woman
to eat and to give to her husband to eat. Both were led astray by this adversary
and, knowing that death must be the penalty, this adversary probably felt that
he had won a total and final victory over God’s creation. However, what
the Devil evidently did not know was that God had a plan for the spiritual
recovery of the fallen man and the woman.
In
announces the penalties to for all that transpired in the garden, God addressed
the Devil first of all, saying, “And I will put enmity Between you and
the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel” (Genesis 3:15). In
saying this, God was also making a promise to the fallen couple. Let us
look carefully at the parts of the statement that make up the promise.
a.
“I WILL PUT ENMITY
BETWEEN YOU AND THE WOMAN.”
The
Devil worked through the woman to bring about the downfall of mankind.
Now God states that this is merely the beginning of the conflict between the
woman and the Devil. Notice that the conflict is specifically between the
woman and the Devil.
b.
“BETWEEN YOUR SEED AND
HER SEED.”
The conflict would continue
through the offspring of the woman and the offspring of the Devil (cf. John 8:44)
c.
“HE SHALL BRUISE YOUR
HEAD.
Now the “seed” of the woman
becomes singular in the consideration of a particular confrontation.
Thus, the “seed” of the woman is in reference to
one individual. God promised this particular individual would bruise the
head of the Devil.
This “seed” no doubt refers
to Christ. We will see the word “seed” used again in
God’s promise of recovery for mankind. It will be used in the promise He
made to Abraham. Concerning this promise, the apostle Paul would later
write, “Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring
(seed). It does not say, “And to offsprings,”
referring to many; but, referring to one, “And
to your offspring which is Christ” (Galatians 3:16).
The promise states, therefore, that
Christ would come as the “seed” of the woman to “bruise”
the head of the Devil. The blow at the head implies a fatal wound.
d.
“AND YOU SHALL BRUISE
HIS HEEL.”
The offspring of the Devil would render a
blow against the offspring of the woman. Notice that the blow against the
offspring of the woman would be against the heel. This signifies that the
wound would not be fatal—while the wound against the head of the Devil would be
a crushing, victorious blow.
All of this teaches us that from the very
beginning, God had a plan that would allow fallen mankind to recover from their
sins, making it very clear that God knew man would sin before He placed him in
the garden.
If this is true, why did He go ahead to
place him? It must be that though God knew about the sinful nature of
man, man had to learn about it himself.
Now we are
ready to consider the next Bible event, or, as we have suggested, chapter three
in the one Bible story.
C. THE FLOOD.
We have learned that God had a plan for
the recovery of mankind before He put Adam and Eve in the paradise. Soon
we will see that plan put into motion. However, we must first examine an
event that comes to bear on the seriousness of sin.
When Adam and Eve sinned, they were
driven from the garden and from the presence of God. As their descendants
began to multiply on the earth, it became evident that sin would abound on the
earth, moving mankind farther and farther away from their Creator.
Eventually, humanity became so completely wicked that God refused to tolerate
it any longer.
The awesome state of man’s degraded
condition had become so vile that the strongest imaginable terms were employed
to describe it. Notice how God labels the depraved condition: “. . every intent of the
thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis
6:5). This is what happens when men decide to cast aside divine direction
in favor of their own gratification. And, as we shall learn, this is just
the first time in the history of humanity that such depravity comes about.
In addition to this demonstration of how
far man will go when he chooses to disregard the Creator’s direction, we also
learn here that the Creator will not tolerate highhanded sin. Thus,
because the sins of mankind are so great, He announces the destruction of all
living creatures.
Righteous Noah and his family found favor
in the sight of God. In order that they might be saved from the
destruction to come against the earth, God had Noah build an ark.
During the years required to build the
ark, Noah preached to the wicked people living about him (cf. 2 Peter
2:5). Evidently they did not listen to him, for when the flood came only
Noah and his family were saved from the destruction. Millions of people
were destroyed by the floodwaters.
