What a blessing it is to know that God shares His goodness with everyone. Even people who do not believe in Him get showered by His goodness and grace. This shows how abundantly good and loving our Lord is. Play this memory verse game with your preschoolers to help them learn that the Lord is good to all!

How to play this Bible memory verse game:

There are 2 ways to play this game.

Number One: Community Workers

Gather together some community worker costumes and hats. You can make your own or you can purchase some costumes from a local party store that might be near you. Look for costumes for community workers such as police officers, firefighters, doctors, nurses, grocery clerks, construction workers and waiters or waitresses. The more props you use, the more fun your children will have.

Place all the costumes in a bucket from which you will pull. Have a child come up and dress them in one of the costumes. Let’s say you choose a police officer’s uniform. Let the child stand in front of the rest of the class. Then say the following:

This is Jake (or whatever the child’s name is). He is a police officer. He works hard to keep us safe.

Let’s tell Jake that God loves him by telling him Psalm 145:9 – The Lord is good to all!

Make sure you invite the children to say Psalm 145:9 with you.

Help the child take off the costume. Pick a new child to put on a new costume and follow the same form of play.

Number Two: All Around the World

Gather together some colorful pictures of children all over the world. It would be cute to possibly turn the pictures into “popsicle” puppets by simply adding a popsicle stick or tongue depressor to the bottom of the picture. Place all the pictures in a basket or box so that the popsicle sticks are sticking up.

Ask a child to come up and pull out a “puppet.” Then say the following:

This is Akiko. (Choose a name that you believe reflects the nationality of the child’s picture.) Akiko is from Japan.

Let’s tell Akiko that God loves her by telling her Psalm 145:9 – The Lord is good to all!

Make sure you invite the children to say Psalm 145:9 with you.

That’s it! This Bible memory verse game will provide your preschoolers with many opportunities to learn and recite Psalm 145:19.

Forget about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ in 2012!

2023 is the next mega year of prophetic significance.

1. First and foremost, the Prophecy concerning Israel’s Third Temple fulfills in 2023. The Long-awaited and much-anticipated Third Temple has been restrained due to the Dome of The Rock that now adorns the Temple site. However, according to prophecy, that “abomination” will be removed in its 1,335th year. Daniel foresaw this in his wondrous vision. He learned when the Dome of the Rock would be set up, and he learned when it would be removed.

2. Secondly, therefore, 2023 will be the year that the Anti-Christ makes his “Covenant” securing the Temple site. As everyone knows, the Muslims now own the Temple site and are not about to give it up. Especially to Israel. And especially for the purpose of a Third Temple! Good Heavens no. However, once again, according to Daniel’s prophecy, the Anti-Christ will arrange the covenant giving the Temple site back to Israel for the purpose of building the Third Temple. Quite an amazing feat for one man. But he is no ordinary man, and God has prophesied it to be so.

3. Third, and quite horribly, the prophesied One-World Religion is established in 2023. No one will be able to buy or sell without the Mark of the Beast. The Anti-Christ will take away the livelihood and the life of all that resist his end-time caliphate. The “Man of Peace” will not be very peaceful to those that oppose.

4. Fourth, 2023 brings the TWO WITNESSES on the scene who will preach and prophesy in the streets of Jerusalem for exactly 1,260 days. They will warn men to repent and trust Christ. They will have the ability to breath fire out upon those that oppose them. Their time of service will end abruptly, and their dead bodies will litter the streets of the city three and a half days. No one will lift a finger to bury them. But suddenly they will rise from the dead and stand on their feet. This will be witnessed by millions around the world. They will be transported to Heaven and their enemies will think the two witnesses LOST. But, Wrong. The next 1,260 days are going to be horrific, as wrath and destruction come upon the Earth. Their death and resurrection signal the second half of the Tribulation period.

The Tribulation period lasts exactly 2,520 days, (divided in halves of 1,260 days each) during which time all the plagues of the Revelation are fulfilled.

