David Talley - The Story of the Old Testament

Foreword

I havebeen in Christian ministry for over 30 years, and I have been a universityprofessor for a majority of those years. As I reflected on my own personaljourney, I realize that there are two primary reasons for writing this book.

First,when I was a first-year seminary student, I greatly admired my Hebrew Grammarprofessor, Dr. Richard Averbeck . What caught myattention was his obvious love for the Lord. I followed him wherever he wentand took every course he offered because I wanted to love Jesus like he did.One day I was seated in his office, probably taking up far too much of his timewith my endless questions, when I asked, Why did you become a professor of OldTestament? His answer was that, when he became a Christian, he realized thatthere was a void in the churchs understanding of theOld Testament. As a result, he committed his life to helping the churchunderstand the Old Testament better. Well, right there on the spot, unknown tohim, I made that same commitment, and I have faithfully followed thiscommitment through the years. I love studying, teaching, and preaching the OldTestament and bringing people to a greater understanding of its message. And,as with this professor who impacted me so greatly, I have grown in my love forJesus in the process.

Second,when I was a first-year professor putting together my course syllabus for OldTestament Survey, I realized that the major weakness of my biblical/theologicaltraining was the lack of actual study of the biblical text. I read more booksabout the Bible than I actually read the Bible itself. So I determined todesign my course in such a way that students would be required to engage thestory of the Old Testament, to read it attentively. I wanted them to feelcomfortable navigating the pages of the Old Testament. I wanted them tounderstand the basic flow of these 39 seemingly distant and complicated books.I wanted them to believe that the message of the Old Testament mattered totheir lives.

Theseconcerns still guide my ministry in the church and the classroom. I desire tohelp the church understand the Old Testament better, and I want to get mystudents into the biblical text. But still why write another book on the OldTestament, especially a survey book? Because, as I use other Old Testamentsurvey resources, I always find myself thinking that there is a better way topresent the material of the Old Testament, a better way to invite the readerinto its riches. This book is my attempt to do just that.

An Overview

Theoverall goal of this book is to help the people of God grow in the grace andknowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. The story of Jesus, the Messiah, begins inthe Old Testament. The Old Testament provides a necessary foundation forunderstanding the history of redemption.

Thisbook is written to help you become a better student of the Old Testament.Chapter One gives my rationale for why we study theBible, namely the Old Testament. Chapter Two introduces the reader to theconcept of THE STORY. I have found that this is the single most important toolfor helping believers understand the Old Testament.

ChaptersThree through Twenty-Five will alternate between content, theology, and specialintroductory material. The content chapters seek to help you understand thebasics of each biblical book so that you can grasp the overall content.

Thetheology chapters are written to help you bring the content it into everydaylife. I also want to apply the material, asking questions like: Why do we havethese stories preserved for us? What do they have to do with our lives? My goalis to make it clear that all scripture is inspired by God and profitable (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The special introductory aim to assist you in grasping somelarger or more focused issues in the Old Testament. My goal is to give you a strongerfoundation from which to read the Old Testament.

Ultimately,my goal is for your life to be enriched as you think through the messages ofeach book. I hope that it will help you know God intimately and let him changeyour heart and life through a deep engagement with the truth of his word. TheOld Testament is written to us and for us. We must learn to feed on it and growby it.

Ioffer this book as an opportunity to help you in this endeavor. May God increaseyour love for Jesus and help you play your part in the story he is writinguntil he returns. I pray that this book brings you into a deeper relationshipwith Jesus Christ as you read the words he has preserved for you in the OldTestament. To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen.