Lesson Objectives
- To finish reading the Old Testament (from Joshua to Malachi) and to read with understanding.
- To understand the broad outlines of the history of Israel in light of God’s covenant with Abraham.
- To appreciate the crucial importance of God’s everlasting covenant with David.
VIII. Study Questions
1. Why did God permit some Canaanites to remain in the Promised Land, according to the author the book of Judges?
2. What was wrong about the Israelites asking Samuel for a king?
3. Before David made Jerusalem his capital, at what other important moment
in salvation history was Jerusalem mentioned?
4. What are the different perspectives of the Books of Kings and Chronicles?
5. What are the six points of the Davidic Covenant that we identified?
6. How does the covenant with David further the fulfillment of the covenant with Abraham?
7. Why is Mount Moriah significant in salvation history?
8. What is the todah?
9. What are some other names that the Bible uses to describe the Northern Kingdom? The Southern Kingdom?
10. What did Ezekiel prophesy about the "new David"?
11. Who is the only prophet who used the word "new covenant"?
Other Lessons
- Lesson One: The Master Key that Unlocks the Bible
- To learn the "big-picture" overview of the Bible - the story that the Bible tells.
- To understand the concept of "covenant" and its importance for reading and interpreting the Bible.
- To learn in general detail the six major covenants in the Bible.
- Lesson Two: From Sabbath to Flood
- To read Genesis 1-12 with understanding.
- To learn the meaning of the first two covenants of salvation history - the Sabbath, and the covenant made with Noah.
- To begin to understand the "patterns" of biblical history.
- Lesson Three: Our Father, Abraham
- To read Genesis 12-50 with understanding.
- To understand God’s covenant with Abraham and to see how that covenant is fulfilled in the New Covenant of Jesus Christ.
- To appreciate key figures and elements in the Abraham story - Melchizedek, circumcision, the sacrifice of Isaac - as they are interpreted in the Church’s tradition.
- Lesson Four: The First-Born Son of God
- To read the Books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy with understanding.
- To understand God’s covenant with Israel at Sinai and to see how this covenant looks forward to and is fulfilled in the New Covenant of Jesus Christ.
- To appreciate the key figures and events - Moses, the Passover, and the vocation of Israel as “a kingdom of priests” - as they are interpreted in the Church’s tradition.
- Lesson Six: The New and Everlasting Covenant
- To read the New Testament with understanding.
- To understand how the New Testament depicts Jesus as the fulfillment of the covenants of the Old Testament.
- To appreciate, especially, the importance of God’s everlasting covenant with David for understanding the mission of Jesus and the Church as it is presented in the New Testament.