Wondering what the best study bible is? We recently reviewed the Ellen White Study Bible (Remnant Bible with E.G. White Comments) and found that the many details and features in this Bible were enough to keep you coming back into the Word of God almost endlessly, ESPECIALLY if you were to use the Bible chain reference system when you are sharing your faith with others.

So along comes the Andrews Study Bible, with its plethora of features and custom layouts that will have you doing double time in the Scriptures as well. What we are going to do is see how these Bibles complement each other as well as how they differ so that you can make an intelligent decision on what to use.

An international editorial team of Adventist Bible scholars have poured their hearts and souls into this particular study Bible to get the Bible reader more than what they bargained for in the realm of content and comments. According to Andrews University President Niels-Erik Andreasen this Bible was designed with the lay Bible student in mind: “The Andrews Study Bible will provide the tools necessary for any Bible reader-no matter the level of theological training-to navigate the scriptures in a meaningful way”

Now that is all fine and dandy, but Mr. Andreasen what are the tools? Here goes; Those tools will include an comprehensive study note-and-reference system (so imagine the possibilities of linking in your references to that difficult passage and having a Bible-based answer right there from a noted Adventist scholar), general articles on important theological and interpretive principles (no more wondering what a particular person may think on a specific topic these articles will provide the depth which you have been looking for), maps, charts, and indexes were all prepared for the general reader. The heart of this Bible is the easy-to-read and theologically sound NKJV, a translation used throughout the world from the pulpit as well as the translation used for the new Word of Promise Audio Bible. “The ultimate purpose will be to produce a work that is academically credible, theologically sound, and practically useful for the individual reader, and for wide distribution in Adventist evangelism,” according to Andreasen.

World-renown speaker and evangelist Mark Finely had this to say: “I’m very excited at the prospect of what this study Bible will do,” said Finley. “Besides the tremendous value it will have for untold thousands of readers around the world in the years ahead, its production now will help scholars of the church to think as evangelists, and its use will help the evangelists of the church to think as scholars.” An great point indeed, we are all called to be evangelists (see Matthew 28:18-20), and we now have the ability to be forward-thinking scholars with the excellent study aides and helps in the Andrews Bible.

Some additional features to this Bible are:

•12,000 original study notes

•A unique reference system illuminating great themes of the Bible

•Prepared by an international team of scholars from the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (GC) and Adventist colleges and universities

•65,000 cross references, plus maps, charts, articles, and concordance in the NKJV translation

“The Andrews Study Bible has been prepared with the mind of a scholar, the heart of a pastor, and the passion of an evangelist” (Andrews Bible Project Committee Mark Finley, GC vice president).

So now how can the Andrews Study Bible help out with studying your Remnant Study Bible? Easy, the in-depth nature of the study notes provided in the Andrews Study Bible will enhance your idea of what leading scholars are thinking next to your E.G. White Comments in the Ellen White Bible. Where one chain-reference system may have more information you can easily compare notes and see the cornucopia you can discover with multiple references. While the excellent study helps and articles are great in the Andrews Bible the brilliant and colorful layout of the prophecies of Daniel and the sanctuary are unequaled in the Remnant Study Bible.

So whether you are looking for the scholarly approach and its benefits or if you are looking for the richness of the Spirit of Prophecy within your Bible either of these would work good for you.

Sometimes understanding the Bible on your own can be more difficult than it first seems. First of all, the Bible was written more than a couple thousand years ago-literally! This means that a lot has changed since then. Also, things that happened in the Bible took place in lands that have been changed since the Bible was written and places that the vast majority of people have not ever visited, and may never get the chance to. For these reasons, and more, it is sometimes beneficial to seek help in understanding the Bible.

Choosing a Bible encyclopedia is a good first step. But it can be a problem choosing the right encyclopedia for your particular needs. A great example of a good Bible encyclopedia that is not overly complicated is the Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible. This encyclopedia has five volumes.

As you can guess, this Pictorial encyclopedia has many pictures and illustrations. This includes full-color and black-and-white illustrations, charts, graphs, and maps. Accompanying the many pages of pictures are 7,500 articles that inform you on doctrines, themes, and biblical interpretations. This encyclopedia was put together by two hundred and thirty-eight contributors from all around the world and is the result of ten years of research, preparation, and compilation. This 1,072 page Bible reference book pretty much has it all.

