The children of Israel are the main theme in all Old Testament literature. After the fall of Adam and Eve, God strives to redeem him via Abraham, Noah, Moses, the Prophets, and Judges. Jesus Christ is God’s promise to Abraham in a heathen world. The remainder of the book describes how God fulfills the promise. The Israelites are the focus of each sect’s agenda. Many themes of blessings and judgments are explored in the texts. The second component is God’s active involvement in each tale. In Genesis, he emerges as the creator and proceeds to restore. God chooses Israel to provide a savior to the world. ‘They’re Abraham’s, Isaac’s, The Old Testament writings tell of their slavery in Egypt, their migration to Canaan, God’s active protection and provision, the bringing of the law that rules them throughout, and their living in the promised land. The third common component is the law, which eliminates Genesis. Genesis tells the tale of Noah, Abraham, and their descendants. Continuing from Exodus, the law governs the children of Israel. God shows them how to connect to him and each other. Whenever subsequent generations ignored God and performed wickedness, it was the reference point, bringing wrath on the country.
Importance of Use of Themes to Understanding the Bible
The use of themes provides us with a different perspective of proclaiming faith rather than the typical chronological order. Different themes have been used, including philosophical, poetic, epigrams and prudential wisdom, narrative, rules, and instructional themes (Hay & Bruce, 1971). Themes used also help deliver the messages and the lessons of the Bible in a more vivid way
Reasons and Benefits of Relationship with God
God already knows your intentions and goals for your time here. God protects us. He knows our lives, the consequences of our choices, and the best way for us to go. He notices when we stray. He uses his loving power to guide us back to the paths that our soul intended. Your trust and faith in God are rewarded with spiritual strength, love, knowledge, and peace. As a result, you may emulate God’s qualities toward you, such as love, forgiveness, understanding, and compassion. God, our Creator and heavenly parent, want us to succeed. He also knows that his children must be free to make our own choices to exist and grow spiritually. That’s why we have free will. Errors and omissions are as important as our greatest achievements. Stretching ourselves beyond our perceived boundaries and limitations is an important part of our soul evolution.
How God Seeks to Govern Our Lives Today
The Bible guides and governs our lives. 1 Corinthians 6 and 10 show us how to live by biblical principles. God endows humanity with free will (Gen 1:27). This is often called “free will.” But what does this mean? We are never as free as God, always constrained by forces beyond our control. In Acts 17:22-31, Paul argues that God determines who I am and my circumstances. God creates our circumstances and thus influences our choices. So God is in charge. We are free to choose within the constraints of our identity and circumstances. But God controls the circumstances but not us. While God has the power to control us and override our freedom, he chooses not to. If God can set our circumstances, so we choose him, why doesn’t he do it for everyone? God is sovereign and can do as he pleases. It is a hard lesson to learn that God is God and we are his creation, but we must remember that God is God, and we are his creation.
Messages from God’s Prophets
The first message is one of repentance. “Before (or during) the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of 586 BC,” the pre-exilic prophets preached repentance. This message of repentance was seen as “breaking the covenant and abandoning Yahweh himself” (Gerhard Von Rad, 1982). “Idolatry, social injustice, and religious ritualism” appear to “fall into three major categories, all of which are explicitly listed in Deuteronomy” (Gerhard Von Rad, 1982). First, there is a need for repentance from idolatry and social injustice, damaging the people’s relationship with Yahweh. Almost all of the prophets’ writings exhort people to repentance. A passage from Isaiah demonstrates the need for a sinful nation to repent (Isa.1:1-3).
The final message of the prophets is one of the future blessings. This period of future blessing should be kept separate from how Yahweh treated his chosen people in the past. It is a new covenant relationship with the nations, not a resumption of old practices. According to Longman, “there will be a new exodus, a new covenant, and a new presence of Yahweh’s indwelling spirit.” This new day will be marked by forgiveness and peace. In the end, the relationship will triumph over the ritual. ”
Difference of God’s Wisdom From World’s Wisdom
God desires to endow His children with divine wisdom. All other forms of learning are valuable, but they are limited unless they are founded on the Lord’s knowledge. We must pray for God’s wisdom while studying and applying God’s Word. Earthly wisdom appeals to both the senses and the emotions. On the other hand, God’s wisdom reflects Him. While earthly wisdom instructs us always to follow our hearts, God’s wisdom instructs us in Jeremiah 17:9 that the heart is the most deceitful. While earthly wisdom says that seeing is believing, Godly wisdom says in John 20:29 that those who have not seen but believe are blessed. While earthly wisdom tells us to love our families and friends, God’s wisdom instructs us in Matthew 5:43-47 to love and bless our enemies. While earthly wisdom tells us that there are numerous paths to God, godly wisdom tells us in Acts 4:12 that there is only one path to God, and that is through Jesus Christ.
References
Hay, D. M., & Bruce, F. F. (1971). The New Testament Development of Old Testament Themes. Journal of Biblical Literature, 90(3), 352. https://doi.org/10.2307/3262734
Understanding the Bible Thematically. (2017, May 11). Crossway. https://www.crossway.org/articles/understanding-the-bible-thematically/
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