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-- © GodSpeak International 2003 --
-- Do not republish without written permission from <copyright@godspeak.net> --

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND CONTRIBUTING RESOURCES
Author: Teresa Seputis ts@godspeak.net http://www.godspeak.net
Editor: Elvi Glass

A Prophet's Eye-View Of Bible History"

Lesson 2
A Bird's-Eye View

By Teresa Seputis

The phrase "prophet's eye-view" in title of this teaching series is borrowed from the phrase: "bird's eye-view." I chose that phrase because it describes how we are going to look at the Old Testament. When a bird flies high up, it sees the big picture but not all of the little details that comprise that picture. For instance, it may see a street stretching for miles and have an understanding of where that street goes. But from that high up perspective, it does not see the little details like the cracks in the road, or the place where some kids used chalk to draw a mock street-hockey field, or the place where there is a small dip in the asphalt. However, if the bird were to become interested in knowing more about a section of road, it could fly lower to take a better look. As it gets lower, it would see specific details more clearly but it would loose the ability to see the whole stretch of road at once.

For the most part, This teaching series will soar through the Old Testament at a bird-eye level. It will seem to omit a lot of details to describe the big picture. It may entirely leave out some very important things, specific details, specific stories, etc. That is not to diminish the importance of these stories. It is just to allow us to see the "big picture" or overall context of the Old Testament. Occasionally we will "swoop down" to take a closer look at a few things.

This series will look at the Old Testament from a prophetic perspective. In other words, we will be gleaning things that might be useful when we are doing prophetic ministry. There is so much that is of value in the Bible, that we can't possibly cover it all in one teaching series. This series won't even attempt to do that. Instead, it will give you an overview of the Old Testament and zoom in on a few details that you might need to know when you do prophetic ministry.

Learning Hints

I find that it is easier to learn when I take something big and break it into a series of smaller components, where I can get my hands on each component. That is what we will be doing with the Old Testament history -- with the stories of how God met and came through for His people. This is not detailed or exhaustive, but it will give you a bit of a framework for understanding and remembering Old Testament history.

I am a simple person, so I like to use simple things as learning and memory tools. One of the simplest things I have is my hands... sort of like counting on my fingers. It is always easy for me to count to five because I have five fingers on my hand. So, I like to break the OT history down into 5 broad categories, and then break each of those broad categories down into five main points. [I literally use physical memory queues to help me with this, associating each category with a finger and then touching that finger when I am on that point or category. You don't have to use my "finger" technique if you don't want to, it is just a memory tool that I find helpful.]

The Five Categories Of Old Testament History

I am only going to list the categories in this lesson, and I will develop them in more detail in a subsequent lesson.

  1. The Beginnings. This is the events from the creation through the flood that destroyed the earth. It traces the lives and history of some of those who choose to serve and honor God. And it traces the lives and behavior of some of the ungodly people as well, helping us to understand what made God sorry He'd created us.

  2. The Restart. This is the events from the time Noah was saved from destruction via the flood, God calling Abraham to be set apart for Him and the father of a nation He would raise up, through God sending Joseph to Egypt so that He could preserve Abraham's descendents during a severe famine.

  3. God's Government. This began when He established Moses as a leader to deliver Israel from Egypt and then teach them God's ways and give them the Law. It continued with Joshua and then a series of judges (some good, some bad). It went on through the last prophet that governed Israel (Samuel) and on to the first two kings that God appointed over Israel: Saul and David.

  4. Man's Declining Government. This starts with Solomon and goes pretty much through the end of the Old Testament. Solomon started well, but over time he began serving other Gods. After Solomon, the kingdom divided into two kingdoms and each had a series of kings -- some good/godly and many bad. Israel was ungodly more than they were godly, and they spiraled downward until they were defeated by the Assyrians and taken into captivity. Judah did better for a season, but eventually it also experienced spiritual decay followed by defeat and captivity.

  5. The Prophets. Once the government changed from a theocracy to a monarchy, God send a series of prophets to help advise/govern His people. Some, like Samuel, worked directly with the kings and government leader, helping them to govern according to God's principles. Others, like Elijah and Jeremiah, worked in direct opposition of the government officials, and often declared upcoming condemnation and judgment. Some prophets were sent to the nation at large and not explicitly to the national leaders.

Benefits of Knowing Old Testament History

It is extremely helpful for a prophetic person to be familiar with old testament history. Over and over again in the Bible, we see God review and comment on what He has already done. In short, God keeps giving His people history lessons when He speaks to them. That was the Old Testament model.

We see that pattern in the New Testament as well, such as Stephen's divinely inspired sermon, given just before he was martyred. We find it in Acts 7, and it recalls a lot of the history of God's interactions with the Jews.

And God does not change. If He liked to give history lessons in the Old and New Testaments, He still likes to give them today. If He liked stirring people's faith in the Old and New Testaments by reminding them of what He has done for His people, He will like to do that today as well.

Therefore, one of the things you can do to help prepare yourself to be used prophetically is to become familiar with the history and stories found in the Old Testament. The more details of Old Testament history you know, the more stories that God can recall to your memory as you deliver a word. In short, as you increase your Old Testament knowledge, you better equip yourself to prophesy because you give the Holy Spirit a greater vocabulary to speak through you with.

In addition to all of that, much of the Old Testament history is exciting and inspiring. It can be a lot of fun to read and learn about amazing things that God has done in the past.


-- © GodSpeak International 2003 --
-- Do not republish without written permission from <copyright@godspeak.net> --

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