As we have already stated, this
destruction demonstrates God’s intolerance of sin and predicts the destruction
of all of the wicked at the end of time, when the earth is consumed by fire
(cf. 2 Peter 3:1-13).
Now that such a vital lesson has been
learned, we are ready to go to the next event or chapter in the one Bible
story. God is ready to set His plan into motion. To do this, He
calls righteous Abraham to serve.
C.
THE CALL OF ABRAHAM.
God calls Abraham to the task of starting
the preparations for the coming of the “seed,” promised in the
garden.
We read, “Now the Lord said to Abram,
“Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s
house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing;
And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will
curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed”
(Genesis 12:1-3).
We read further, “So Abram went
forth as the Lord had spoken to him;... thus they came to the
1.
THE THREE PROMISES.
From
the scriptures noted above, we see three significant promises made to Abraham:
a. The creation of a great nation through Abraham
(v. 2);
b. God would give the
c. Through
Abraham, all nations of the earth would be blessed (v. 3).
Other promises were made to Abraham, but
these three are the significant promises that come to bear on the plan of
recovery for fallen humanity.
2.
THE FIRST TWO PROMISES ASSURED.
The first two promises to Abraham were
that God would build a great nation through him and that this nation would
possess the
Later,
Abraham asked God for assurance concerning the promises (Genesis 15:7,8) and, in response, God told him how the great nation
would be built, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers
in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four
hundred years. But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve; and
afterward they will come out with many possessions. And as for you, you
shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. Then
in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the
Amorite is not yet complete” (vs. 13-16).
Notice
the three points of the above scripture:
a. Abraham’s
descendants would go into a land that was not theirs;
b. They
would be slaves there for a period of 400 years;
c. They would come back in the fourth
generation.
3.
THE FIRST TWO PROMISES FULFILLED.
Just as God had promised Abraham, his
descendants went into a land that was not theirs. Joseph, Abraham’s
grandson, was taken to
At first they were treated favorably by
the Egyptians, but after the death of Joseph and the Pharaoh that knew Joseph,
the descendants of Abraham were made slaves (Exodus 1:8-14).
The total time the people dwelt in
In the fourth generation, after 400 years
of serving in a land that was not theirs, the Israelites left
Notice the four generations:
FIRST GENERATION
- Levi (Joseph’s brother);
SECOND GENERATION
- Kohath (Levi’s son);
THIRD GENERATION
- Amram (Kohath’s son);
FOURTH
GENERATION - Moses (Amram’s
son).
It was Moses who brought the children of
About 70 of Abraham’s descendants went
into
The nation that had been built over the
400-year span of time, was ready to march into and
occupy
Before God took the newly formed nation
into the Promised Land, they were taken to
The law was designed to provide the
spiritual, civil and political legislation necessary to govern a nation.
However, it also served the purpose of revealing just how sinful man’s nature
really is. We will see this in our examination of the next lesson.
4.
THE FULFIILLMENT OF THE THIRD PROMISE.
The promise that all nations of the earth
would be blessed was to be fulfilled when the “seed” carne
to accomplish the recovery of fallen humanity. We will see this as we
proceed.
D.
INHERITING THE PROMISED LAND.
We learn, in our study of the Bible
events, that the descendants of Abraham did march into and conquer the
Before the descendants of Abraham went
into the Promised Land, God assured them that they would dwell in the land
securely and would prosper, IF THEY WERE OBEDIENT TO HIM. He warned that
if they were disobedient, He would drive them out of the land to be exiles in
bondage (Deuteronomy 28, 29, 30).
Moses died before the Israelites entered
the Promised Land. So, the righteous general, Joshua, led the children of
God into the land. He was a faithful servant of the Lord, a spiritual
leader and a mighty soldier. Under his command the Israelites conquered
most of the territory in
There were twelve tribes of
Israelites. The territories were distributed among these tribes, with the
Levites, who were to be the servants of the Lord, being granted special
provisions.