This Bible encyclopedia is meant to be read by a wide variety of families, students, and lay people-not just theological students. It has handy outlines to make references easier to find and the pictures and other illustrations in this encyclopedia really bring this reference book to life. This reference encyclopedia is a great value. It costs around $125 depending upon where you are shopping. This means that it will not cost you an arm and a leg to better understand the Bible.

Another one of the best Bible encyclopedias available for finding Bible facts is Nelson’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Bible Facts: A Comprehensive Fact-Finding Sourcebook on All the People, Places, and Customs of the Bible. This is a hardcover Bible reference book.

This book is very useful to Bible students. This encyclopedia has forty-five sections. These cover over six thousands topics such as law, trade, transportation, and family life. Other topics include text and translations, pagan religions, animals and insects, agriculture, languages and writing, and worship and rituals.

In addition to being useful for Bible students this book is also helpful for anyone, such as writers, doing research about the Biblical times. This includes Bible facts that relate to the time and ancient cultures. The sections describe all different aspects of life and culture of the peoples mentioned in the Bible. These people include Hebrews, Phoenicians, Egyptians, Greeks, Babylonians and many more. If you are looking to learn facts about Biblical times and cultures this is the encyclopedia for you.

This book, as its title indicates, is illustrated. There are over 300 black-and-white and full-color photographs. These illustrations relate to the topics and are helpful in understanding the Biblical text in the encyclopedia. However, this book is definitely more text than pictures and the focus should remain on the Bible facts, not on the pictures. This book is great for learning all sorts of facts about the Bible and will be taken down from your bookshelf over and over again.

Another good encyclopedia of the Bible you should take a look at is the Encyclopaedia Biblica. This is also known as Encyclopaedia Biblica: A Critical Dictionary of the Literary, Political and Religion History, the Archaeology, Geography and Natural History of the Bible. This is a reference book that is not meant for the faint of heart. Published first in 1899-1903, this book is full of theological and biblical studies.

This book was edited by Thomas Kelly Cheyne and J. Sutherland Black. This encyclopedia is a four volume reference work that is often referred to as Enc. Bib. or as Cheyne and Black. This encyclopedia contains an article that covers every book of the Old Testament, every book of the New Testament, and the traditional Apocrypha. Not only does this encyclopedia cover all of that, it also covers every single name and place in both in the Bible and Apocrypha, and it also covers many improper nouns. It also has many articles about the events and concepts in the Bible.

The articles in Encyclopaedia Biblica are still very relevant to modern scholars, writers, and religious commentators. In general, this is an excellent reference for any biblical scholar looking for a Bible encyclopedia.

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia was published originally by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. Nearly two hundred scholars contributed to the articles that cover topics such as archeological discoveries, the language of the Bible lands, the literature of the Bible lands, customs, family life, occupations, and the historical and religious environments of the people in the Bible.

This encyclopedia contains 9,448 entries. This is a great reference book for anyone studying the Bible. This encyclopedia explains all the significant words in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible and the Apocrypha.

A Bible Encyclopedia is a great reference tool for any person looking to gain more insight into the Bible.

Troubles may cause us to doubt in God. When everything goes well with you, you will keep on praising God as you have nothing to worry about. However, we get challenged to believe in God at one time when we face difficult situations which we don’t know how to solve. There are a number of characters in the bible that doubt in God. The accounts of these biblical characters who used to doubt in God were compiled in the bible as in the will of God for us to read because God wants us to know trust and not doubt in him (2 Timothy 3:16).

Job

Job doubted in God’s goodness when God gave Satan permission to destroy his livestock, servants, children and finally his health. Job didn’t know that it was Satan who caused all these troubles to him. Satan challenged God when he asked him what he think about his servant Job. Satan’s excuse is that God had put a protection shield around him. In the second time Satan come before God, God asked him what he think about his servant Job again and Satan replied Job remains upright because he still has his health. Therefore, God let Satan destroy Job’s health but he is not allowed to kill him.

