TEACHING NOTES Introduction The purpose of Wed. night is learning how to read, study, and enjoy the Bible. Problem: We don’t make time to enjoy the Bible because we don’t know how to read it and as a result we don’t enjoy reading it. Psalm 1:1–2 ESV 1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. Blessed = Heb. אֶשֶׁר (ʾě·šěr) - Literally, a state of joyful mind. However, the first time “blessed” appears in the Bible it is a declaration of purpose. Delight = Heb. חֵפֶץ (ḥē·p̄ěṣ) - pleasure, enjoyment. The Hebrew word Eden also means delight, state of joy, paradise. Law = Heb. תּוֹרָה (tô·rāh) - instruction. Refers to the first five books of the OT. While torah is often translated “Law” in our English Bibles, the Hebrew word means “instruction”. It may include laws but is not limited to law. For example, Genesis is a narrative story with no laws but is referred to as the first book of the Torah. The goal of the Torah is to instruct us about God, humanity, and the purpose of life. Meditates = Heb. הָגָה (hā·ḡāh) - Literally, to mutter or speak softly in repetition. The idea here is to read softly to oneself repeatedly while thinking deeply about what is read. Our Wed. Night Bible Study will focus on teaching us how to meditate on God’s Word. Patterns: Repeated words, phrases, or ideas that are designed to help us meditate on the storyline of the Bible. The result of meditating on the Bible... ​ Psalm 1:3 ESV 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. If we avoid evil and find enjoyment in reading the Torah repeatedly, we will be like a Tree of Life that produces eternal fruit. Overview of the Bible Story In order to build a house you first need a blueprint (or at least a picture). Let’s start with a 30,000 ft view of the Bible story. ***Slides are at the end of this bulletin*** Genesis 1-2 Creation: Heaven & Earth United God creates the heavens and the earth and “their hosts” (inhabitants). God brings order, unity, and life. Humans are created to be with God and spread the paradise of Eden. Genesis 2:8-15 Eden & The Garden God plants a garden in the region of Eden. God makes Adam out of the ground and Eve out of Adam. They are put in the garden “to work it and keep it” - meaning to cultivate it and spread it everywhere. Genesis 3 Exile A spiritual being (in the likeness of a serpent) rebels against God by convincing the humans to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. As a result, the serpent is exiled to the ground, the humans are exiled from the garden (tree of life), unity between the humans is lost, and cultivating the land becomes difficult. Genesis 4 Violence Begins Adam and Eve have two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain kills Abel out of jealousy and is exiled from Eden. Cain is told to wander but instead builds a city. Cain’s descendants (esp. Lamech) spread violence, polygamy, and murder. Genesis 6 Total Rebellion Humans are spreading violence and evil. Then spiritual beings called “the sons of God” rebel against God by leaving their heavenly space to corrupt humanity on earth. The result is a rapid acceleration of evil on earth leading to extinction. Genesis 7-10 Flood (Recreation) God decides to step in to rid the earth of evil by sending a flood. However, God’s purpose is not to end creation but to restart creation with Noah and his family. After the flood, Noah is given the same mission as Adam and Eve - multiply and spread out. Genesis 11 Tower of Babel (Babylon) Instead of spreading out humanity congregates in Babylon. They decide to build a city and a tower to the heavens. They want to “make a name” for themselves and stay in one place rather than spread out. God intervenes by confusing (Heb. balal) the language of Babylon (Heb. babel). This causes the people to disperse. Tabernacle/Temple (Heaven & Earth Overlap) The Tabernacle was a kind of mobile Temple that traveled with the Israelites in the wilderness while on the way to the Promised Land (Canaan). The Tabernacle, and later Temple, were designed with imagery and objects that related to Eden. Tabernacle/Temple (Mini Eden) The Tabernacle/Temple was designed to be a mini-Eden. The curtains separating the sections had cherubim sewn into them. The walls displayed trees and garden images. The menorah symbolized the tree of life. This was a place to meet with God as Adam did in the garden. Jesus the Temple (Heaven Comes to Earth) In John 2:18-20 we find Jesus cleansing the Temple and states that He will raise a new temple in three days. John tells us that Jesus was referring to Himself as the Temple. Heaven had arrived on earth in Jesus. Church the Temple (Heaven Spreads) The church is repeatedly referred to as the Temple of God in the New Testament. The church (the people of God & body of Christ) is the kingdom of God on earth. Our mission is the same as Adam’s mission in the garden - to spread the kingdom on the earth. New Creation (Heaven & Earth Combined) When God has accomplished gathering His earthly family He will recreate the earth into a new creation. Heaven and earth are reunited in fullness. God has finally accomplished His mission of being with humans literally and eternally. ***See Slide: Basic Timeline of the Bible What’s the point of this story? God wants to bless humanity with His presence and with a beautiful place to live. God gives humanity freewill to choose life or death. Humanity repeatedly chooses death. However, God refuses to give up on humanity. Problem The Protestant Old Testament is hard to read because it’s out of order. Your English Bible organizes the Old Testament books by literary genre, which is not in chronological order. This causes us to easily lose the storyline. However, Jesus tells us (and ancient manuscripts show us) that the Old Testament was originally organized in three main sections. ​ Luke 24:44–45 ESV 44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, TaNaK: Torah (Instruction) - Nevi’im (Prophets) - Ketuvim (Writings) This structure will help us as we read the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible). It was organized this way to help us see and understand the storyline.