The Old Testament in 5 Minutes

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• published: 07 Mar 2014
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The Old Testament in Five Minutes In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. He created the first man, Adam, and the first woman, Eve. Adam and Eve were in harmony with each other, with nature, and with God. Then Adam and Eve rebelled against God, choosing to follow an evil spirit named Satan. From then on, Adam and Eve and their descendents had a damaged relationship with each other, with nature, and most importantly, with God. Instead of worshipping God, people began to worship animals, stars, and evil spirits. They became violent toward one another, and did every shameful thing. Even though people deserved death for their rebellion, God was gracious. When somebody sinned, he could sacrifice an innocent animal like a lamb or a calf. God would be satisfied with the death of this animal instead of the person. These sacrifices were symbols of the way that God planned to satisfy both his justice on sin and his love for us. God spoke to a man named Abraham. He promised that if Abraham worshipped and obeyed him, that God would give him land, prosperity, and descendants. Most importantly, God said that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through Abraham. Abraham believed God and followed his instructions to move to the land of Canaan. Abraham's descendents were called the Israelites. At one point in their history, they moved from Canaan to Egypt to escape a famine. While they were in Egypt, the Israelites multiplied rapidly. This worried the Egyptians, so they made the Israelites slaves. After 400 years of slavery, the Israelites called out to God to save them. God sent them a powerful leader, Moses. Moses asked the king of Egypt to release the Israelites, but he refused. God sent many disasters on Egypt to show them his power, but the king of Egypt refused to let God`s people go. Then God sent a final disaster: An angel to kill every first born in Egypt. But God told the Israelites that if they put the blood of a lamb on the door, that the angel of death would pass over that house. So many people died in Egypt that the king finally released the Israelites. From then on, the Israelites created a yearly holiday called the Passover to remember this event. Moses brought the people out of Egypt to a mountain in the desert. Their, God made a special agreement with the Israelites. If they would worship and obey him, then he would give them the land of Caanan and care for them forever. The people agreed, and God told Moses how the people needed to live in order to please him. These instructions were also called the law. But God knew that the people would not be able to obey him perfectly. So he also set up a system with priests and a moveable temple where people could offer sacrifices for their sins. After this, the Israelites went to war against the nations in Canaan, and they took possession of the land God had promised them. They divided up the land into 12 provinces for the 12 tribes. However, the Israelites soon rejected God and began worshipping the false gods of the people who lived there before. This began a cycle of rebellion and rescue. The people would reject God, and God would allow other nations to defeat them. Then they would cry out to God, and he would send a leader to bring them to victory. The people didn't understand that it was their sin that made their nation weak. They thought that if they had a king, like other nations, then they would be strong. God allowed them to get a king, but most of the kings were wicked rulers who taught the people to disobey God. There was only one truly good king: David. As a boy, David was a shepherd. He grew up to be a poet, warrior, and king. David loved God with all his heart, and God promised David's that his throne would endure forever. But Israel continued to disobey God. God sent messengers to warn the people of the judgment of God, but they didn't listen. Finally, God let the Babylons invade, conquer, and deport the Israelites. While they were in Babylon, the Israelites repented of their sins and commited to keeping their agreement with God. The Persians conquered the Babylonians and allowed the Israelites to return once again to their homeland. The Israelites truly tried to obey God, but they were still aware that they could not follow God perfectly. They were allowed to live in their homeland, but they were still under the control of foreign rulers. God promised through his messengers that he would send a saviour. Some people thought that this would be a powerful military leader, like David. Others thought that it would be a spiritual leader, like Moses. And what about God's promise that Abraham's family would be a blessing to all nations? The end of the Old Testament leaves God's people waiting for the answer.