Job felt as if God purposely struck him with these calamities so that he will be a failure. Job did not agree with his friends’ statement that God punished him with these calamities because he sin. Job wanted a fair trial in the court with God. He wanted God to tell him where he did wrong. In the end, God spoke to Job and rebuked him for questioning him. Job repented for questioning about God’s goodness. God restored back to Job two times of the livestock he used to have and blessed him with another 10 children (The Book of Job).

Gideon

Gideon doubted in God’s ability to help him win the war against the Midianites so he prayed for God to give him proof. He prayed that God make the wool on the threshing floor wet but the ground dry. The next morning, Gideon found the wool wet but the ground dry. He wrung a bowlful of water from the wool. He prayed to God again. This time, he asked God to make the wool on the threshing floor dry but the ground wet. The next morning, Gideon found the wool dry but the ground wet.

God had the majority of Gideon’s men sent home. Only 300 out of 22,000 of Gideon’s men stayed to go into war against the Midianites. The 300 were the men who lapped the water while the rest knelt down to have a drink from the streams. God did this so that Gideon would not think that he gain victory over the Midianites with his own effort.

When God called Gideon to fight the Midianites, Gideon was afraid and God told him to go down to the Midianite camp with his servant Purah to hear what the soldier said. When Gideon and Purah arrived, it is just the time the Midianite soldier changed shift. One Midianite soldier said to another soldier that he dreamed of a loaf of barley bread that tumbles into the Midianite camp and hit the tent with such a force that it collapsed. The other soldier responded his dream must mean that God has delivered the Midianites into the hands of Gideon. This gives Gideon more courage and he led his men to attack the Midianites. In the end, God gave Gideon a victory against the Midianites(Judges 6-8).

Barak

Barak doubted in God and would not go into war unless Deborah accompanied him. Deborah warned him that the honor of killing Sisera will fall into a hand of a woman if she accompany him but he didn’t care. Barak did fought and defeated Sisera and his army. However, it was Jael, the wife of Heber who killed Sisera. It happened that Sisera came to Jael’s tent while escaping from Barak. Sisera laid down in the tent and asked for something to drink. Jael gave him a skin of milk. Sisera drank and fell asleep. Then, Barak hammered a tent peg into Sisera’s skull (Judges 4-5).

Thomas

Thomas was one of the 12 disciples of Jesus Christ. He doubted that Jesus had resurrected. He would not believe unless he saw the nail marks on Jesus’ hands and put his finger where his nails were and thrust his hand into his side. After 8 days, Jesus appeared again with his disciples. This time, Thomas was with the disciples. Jesus let Thomas to put his finger on him, see his hands and put his hands on his side. Then, Thomas believed that Jesus Christ had really resurrected from the dead. However, Jesus said blessed are those who believe even when they have never seen him before (John 20:24-29).

Everyone will face problems in life (John 16:33). You should pray and seek God’s help when you have problems (Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Peter 5:7; Ephesians 6:18). You must not doubt in God’s ability to help you solve your problem (Romans 14:23; James 1:6-8; Genesis 3). After praying, You must not declare with a negative attitude that your problem won’t be solved. You must keep on thanking God in all circumstances until your problem is solved (1 Thessalonians 5:18; Ephesians 5:20).

At Christian bookstore sites online, you will find a wide range of educational Bible stories for children. These stories help children to grow mentally and spiritually. It is a great educational solution to teach children how to overcome problems by allowing the young ones to see how Jesus and various Biblical figures handled different situations.

Many of the Bible stories for children include books, videos, voice overs, online books, audio, guides, and other written documents that include images, content, and even steps for children to follow. There are no limits to your child’s learning. With so many Bible stories in so many different formats, how do you choose?

Choosing Appropriate Stories

When it comes to choosing stories for children that come from the Bible, it pays to find stories rich with scripture to verify the story. Your child can use the scriptures to reference the books and audio videos. It will encourage your child to use the Bible more often to find out more information about Jesus and His followers.

