"God's Love in the Old Testament"   -  Contents

        

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CONTENTS

   

Part 1: Approaching the Bible

Introduction

     

Part 1: Approaching the Bible with Intellectual Integrity & Objectivity

           

1.1 The Book, the Chapter, and a Suggested Approach
1.2 The Phenomena of Biblically Illiterate Atheism
1.3 Questions from Questioners
1.4 Declaring my Background: My Grounds for Writing
1.5 Lessons I've Learnt about the Bible and People's Prejudices
1.6 To Summarise

       

2.1 A Clash of World Views is the True Debating Point
2.2 Analysing the Bible scientifically and thinking about ‘spirit'
2.3 Questions to be asked about the Writers of the Bible
2.4 The Environment that demanded Integrity in Writing
2.5 To Summarise
3.1 An Example of Logical Examination: Reviewing the Resurrection
3.2 Why we can be secure using the Bible: Questions & Answers
3.3 To Summarise

          

RECAP 1 covering chapters 1 to 3

          

              

Part 2: Establishing Foundations for Understanding the Bible

        

4.1 Comparing Testimony about God with His Activity is Important
4.2 Declaring the Nature of God as shown in the Bible
4.3 Setting out a Biblical World View: an overview revealing God's love
4.4 To Summarise

    

5.1 Reviewing the Previous Chapter

5.2 The Love of God declared in the O.T

5.3 But what is love?

5.4 More Questions about God's Love
5.5 To Summarise

   

6.1 What we mean by Goodness
6.2 God's Goodness Generally Proclaimed in the Bible
6.3 God's Goodness Declared in Detail after the Exile
6.4 Imagining Love and Goodness in Action
6.5 Looking at the Bible aware of God's true characteristics
6.6 Recap

       

     

7.1 Thinking about History, Revelation of God and Development of Mankind
7.2 The Reasonableness of this World View and some Analogies
7.3 Considering Changes in Mankind's Development
7.4 The Logical Consequences of our Worldview
7.5 Knowledge-Filled from the start, or Gradual Learning?
7.6 A Brief Sketch of some of the Developments of Mankind
7.7 Some Concluding Thoughts .

       

8.1 Reviewing History: the ‘need' for gradual revelation
8.2 Two Keys: God doesn't change but man's understanding of Him does.
8.3 The Gradual Revelation of God in the Old Testament
8.4 Listing the things learnt about God so far
8.5 Moving into the New Testament Era
8.6 And So? 

              

9.1 Isn't the Old Testament just about the Jews?
9.2 God's concern for the world from the Patriarchs on
9.3 God's concern passed on by the early leaders Moses & Joshua
9.4 God's concern for the world through David & Solomon
9.5 God's heart for the world conveyed through the Prophets
9.6 God's dealings with Gentile Kings using Daniel
9.7 Other Instances of Gentile Contact
9.8 The New Testament: The climax of God's concern for the world
9.9 And So

RECAP 3 covering chapters 7 to 9

                    

Chapter 10 – Blessed or Cursed – the Choice is Yours

10.1 The Law of Choice

10.2 Introducing Blessings and Curses

10.3 Blessings and Curses for Israel

10.4 ‘Obedience' to what?

10.5 Failure – Rebuke – Repentance – Restoration

10.6 Living in the Blessing of God

10.7 Conclusions

     

Chapter 11 - The Judgment of God as seen in the Old Testament

11.1 The meaning of God's wrath and anger and the purpose of his judgment

11.1A A Perfect God - an additional note

11.2 Discipline is training for an outcome

11.3 Correction is action to bring change of behaviour

11.4 Judgment is actions in line with justice to bring change

11.5 God's Righteousness: His activity is always right and never wrong

11.6 The Reasons for God's Judgment

11.7 The Forms of God's Judgment, the ways God works

11.8 Grace & Mercy: How these characteristics of God are constantly seen.

11.9 And So?

RECAP 4 covering chapters 10 & 11

         

      

Part 3: Considering Complaints 

   

12.2 Affirming Genesis

12.3 The Existence and General Role of Satan

12.4 The Work of God through Satan in the Garden

12.5 Recapping God's Goodness

12.6 Brief Summary

 

Chapter 13 – Banning Mankind from the Garden (2)

13.1 The Consequences seen in Adam and Eve

13.2 The Consequences of the Fall seen in God's actions

13.3 The Exclusion from the Garden

13.4 Why God can't stay with Sinners

13.5 The Ongoing Outworking of the Exclusion from the Garden

13.6 Summary-Conclusion

13.7 A Closing Analogy

       

Chapter 14 – What about the Flood?