F .
THE PERIOD OF THE JUDGES.
For nearly 200 years following the death
of Joshua, the Israelites lived in
With every man rejecting Divine direction
and doing “what was right in his own eyes,”
the circumstance of humanity again became very degrading. The book of
Judges reveals just how despicable mankind can become.
Again and again, the Israelites became so
corrupt that God could not tolerate it. He sent enemies to punish them
(as He warned He would do). Then, each time they repented, God, in His
amazing compassion, forgave them and raised up a Judge
to deliver them. The Judges were not rulers as much as they were
deliverers. The activities of individual Judges were limited to specific
territories and some of them lived contemporaneously.
It is very important to note that, though
the judges delivered the Israelites from their physical enemies, they were not
able to deliver God’s people from the power of the real enemy, Satan.
Only the promised “seed” would be able to do this.
G.
THE PERIOD OF THE
After years of oppression by the enemies
surrounding them, the Israelites decided that their plight was the result of
having no king to rule over them.
In this they overlooked at least two
seriously important realities: (1) God was their King— they had simply rejected
His counsel; (2) Their plight was due to
their own high-handed sins. But, God granted their request and gave
them a king.
Saul was the first king. He did not
obey God and was replaced by King David. David was a faithful servant
of the Lord and God blessed his rule. After the death of David, his son
Solomon ruled. Solomon asked for God’s wisdom and received it.
Under his rule, the Jews prospered and lived in peace. Solomon was
eventually influenced toward idolatry by his many wives.
These three great kings brought national
respect to the great nation that God formed in
Still, the one great enemy of mankind had
not been subdued. Not even righteous King David was able to win the
necessary victory over this foe. Again, only the promised “seed”
would be able to do this.
H.
THE PERIOD OF THE DIVIDED KINGDOM.
Remember, we are examining the events of
the Bible to see how they connect to from the one Bible story.
After the death of Solomon, the event of
the divided kingdom took place. Solomon had been a hard taskmaster.
The people wanted relief. The son of Solomon (Rehoboam),
refused to grant this relief and the
Nothing seemed to work for God’s
people. The Judges failed to bring about a remedy for man’s
dilemma. The kings had also failed. Now they were slipping closer
and closer to the terrible punishment that God had warned them that He would
bring against them if they were disobedient.
They failed to realize that the entire
circumstance, from the very beginning of man’s existence on earth, had come
about because they had rejected the direction that came to them from God.
Instead of following God, they were determined to follow the direction of their
own wills. As long as humanity pursued this folly, there could be only
failure.
I.
THE PERIOD OF CAPTIVITY.
The next chapter in the one Bible story
is the event of the exile that God had warned would come. As the people
slipped deeper and deeper into their sins, God brought forth great empires to
conquer them and take them captive into foreign countries.
The people of the
The people of the northern tribes never
returned. Some of the exiles of the southern tribes did return when
Cyrus, King of Persia, allowed them to go home to rebuild
Among these were many of the people of
the tribe of
Just before the advent of the “seed,”
there was a period of relief from
Mankind had tried just about everything
imaginable. Nothing their human logic could conjure up seemed to
work. Now, perhaps they were ready to look for something better than
their own will - perhaps they were even ready to look up!
This is when God sent the promised “seed.”
J.
THE GOSPEL PREACHED.
Jesus came to earth as the promised “seed.”
He came to do what no one else had been able to do—to win the victory over
the Devil that was necessary for the recovery of fallen man. He also came
to provide the final divine direction of God. This included the provision
of grace.
Grace would allow mankind to stand
before God holy and blameless. But, it would be a provision that would be
available only through dedicated faith on the part of the recipient. We
will see how this comes to light in our next lesson.
During and immediately following the
advent of the “seed,” the “gospel” (“good
news” )
of the hope for the spiritual recovery of fallen man was preached. It was
preached first of all to the Jews.