When you encourage children to read the Bible, it builds strong spiritual habits. Your child can build spirituality by reading about the lives of Biblical characters and learning the principles of their faith. Children can learn about other characters, such as Job, Rachel, Paul, and other leaders. They will learn how Biblical characters played a role in building the church and spreading the faith all over the world.

Stories from the Bible are conscience building tools. Children who read the Bible become aware of their surroundings, and the actions that occur in our world today. The child can discover ways to handle problems in their own lives and build their faith.

Learning about the Bible and sin can help your child develop conscious behaviors to help them grow spiritually and increase their faith. Parents can download PDF files, iPod files, and voice overs, books, guides, and other spiritual tools on the Internet to help their children learn and grow.

Some of the stories you will find include Jacob and his deceiver, God’s test of Abraham’s faith, Noah and the Great Flood, and guides that teach them the creation story. There are no limits to what your child can learn from Bible stories for children. Let your child learn about Moses and how he brought the Israelites to the promised land. Take your child into Gideon’s army, and allow him or her to team up with inspiring Biblical characters. Walk with Jesus and His disciples in stories designed for children.

To many people in the twenty-first century, the Bible may seem an anachronism, but as an all-time best seller, it still attracts many new commentaries. Undoubtedly, Karen Armstrong is one of those best qualified to add to this vast body of literature. Her breadth of knowledge is impressive. After providing an outline of how the sixty-six books were assembled she turns to describing how these texts have been interpreted by different groups of scholars over the ages, in a process which she constantly reminds us is called exegesis, a Greek word meaning to lead or guide out.

Karen Armstrong explains that for hundreds of years before any of the words were committed to writing, the wisdom of the past was passed orally from generation to generation. Story tellers have always been given licence to modify and embellish their tales and this licence was extended to the generations of new authors, many anonymous or purporting to be well-known past prophets, who reworked and rearranged the early texts. ‘From the first, biblical authors felt free to revise the texts they had inherited and give them entirely different meaning.’ Much was added and some things were lost, but eventually an effort was made to establish an official canon, a set of books approved by religious authority.

Two canons are discussed. The books of the Old Testament, originally composed in several languages including Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, are shared by both Jews and Christians, but the books of the New Testament, all originally composed in Greek, are used only by Christians. Karen Armstrong describes how both Jews and Christians have undertaken the process of exegesis over the ages, each seeking new insights from old texts in the belief that this patchwork of ancient papers preserves the hidden Word of God.

Exegesis has been undertaken in an astonishing variety of ways. Many scholars have devoted their lives, and schools have worked for generations, on detailed analysis of every book, chapter and verse. Most efforts have involved looking beyond the words for an underlying meaning. Others have sought new insights by linking words and phrases from different books, often far removed from one another in time and context. Only one system is condemned. The Bible lacks historical accuracy and contains so many contradictions that any attempt at a literal understanding soon leads to confusion. Karen Armstrong is sympathetic to most of the religious groups who have wrestled with this literary leviathan but she warns of the dangers of literal interpretation leading to fundamentalism.

In the book of James, chapter 5 verse 14 (CEV) it says: “If you are sick, ask the church leaders to come and pray for you. Ask them to put olive oil on you in the name of the Lord.”

Olive oil in Biblical times was used for everything from Worship to cooking and that included medicinal purposes. It was fresh and unprocessed and used until it became rancid, then discarded.

The only other reference to oil being used for healing was in the story of the Good Samaritan:Luke 10: 33-35 CEV. “A man from Samaria then came traveling along that road. When he saw the man, he felt sorry for him and went over to him. He treated his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put him on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him.The next morning he gave the innkeeper two silver coins and said, “Please take care of the man. If you spend more than this on him, I will pay you when I return.”

The Samaritan cleansed the wounds with wine and poured Olive Oil on them and bandaged him up. The wine spoken of in the Bible was not the high alcohol content wine we have today, but rather grape juice that would naturally ferment over time as heat would react with the natural sugar in the juice. It was much safer to carry wine than to chance getting sick on contaminated water when you traveled. It would have been perfect for a cleansing and astringent solution for wounds.

