Old Testament Timeline

Part A-Genesis 1-11-Beginnings-Pre-history-1st Epochs

2000 BCE

Author of Genesis: Moses
Dates written: 1445 BC (MacArthur)
Main Characters: God, Adam, Eve.
Main Events: Creation and its Nature-Humans:
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Then God created man in his image, so he created male and female. (Adam and Eve)
The Fall of mankind:

Part B Genesis 1-11

1998 BCE

Noah, his family, and the flood.
God flooded the earth because of sin but saved Noah and his family.
God called Noah to a new start for his people and made a COVENANT with him.
God's promise was never to flood the earth again.
Main Themes:
God’s good creation, the Story of God’s people, the Moral Failure of Humankind, the Fallen of Humanity (sinfulness), the Fallen of Humanity's Salvation (God’s grace), History
3 Main Themes: God's Good Creation, Story of God's People, Salvation

Part C-Genesis-1-11

1997 BCE

• Doubt, Mistrust God, Want to be like God, Shame, attempt to cover, hiding, fear, blame, Curse on the ground, pain, strife in relationships, curse on work, pain in toil, thorns, death

Part A-Genesis 12-50-Patriarchs 2nd Epochs

1900 BCE

Main Characters: Abraham (Abram), Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.
The four men who stand at the foundation of our faith.
Main Events: Abraham and Isaac. Abraham shows God his faith by attempting to sacrifice Isaac.
God's covenant with Abraham's family grew into a great nation. God's promised Abraham and Sarah a son (Isaac). Isaac's sons, Jacob and Esau, were born, but Jacob was the chosen one by God for the ancestral covenant. Joseph's rise in Egypt. Patriarchs are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.

Part B-Genesis 12-50

1900 BCE

The Three themes of the Patriarchs are:
Election: is God's choice, for blessings, and for God's Purposes.
Promise: Testing of promise, Gradual Fulfillment, Fulfillment with, without, despite our help.

Part C-Genesis 12-50

1900 BCE

Covenant between God & "Abram" to "give this land to his descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River,
Covenant between God & "Abraham" to "make him the father of a multitude of nations; changing Abram's name to Abraham for he will be the father of many nations."
Covenant circumcision for Abraham and his male descendants, including servants born in his household and foreign-born servants whom he purchased" to "bear the mark of God's everlasting covenant.

Part A-Exodus-Deliverance

1446 BCE

Main Characters: Moses & Pharaoh
Date the book was written: 1440-1400 BC. (Macarthur)
The basic outline of Exodus: Israel in Egypt, in the desert, and at Mount Sinai.
Oppression of the Hebrews was the killing of babies, so midwives stood up to Pharaoh by going against his law and saved Moses by sending him down a river in a basket. Later, he was discovered by the Pharaoh's daughter, who raised him until he became an adult.

Part B-Exodus

1443 BCE

Exodus happened in the days of Moses and the Israelite's conquest of Egypt.
God saw and remembered what happened to his people and reacted to save them. A covenant ceremony took place between God and Moses, who "repeated all the instructions and regulations the LORD had given him" to the freed Israelites, who "answered with one voice to do everything the LORD has commanded."
Renewing the covenant with the final Ten Commandments written by God on stone tablets

Leviticus-Holiness

1425 BCE

Main Character: Moses, Levites, and the people of Israel.
Date the book was written: 1445-1405 BC (MacArthur)
Main Themes:
1. Law
2. Sacrifice-atonement
3. Holiness
Proper worship (inside the Tabernacle)
Right living (outside the tabernacle)
Offerings acceptable to God: Burnt, Cereal, Peace, Sin, and Guilt Offering.

Who were the Levites? They were descendants of Levi, one of the 12 sons of Jacob, Aaron, and his family, who was chosen to be a loyal priest.

Numbers-Wondering

1415 BCE

Main Character: Moses, Aaron, and The Israelites
Date the book was written: 1445-1405 BC (MacArthur)
Themes in Numbers: 1. Faith and Obedience 2. Rebellion and Punishment 3. God's Faithfulness
The geographical and Chronological arrangement is in three parts: main events: 1) Israelites encamped at Mount Sinai, 2) Israelites wandered 40 years in the desert, and 3) the Plains of Moab.

Deuteronomy-Renewal

1406 BCE

Main character: Moses
Date the book was written: 1445-1405 BC (MacArthur)
Three main speeches by Moses:
1) Historical review
2) Covenant stipulations
3) Blessings & curses - life & death
Main Themes: No Idolatry, Driving out nations, covenant, Deuteronomy Theology.
The Ten Commandments that God wrote for the people of Israel to follow. 5th book of the Pentateuch Moses's recount of God's covenant with them on Mount Sinai
Moses's covenant ceremony and charge towards Israel

Joshua-Conquest-Exodus-Conquest/Judges 3rd Epochs

1395 BCE

Main characters: Joshua, The Israelites, and Rahab.
Date the book was written: 1405-1385 BC (MacArthur)
Themes:
1. Transition of leadership (from Moses to Joshua)
2. Conquest and division of Canaan (holy war)
3. Inheritance
4. God's faithfulness to His promises
Joshua made a Covenant with the Israelites and erected a large stone to testify to their words of following the lord.
A covenant renewal ceremony is planned for Shechem between Mount Ebal and Gerazim.

Judges-Apostasy

1380 BCE

Main characters: Joshua, the (12) judges
Date the book was written: ca. 1043 BC
Introduction:
-Joshua: Faith and obedience
-Judges: rebellion and punishment
-Authorship: anonymous, tradition Samuel
-Probably about the early monarch
-Interesting stories
Cycles in the Book: Sin-War as judgment (oppression), Repentance (crying out), and Deliverance (rescue)
Cycles of Judges:
-Judges, not just legal experts, but all-around leaders. There were major and minor judges.

