Welcome to Old Testament Basics

This lesson will introduce you to the purpose, content, and structure of the Old Testament. You will learn why it is important for Christians to read and study the Old Testament as part of God’s larger redemptive story.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Describe what the Old Testament reveals about God’s character.
2. Identify the number and types of books that make up the Old Testament.
3. Explain why it is important for Christians to read the Old Testament.

In this lesson you will study the Old Testament’s story and focus on the books that tell it from its beginning in Genesis to its end in Nehemiah. This story of God’s love and gracious forgiveness is the core of Old Testament literature.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Explain the story of the Old Testament and the role that the “color” and “time” books play in telling that story.
2. Name the four eras (or periods) into which the Old Testament is divided.
3. Reflect on what the Old Testament story can teach you about God’s love and grace.

In this lesson you will learn about the Old Testament books that add depth and detail to its story. You will discover how these “color,” wisdom, poetry, and prophetic books contribute to our understanding of God and His work in the world.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Identify which books add “color” and detail to the overall narrative of the Old Testament.
2. Explain the purpose of the poetry, wisdom, and prophetic books in the overall narrative of the Old Testament.
3. Reflect on how the diversity of genres in the Old Testament enhances your understanding of Scripture.

In this lesson you will focus on the Beginnings era: Creation, the Abrahamic covenant, the exodus, the covenant at Mount Sinai, and Israel’s wilderness wanderings. You will gain an appreciation for how the first four books establish the foundation of the Old Testament—and the entire Bible!

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Identify the major themes of creation, covenant, and exodus that will pervade the Old Testament.
2. Recognize the major characters and events of Genesis, Exodus, and Numbers that reveal God’s heart for His people.
3. Reflect on the themes of covenant and exodus in your own experience with God.

In this lesson you will learn about the three major stories of the Settlement Era: 1) Moses’ final explanation of how to live according to the covenant; 2) Israel’s rebellion against that covenant once they were settled in the Promised Land; and 3) a rare glimpse into the lives of those who remained faithful.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Describe the pattern of deliverance and rebellion (blessings and curses) that characterize the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, and Judges.
2. Recognize Joshua and Ruth as models of covenant faithfulness and the judges as examples of Israel’s disobedience.
3. Reflect on the cycle of obedience and disobedience in your own life.

In this lesson you will learn about the rise and fall of Israel under its celebrated kings: Saul, David, and Solomon.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Explain how human frailty and infidelity led to the division and destruction of Israel.
2. Describe the four periods and three kings of the kingdom era.
3. Identify the positive and negative aspects of Israel’s kings.

In this lesson you will examine what happened during the periods of Judah’s exile in Babylon and their miraculous return to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. You will learn that even in exile God was at work raising up leaders and prophets who guided and encouraged His people.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Describe the stages of Judah’s exile to Babylon and return to Jerusalem.
2. Identify the main books and characters of the Exile and Reconstruction eras.
3. Reflect on the enduring love and grace of God who never forgets His promises.

In this lesson you will identify and appreciate the “color” books that are primarily written in poetry: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, the Song of Songs, and Lamentations. You will learn that these books provide a unique perspective and deep wisdom that enrich your relationship with God.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Recognize the characteristics of Hebrew poetry.
2. Identify the poetic books and their unique purpose and meaning in the larger story of the Old Testament.
3. Reflect on the importance of the poetic books in your relationship with God.

In this lesson you will learn the Hebrew definition of wisdom and how it is conveyed in the books of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Define biblical wisdom and how it is revealed in the wisdom books of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes.
2. Explain the purpose and unique perspective of the wisdom books.
3. Reflect on how you can apply biblical wisdom in your life.

In this lesson you will learn about Israel’s prophets and their writings. These books contain some of the Bible’s most profound insights into God’s nature and His compassionate concern for His people.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Explain the purpose of the prophetic office.
2. Name the writing prophets and their times, places, and key messages.
3. Reflect on how you can apply the eternal truth of the prophets in your life.

This activity offers a brief introduction to the lesson and informs you of the lesson’s objectives.

Viewing this activity is required for course completion.

This activity provides the main teaching content for the lesson. You may choose to watch the video, listen to the audio, or read the transcript. Closed captioning is also provided for any video segments. In each case the content is the same.

This activity is required for course completion.

This quiz activity checks your understanding of the concepts learned so far. It is not a timed activity, and the quiz can be attempted as many times as needed.

Earning a quiz score of 70% or better is required for course completion.

This activity allows you to spend time in Scripture and connect it to the topic of each lesson. Spend some time carefully reading the Scripture passage provided in the activity, utilizing the simple three-step method of Receive, Reflect, and Respond.

1. Receive simply involves reading the text and asking, “What does the text say?”
2. Reflect challenges you to ask, “What does the text mean?”
3. Respond invites you to apply the meaning of the text to your life.

Instructions for reflection

1. Get and use a hard copy journal or an e-note-taking tool such as Notion, OneNote, or Apple Notes. You can also complete these activities in the course workbook, which can be downloaded in lesson one.
2. Spend time reflecting on the questions provided in the activity. Make it a time of prayer by sharing your thoughts and reflections with God.
3. Write down your answers, thoughts, and other revelatory ideas in your journal that God reveals during your time of prayerful reflection.

For reflective journaling activities such as this one, find a quiet place in which you will not be disturbed by other people, noises, or other distractions. Silence e-devices and quiet your mind by reading Bible passages or praying before attempting the activity.

This discussion activity is designed to help you articulate what you have learned in each lesson. It may also help you collect ideas from other course participants about their understanding of the Old Testament. Since this course is asynchronous (i.e., other learners complete the course at different times), you may not see many discussion submissions or receive replies to your posts. Therefore, consider your submissions to this discussion forum as a way to share your insights about what you have learned to inspire or challenge others in their learning journey, and to enable others to do the same for you.

While other learners may not see or respond to your comments in the short term, encouraging others and engaging with others enhances your learning experience.

This activity is required for course completion.

These application activities are designed to help you consider how to put your learning to use in your own context. When you finish this course you will have an action plan that will help you deepen and improve your Bible study!

Complete these activities digitally in the downloadable workbook, or write them in your own journal. Find the link to download the digital workbook in lesson one.

At the end of each lesson there are links to additional Our Daily Bread Ministries resources you can watch, listen to, or read that will enhance your understanding of the course content. This material is optional and not required for course completion.

This activity sums up the concepts learned in each lesson and looks ahead to what comes next.

This activity appears in the course wrap-up section at the end of the course. It allows you to review what you have learned in the course and identify actions you will commit to in order to implement the course concepts.