The victim spoken of in this passage was probably beaten and robbed and left for dead in the dirt, so his wounds were probably filthy and very prone to infection. It doesn’t say what his outcome was, but he was taken to an Inn and cared for by the Inn keeper, so I would imagine that he recovered. Irregardless, we have a snapshot of what was the standard treatment in that day for wounds.

With modern medical science and antibiotics, it would be easy to dismiss such archaic treatment as not having any worth. But, I recently had an opportunity to put this ancient form of wound care to the test. Approximately six days ago my wife received a nasty bite wound from one of the Squirrels we rehabilitate. The squirrel bit her left ring finger clear to the bone. We did not clean the wound with wine, because we didn’t have any that would duplicate what is mentioned in the Bible, so we washed the wound with soap and water. There was profuse bleeding so we held direct pressure on the wound until it stopped. We applied a piece of gauze soaked with Virgin Raw Coconut Oil and a pressure dressing. We changed the dressing twice a day and reapplied the Raw Coconut Oil. On day three we started soaking the wound in warm raw coconut oil.

A deep puncture wound, especially one produced by a bite, is the more likely to get infected than any other wound. The wound has never shown the slightest evidence of getting infected. There was some slight swelling initially, as is normal in a fresh wound, but no pus or redness ever developed. By day three there was a slight hint of bruising but the finger was almost completely pain free. Today is day seven, and except for a tiny piece of skin that is missing where the upper teeth tore the skin, you can hardly tell that she had an injury!

Having worked in the Emergency Room for over 20 years, I know if I had taken her to the hospital she would have had an IV and an IV antibiotic such as Rocephin. The wound would have been enlarged and irrigated and possibly a drain would have been placed to keep it open so bacteria could escape. She would have gone home with a prescription for ten days worth Keflex and Bactrim, plus one for Vicodin for pain. I was prepared to take her to the doctor at the first sign of infection, but it never happened. I probably saved $1000.00 to $1300.00 in medical expenses, plus the added cost of follow-up for suture and drain removal.

We used Raw Coconut Oil because most Olive Oil today is processed in various ways and no longer resembles the olive oil of Biblical times. Virgin Raw Coconut Oil is rich in a natural substance called Lauric Acid and Capric Acid that studies have shown it to be a natural anti bacterial, anti fungal and anti yeast agent. Virgin Raw Coconut Oil also has a long shelf life in its natural state, lasting over two years with no special storage needed.

Raw Coconut Oil is a marvelous treatment for wounds. Research has shown that there are many other uses for this oil that range from sun blocker to treatment for HIV and AIDS. Unfortunately, in the United States natural substances have little or no chance of making it in to mainstream medicine because if it can’t be patented, it won’t be recognized as a viable treatment!

The major themes of the Hebrew Bible (also known as the Old Testament) surely include God, man, sin, righteousness, grace, covenant, law, atonement, and holiness. A final theme we will examine is the Messiah. Nearly everyone would agree that these ten themes are among the most important. Let’s take a closer look at each one.

God – From its opening verse, the Hebrew Bible affirms the following important truths about God: Regarding time he is timeless, regarding power he is limitless, and regarding knowledge he is infinite; He is one and not two or more, He is creator not creature, and He is both loving and holy.

These characteristics, and many more besides, define who God is, and lie at the heart of the Old Testament revelation of Him. He is primarily revealed, however, not in abstractions or propositions, but in relationship with human beings.

Man – In contrast with God, human beings are limited: they have a beginning and are mortal, they have only limited power and knowledge, and they are certainly not always loving and holy. To be sure, the history of humankind has some heroism and stories of noble thoughts and deeds, but it documents the sad history of failed potential, squandered opportunities, and perverted purposes.

The original pair of human beings comes into existence in relationship with God, objects of His grace and love and reflections of His likeness. Unfortunately, however, they give up their standing with the Lord. In the name of independence, they become slaves to sin, in need of deliverance. The progress of their descendants reaches the climax when Genesis 6 says, “Every inclination of the heart of man is only evil all the time.”