Part A-Ruth-Faithfulness

1275 BCE

Main characters: Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz
Date the book was written: ca. 1030-1010 BC (MacArthur)
Main Events: Ruth faithfully followed Naomi back to Bethlehem; Ruth worked for Boaz on his threshing floor; Boaz married Ruth, giving her a son (Boaz is three generations before David)
Main themes: Covenant faithfulness, faithfulness, by contrast, sovereign faithfulness, David.

Part B-Ruth-Faithfulness

1274 BCE

Restoring God's covenant with their faithfulness (Ruth, Boaz, & the Bethlehemites) by providing a child for Naomi, a redeemer for her family, who will become the grandfather of David.

1 Samuel-Transitions

1120 BCE

Main Characters:
1. Samuel (last of Judges), Saul (the first king of the Israel people, but he was disobedient), Jonathan (Saul’s son, faithful friend to David), David (a man after God's own heart; king of Israel after Saul's death)
Date the book was written: 931-722 BC (MacArthur)
Organization of 1 Samuel: Transition to Monarchy and David's Rise and Saul's Decline
Key Themes:
Deuteronomistic Theology
Character
Kingship
Preparation
Contrast Faithfulness Monarchy/Divided Kingdom 4th Epoch

Part A-2 Samuel-David-Divided Kingdom 4th Epochs

1011 BCE

Main Character: David
Organization: David's rise to power.
Date the book was written: 931-722 BC (MacArthur)
4 Blessings of God's Covenant with David
1) provide a secure dwelling for Israel forever
2) Solomon to build God's Temple
3) Establish a father-son relationship with David's descendants.
4)Loving-Kindness would not depart from David's line

Part B-2 Samuel-Divided-Kingdom 4th epochs

1010 BCE

Main Themes:
David's Rise to Kingship in Israel
David selects Jerusalem as his capital
God makes a covenant with David
David's sin and its consequences
Covenant between God David, given by the prophet Nathan, to make David's name as famous as anyone who has ever lived on earth; to provide a homeland for God's people Israel, planting them in a secure place where they will never be disturbed; and to make a house for him.

Part B-1 & 2 Kings-Monarchy

960 BCE

Two things a king is Evaluated by:
1)How Faithful they were to the Covenant
2)Their willingness to follow the example of King David.
Prophets-Elijah
•Contest at Mt Carmel
–God is God
–NO IDOLATRY
•Repeated pattern at the cave
Prophets-Elisha
•Miracles like Jesus
•Impacts surrounding nations

Part A-1 & 2 Kings-Monarchy

960 BCE

Main Characters: David, Elijah Elisha, Solomon, Hezekiah, Josiah, Kings of Judah, and Kings of Israel.
Book written in 538 BC.
Main Events: David's death, Solomon's reign as king, Solomon building the temple, and Solomon's fall to sin.
Organization of Kings
I. The United Kingdom under Solomon
(1:1–11:43)
II. The Divided Kingdom
(12:1–2 Kings 17)
III. Judah Alone
(2 Kings 18-25)

Part A-1 Chronicles-Dynasty

940 BCE

Main Characters: David
Book Written: The date book was written in 450 BC. (MacArthur)
Main Events: David and his dynasty and The Temple and the Worship of God.
Organization: Genealogies and The Reign of David

Part B-2 Chronicles-Demise

939 BCE

Main Characters: David and Solomon
The Books of 1 2 Chronicles cover mostly the same information as 1 2 Samuel and 1 2 Kings. The Books of 1 2 Chronicles focus more on the priestly aspect of the time period. The Book of 2 Chronicles essentially evaluates the nation’s religious history. "Summary of the Book of 2 Chronicles." (got questions)
Organization: I. The Reign of Solomon II. The Kingdom of Judah
Main events: Solomon builds the temple

Ezra and Nehemiah-Return

556 BCE

Main Character: Ezra and Nehemiah
Book written: 439 BC. (MacArthur)
Main Events: 1. Rebuilding Temple
2. Rebuilding Wall
3. Rebuilding Obedience to Law
4. Rebuilding Faithfulness
5. Purified, but not Perfect People
Covenant: God's promise to the Israelites that they would return to Jerusalem after Exile.

Part B-Esther-Providence

545 BCE

Organization: Part I: Problem – 1-3
• Vashti thrown out
• Esther takes her position
• Mordecai’s service to
Nebuchadnezzar
• Haman’s genocidal plot
Part II: Providential
Solution 4-10
• Mordecai’s request
• Esther’s request
• Mordecai’s reward
• Haman’s punishment
• King’s edict
• Jews Triumph and Purim

Part A-Esther-Providence

545 BCE

Main Characters: Esther, Mordecai, Haman, and King Xerxes.
Book written: 400 BC. (MacArthur)
Main Themes: I. God’s Poetic Justice:
• Haman:
•Mordecai gets what
Haman wanted
• Haman gets what he
plotted against
Mordecai
II. Providence:
•“Happens…”
•Esther chosen
Queen
•Mordecai saves king
• King has insomnia
•Servant reads
Mordecai’s record

Part A-Isaiah-Salvation-Exile-Return 5th Epochs

539 BCE

Main Characters: Isaiah, Hezekiah, and Cyrus.
Isaiah served as a prophet in Judas' royal court.
Book written: 539 BC. (MacArthur)
Main Themes: • Trust God
• Savior/Redeemer/Holy One
• Only God
• Judgment and Salvation
• Remnant
• Servant
Covenant: God saved Hezekiah from his deathly sickness after he prayed to God. Then God added fifteen more years to his life and promised to keep him safe from the king of Assyria.