14.1 The Complaint Observed

14.2 Recap: What we know of God

14.3 The Uncertainties about the Record

14.4 The State of the Earth

14.5 The Alternatives for Action

14.6 Keeping Perspective

          

Chapter 15 – God versus a Tyrant (1)

15.1 Setting the Scene: Putting Egypt in context

15.2 The Call of Moses

15.3 Approaching Pharaoh: The opening gambits

15.4 The Start of the Plagues

15.5 Half-way Reflections

15.6 Some Temporary Conclusions

Chapter 16 – God versus a Tyrant (2)

16.1 The Plagues Continue

16.2 Reviewing the Plagues: reviewing the gradual build up

16.2 The Final Plague

16.4 The Last Stage: Pharaoh's final folly

16.5 Concluding Thoughts

16.6 And So?

     

Chapter 17 - Israel in the Desert - Pre-Sinai

17.1 Observing the Complaint

17.2 Observing the Context
17.3 Recapping Discipline, Correction & Judgment

17.4 Israel in the Wilderness prior to Sinai

17.5 At Sinai

17.6 To Summarise

       

18.2 The Failure at Sinai

18.3 Moving on from Sinai

18.4 Summary

18.5 Conclusions

  

Chapter 19 - Canaan (1): A Contradictory God of Justice?  

19.1 Setting the Scene: the chapter's strategy

19.2 Approaching the Old Testament: An Overview

19.3 Justice & the Law of Moses

19.4 Justice in the subsequent life of Israel

19.5 Justice in the Songs of Israel

19.6 Justice and the Prophets

19.7 And So?

Chapter 20 - Canaan (2): Thinking about Justice and God

20.1 The Concept of Justice in Old Testament Usage

20.2 Justice in common usage today

20.3 Recap: The God of Justice

20.4 God as Lawmaker: His initial role

20.5 God as Law Upholder: His subsequent role

20.6 God as Bringer of Justice?

21.1 Recap: God as a Bringer of Justice 

21.2 The Divine Strategy revealed: the Plan for Canaan

21.3 The Thinking behind the Strategy clarified: Canaan 's State 

21.4 An Aside: Taking Remedial Action

21.5 An Aside – Being Responsible

21.6 More on God's Responsibility

21.7 A Final Example: An alternative seen in the life of Rahab

21.8 Some Conclusions

       

        

22.1 The Complaints that are made

22.2 How the Law of Moses came into Being

22.3 The Purposes behind the Law

22.4 Looking at the Ten Commandments

22.5 Looking at the Social Laws of Exodus

22.6 Looking at the Laws of Leviticus

22.7 Leviticus Chapter 19 – Misc. Laws 

22.8 Some Conclusions

     

23.2 Lot  

23.3 The Levite

23.4 Abraham

23.5 Jephthah

23.6 Idols 

23.7 Midian   

23.8 Baal

23.9 Joshua and Ethnic Cleansing

23.10 The Death Penalty

24.1 Introduction
24.2 Don't Speak from Ignorance
24.3 Don't be Ashamed at Weighing the Evidence
24.4 Check Teaching before Events
24.5 Don't be Afraid to Look Back at History Carefully
24.6 Understand the Law of Choice
24.7 Don't be Afraid to look God's Anger, Wrath & Judgment in the Face
24.8 Think about the Garden of Eden as History
24.9 Understand the Capability of Unrestrained Humanity

24.10 Learn to Step back and see the Big Picture

24.11 Learn to Respect People & Let Them take Responsibility

24.12 Don't be Afraid to Read the Law

24.13 Don't be Afraid to Challenge the Critics

24.14 And so…. 

     

    

25.1 Introduction

25.2 The Causes for the Death Penalty given in the Old Testament

25.3 General Thoughts about Capital Punishment

25.4 The Background & Environment fior the Giving of the Law

25.5 Reviewing the Laws

25.6 And to Conclude

        

26.1 Introduction
26.2 Recapping the Purpose of God
26.3 Generalisations versus Activity
26.4 Specific Examples: Isaiah
26.5 The Historical Context of Isaiah
26.6 And so...
27.1 Introduction
27.2 The Context and Complaints of Jeremiah
27.3 The Warnings of the Lord
27.4 Summary and What Happened

27.5 Conclusions

Appendix 1 - Sins of the Northern Kingdom

Appendix 2 - Sins of Manasseh in the Southern Kingdom