Understanding the Old Testament: From Creation through Captivity

by James D. Orten

Written especially for those who have found the Old Testament confusing, this book explains the essence of it in clear, readable language. The author, a university professor, believes that mental preparation for what is ahead promotes understanding. Thus readers are given a brief preview of each section that alerts their minds for material and concepts to come. Part One opens with a mental framework for comprehending the Old Testament. It discusses the problems many readers face, gives internal and external evidence that the history of the Old Testament is trustworthy, and takes the reader on a walk with Abraham through the geography and culture of the O.T. world. Part Two begins with creation and covers the first 2500 years of human history ending with the enslavement of the Jews in Egypt. The spiritual significance of these great events for modern readers is explained by examples of how God's actions in one age foreshadowed those to come in later times. The drama of God's historical relationship with man is continued in Part Three by walking with the Israelites on their exodus from Egypt, God's appearance to them in the desert of Sinai, and their conquest of Canaan. Puzzling questions such Why were the Israelites unable to completely clear the land of their enemies? Why did God not want them to have a king for the first 400 years of their settlement in Canaan? These and many more are discussed. Section Four describes the kingdom years. It traces the history of the nation, noting the actions of the kings and the work of God's prophets with them and the people. The nation's division into two kingdoms (known as Israel and Judah), their spiritual declines, and the work of reformer kings and prophets to bring them back comprise the meat of this section. The book closes with a discussion of the captivity, the restoration, and the silent years between the Old and New Testaments. It leaves the reader, as the O.T. was intended to do, with the expectation of and preparation for the coming of the Messiah. Charts, Maps, illustrations, and a lively and insightful style make this book an excellent resource for individual and small group study.

350 pages, Hardcover

First published September 16, 2003

Reviews

[Travis Bow · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty solid outline of the Old Testament. It gives a good overview by shortening and summarizing where the OT is detailed and filling in context and history where the OT is sparse. It doesn't spend much time on archeology (as other OT books I've read do), and while it does give a bit of apologetics, they are fairly shallow... more on the level of reinforcing belief for sympathetic readers than providing convincing arguments [example: addresses the differences between genealogies and histories in Chronicles and Samuel/Kings by saying, "critics, as critics delight to do, have searched the two histories attempting to find contradictions. We need not concern ourselves with such exercises."].

As far as opinions and interpretations, most of them were pretty orthodox and easy to agree with. There were a few stretches, a few strange interpretations [examples: Noah getting drunk wasn't a sin, because there was no law against drunkenness yet; Moses was punished for smiting the rock the second time because the rock represented Jesus and Jesus was only crucified once], but pretty good overall.

Regarding the stretches, most of them were to support one side of the debate on innovations in church services (which became a big deal in the Restoration movement in late 1800s). For example:

-Cain and Abel: the author argues that Cain had specific instructions from God on how to sacrifice and chose to ignore them (proof: Hebrews says "by faith Abel offered..." and Romans says "faith comes from hearing"), so the lesson of the story is:

"Doing the worship God designates at His time, at His appointed place, and in the manner He prescribes is still the way to please God and be accepted."

-Hophni and Phinehas: Eli's sons disobeyed specific commands from God (fornicating, stealing portions of the meat that weren't theirs, eating the fatty portions of sacrifices that were supposed to be burnt for God). The author interprets this not as direct disobedience, but as ancient examples of "innovations" (doing things in church that aren't specifically authorized in the Bible):

"Hophni and Phinehas were very modern in their outlook. They made their decisions on human reasoning rather than loyalty to God's word. Apparently they did not understand that the acts of worship they carried out had a sacred symbolism far beyond just the expression of feelings in the people's hearts."

-David and the temple: David wanted to build a temple, but God told him he didn't need one but would allow David's son to build one. The author interpret's God's, "I never asked for a temple" statement to prove that Biblical silence is prohibitive:

"The message was clear. 'If I did not ask for it; I do not want it.' This example, and others like it, caused Bible scholars of the past to teach respect for the silence of God's word. 'Speak where the Bible speaks,' they said, and 'Be silent where the Bible is silent'"

(ironically, the author is quoting Thomas Campbell, who used this phrase to promote his unity movement based on Biblical silence being permissive, not prohibitive).

-Josiah restoring the Passover: Josiah was a king in a time when Israel was worshiping idols and using male prostitutes in the Temple. When the book of the law was discovered, Josiah read it, abolished the idolatry, and ordered a special Passover observed. The author interprets this not as the restoration of a forgotten and neglected observance in an idol-filled city, but as fixing the incorrect procedures the people had been following in the Passover:

"Josiah's emphasis on doing it "as it is written in the book" indicates they had not been following God's instructions. Paul suggested that the lord's Supper is "our passover" (1 Corinthians 5:7). We wonder how God feels about changes in the frequency and manner of its observance by some religious groups today."

Aside from a caveat about these few examples of applying passages somewhat tangentially to an issue the author is clearly passionate about, I would have no problem recommending this as a solid, well-researched, comprehensive introduction to the Old Testament. Definitely worth reading.