Sin – The Hebrew Bible reveals the nature of sin primarily in narrative form–in other words by telling the story of what happened to real people. Human beings were created in a sinless state, even as even now they are born into the world pure and innocent. Sinfulness is abnormal for human beings; it is out of alignment with what God designed us to be and to do.

Since we bear the image of God, sin is whatever contradicts God’s own nature. Because God is true, lies are sin. Because God is holy, defilement is sin. Because God is love, hatred is sin. Because God is unity, division is sin, and so on. This is best expressed in Leviticus 19:1, where God says, “You must be holy, for I am holy.” All through Leviticus, the moral precepts announced are tied again and again to the affirmation, “I am the LORD.”

Doing what is right and experiencing the blessing God brings with it is what the Old Testament means by knowing that God is the LORD (see statements in Ezekiel and elsewhere over and over).

Righteousness – If sin is rebelling against reflecting God’s nature in our lives, then righteousness is living in harmony with that nature. It is maintaining a relationship of trusting obedience with God. Righteousness involves faith, but it also bursts forth from the loyal heart into faithfulness in one’s walk.

The Hebrew Bible describes the righteous person as being devoted to God in with your heart, your soul, and your strength. A right relationship with other human beings accompanies this right relationship with God. The Old Testament portrays the righteous person as treating others as they would want to be treated, with acting toward them as God would act.

Grace – Some readers have the impression that they will not encounter grace in the Hebrew Bible, that it only becomes a primary emphasis in the New Testament. This impression is a false one, dispelled by nearly every book of the Old Testament.

God’s graciousness to human beings begins with the first couple and continues as a constant theme in the Old Testament symphony. The LORD is “abounding in steadfast love” and willing to forgive to a thousand generations. Again and again He reveals His great patience and His tender mercy toward sinners. Unfortunately, some have only focused on passages in which He reveals wrath against sinners, a counterpoint melody to be sure, but one that always plays out in the context of covenant-love and faithfulness.

Covenant – The sovereign, almighty, transcendent Creator-God is willing to stoop to enter into agreements with human beings. These agreements are called covenants, and they provide much of the framework on which the Hebrew Bible unfolds.

The major covenants of the Old Testament include the ones with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses (and all of Israel), Aaron & Levi, and David. Each of these covenants involves promises God makes and expectations He has for the subjects of the covenant. The Hebrew Bible also looks forward to a New Covenant, which is what the New Testament is all about.

Law – The covenant God made with the nation of Israel is called the Law (Torah, or Law of Moses). In the Law, God rehearses the saving acts by which He has placed the nation of Israel in His debt and then challenges them to agree to live in relationship with Him, experiencing the blessings that attend that relationship. Of course, He also warns them of the curses they will bring upon themselves if they break the covenant. Basic to the Law are the Ten Commandments, which lay out the fundamentals of living in harmony with God.

Atonement – Under that same covenant with Israel, God provided a means of gaining forgiveness through a system of animal sacrifices. These offerings were a way the believer had of removing offenses and pleading to God for a renewal of the close relationship the sin made impossible.

According to the Old Testament, atonement was only possible through the shedding of the blood of a perfect sacrifice. This laid the groundwork for the New Covenant’s eternal sacrifice of the Perfect Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

Holiness – In the Hebrew Bible, to be holy means to be dedicated to God. Holiness is a part of God’s nature and is imparted by Him to human beings in a right relationship with him. God intends for all human beings to be holy all of the time. Sin, however, defiles us and puts us in need of atonement so that we can be holy once more.

Messiah – The Old Testament anticipates the coming of the Holy One of God who would have a miraculous conception, live a perfect life, serve as the ideal human being, and then voluntarily offer up Himself as the once-for-all sin offering so that human beings could be restored to God and made holy again.

Over a period spanning more than 1,000 years, inspired prophets foretold aspects of the life of this Holy One. The accumulation of their predictions paints a perfect portrait of the birth, life, character, death, and even resurrection of Jesus Christ. Several of these prophecies in the Hebrew Bible describe him as “the Anointed One” (Hebrew: Meshiakh), or “the Messiah,” in keeping with the practice in Old Testament times of pouring olive oil on the head of a person specially appointed by God to accomplish His purposes.