Introduction to Old Testament

Running head: an introduction to Old Testament
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During the early days in Canaan before the error of kings was ushered, judges were elected to
lead the people and to organize them so as to be in a position to fight their enemies in case of
attack, the people were not in a position to live without a particular form of leadership who
would help in settling disputes and other issues among the people. The chosen judges were
believed to rule by justice and protect the truth by declaring punishment to lawbreakers. Such
judges as indicated in the book of judges were both male and female. The female judge was
Deborah while the male judges were Gideon, Samson, and Elon among others. The judges were
chosen from time to time for the continuity of the leadership (Limburg, J., 1993).
1.1 Some of the judges were: Gideon, Samson, Elon and Deborah
1.2Samuel the judge provided the important bridge between the time of the judges and the time
the Kings of Israelites.
1.3 The chronicler is the name given to the final editor(s) who simply put together the works of 1
and 2 Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah. Some people believe that the final editor of these
traditions was possibly Ezra himself.

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1.4 After the epic of Israel, people had sinned and gone away from God by disobeying God
through their deeds. God used prophets to correct bad behaviors of people through indirect or
direct oral communication. The prophets, therefore, were focused on calling people back to their
covenant with Almighty God. For example, they could see unethical behaviors, injustice,
unfaithfulness of the people and speak about against it because they betrayed God’s covenant
with Israelites. The prophets could afflict the comfortable sinners and comfort the affiliated in
that, they could reprimand or impose God’s punishment to the sinners or those exercised
malpractices. The Israelites were called to account for their call in that when God called the
Israelites they made a covenant that no more sinning and that they should not worship any other
gods. The prophets were bold and courageous since they were chosen by God to speak his truth
and execute judgment to the Israelites. The main focus of the Israelites prophets was to ensure
that Israelites would always keep the Covent of God as it was according to the agreement during
the time of Moses.
1.5The important themes contained in the Old Testament
There are a divine meaning and purpose to life
The old testament dwells on assumption that the reality of God is a given. There is a meaning
of life since it is not by luck or accident for one to life but God always has a plan and a
purpose for why he keeps us alive. There is always intelligence that underlies reality. For the
Hebrew people they did not ask whether God is real or not but they could ask how God is
like. This is because all creations show the greatness of God and that it is a proof that God
lives and that there is a purpose for us only that we see his power and great works but we
have had not seen him.
Religion and ethics

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In the old testament, it is very clear that there is an interrelationship between ethics and
religion. This is evident in the happening that took place during the old religion such as
Canaanite region which probably encouraged temple prostitution and child sacrifice the child
sacrifice was being too middle gods these actions were inhumane and therefore, the prophets
could not attribute them. At the time of Elijah the prophet, the Israelites were worshiping idle
gods while persecuting God's prophets and that with cry Elijah prayed to God that there be a
famine for more than three years and it was. Until when God proved that he is the true God
and that man should worship him but not any other forged image. Our God did not give
human permission to persecute others nor have unethical treatments to his people but people
persecuted and killed other believers and also accredited their false religion of human
sacrifice which could not please God at all...
God is beyond images
In the time when God was issuing the ten commandments which were to guide the Israelites
to live well and maintain their covenant with God, God clearly commanded that they should
never be worshipped any forged image neither should they worship any other god but Him.
The essence of God giving the command that no image should be worshiped it meant he
himself is not an image and therefore cannot be compared to an image probably because he
made them all. God is somewhat indefinable and therefore we normally praise him for his
power and mightiness that can be accorded to any other image or creation. God is all-
powerful, omnipresent, all-knowing among other great personalities he is known by. He is a
mysterious God who is never defeated and helps his people who believe in he protects,
provides and cares for us. He is loving and works with the man something an image god
cannot do. God Anders our prayers which even a million of images cannot or never do. The

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idles are created by the man while God created man, therefore, the images come after man
meaning that images are men work while the man is God's work, therefore, therefore, they
cannot be compared under any circumstance. The prophet Elijah proved to the Israelites that
no image is greater than God. To achieve that he conducted a contest with the prophets of
Baal to prove who between Yahweh and gods of Baal is the true God and that Elijah won by
Yahweh answering his prayers to bring down the fire that consumed the sacrifice that had
been made as a content descriptor of the contest.
God is personal
According to Israelite’s religion, the word and all happenings convince us that God is
personal. God is a relational but not impersonal force. He also reveals that by calling the man
back after he had sinned and defiled by inquiries God went and searched the man's where
about in the garden of Eden this shown that he wants to keep in relationship with human
beings. The Devine heart and mind behind the universe finds a relationship with the human
being. Most of the Old Testament parts over-manifest the sense that God is personal making
him be seen in the level of man that he wants to be close to human beings. The tendency of
bringing God to the level of human being through his relationship with humanistic being is
referred to as anthropomorphizing, meaning the act of using human qualities to define the
infinite God.
A vision and Dream of a New Humanity and a new world
It is among the most powerful aspects of the Old Testament stories as it proves to be constant
hope, dream and promise that life should be different. Isaiah the prophet we are shown the
hope of a new creation where lion and lamb lie down together (Isaiah 65:21-25). Jeremiah