KNOWING THE BIBLE: GENESIS (thegospelcoalition.org) || In Genesis, God’s purposes for the heavens and earth, distorted by sin spreading through all the earth, are focused in one man: Abraham. Through him and his family God would bring blessing to all nations.

Despite God’s good purposes for creation, sin enters and fills the earth (the primeval history; chs. 1–11), and so God moves his plan forward to bless the nations through the offspring of Abraham (the patriarchal history; chs. 12–50). Genesis is foundational to the whole Bible, and to every human life. Genesis tells us who God is, who we are, how things went wrong, and the plan that God has put in place to return the earth to the way it was meant to be. (Thank you to The Gospel Coalition for providing) 

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Introduction to Exodus (thegospelcoalition.org): This introductory course is designed to provide key insights into the book of Exodus by pulling together a number of key resources: overview videos from The Bible Project, helpful contextual information from The ESV Study Bible, commentary recommendations from The Gospel Coalition, a single sermon that sums up the book from beginning to end by Mark Dever, and much more. By watching, listening to, and reading these resources, you’ll be better prepared to read, study, teach, or preach the book of Exodus.

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Knowing the Bible: Exodus (thegospelcoalition.org)- The book of Exodus received its name because it records Israel’s departure (Greek exodos) from Egypt. The book recounts how God graciously delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, traces their journey through the wilderness, and describes in detail the covenant God made with them at Mount Sinai. In telling this story, Exodus highlights the supreme faithfulness and mercy of God, and contrasts this with Israel’s repetitive grumbling, rebellion, and sin. In so doing, this book presents a condensed picture of the gospel. Simply put, Exodus shows us that God saves sinners.

After showcasing his power and glory in freeing Israel from slavery, God gathers Israel to the foot of Mount Sinai where he communicates his will to them through the law. The instructions of the law include both requirements for how Israel is to live (chs. 20–24) and directives for how God is to be worshiped (chs. 25–31). Although Israel continues to demonstrate idolatrous tendencies, God shows himself to be supremely merciful and faithful (chs. 32–34). The book ends with Israel constructing the tabernacle according to God’s specifications, and God descending to dwell with them (chs. 35–40). (For further background, see the ESV Study Bible, pages 139–144; also online at www.esvbible.org and via TGC Courses)

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This introductory course (thegospelcoalition.org)  is designed to provide key insights into the book of Joshua by pulling together a number of key resources: overview videos from The Bible Project, helpful contextual information from The ESV Study Bible, commentary recommendations from The Gospel Coalition, a single sermon that sums up the book from beginning to end by Mark Dever, and much more. By watching, listening to, and reading these resources, you’ll be better prepared to read, study, teach, or preach the book of Joshua.

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Knowing the Bible: Joshua (thegospelcoalition.org) An obscure, landless people invade a land with fortified cities, trained armies, and powerful kings? This is exactly what Israel did—with great success!—under Joshua’s leadership. Joshua is a fascinating narrative, but it is not easy to read, and its significance for the Christian can be difficult to grasp. There are familiar lines in this book, including God’s famous command to Joshua (“Be strong and courageous”; 1:9) and Joshua’s covenantal vow (“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”; 24:15). While these verses have meaning for Christians today, as we will see later their immediate context is very different from our own: Joshua is the leader of a nation commanded by God to invade the ancient land of Canaan and kill all of its inhabitants. It can be difficult to understand why this kind of story is in the Bible—for the questions it raises and for the obscurity of its ancient history.

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Introduction to Judges (thegospelcoaltion.org) This introductory course is designed to provide key insights into the book of Judges by pulling together a number of key resources: overview videos from The Bible Project, helpful contextual information from The ESV Study Bible, commentary recommendations from The Gospel Coalition, a single sermon that sums up the book from beginning to end by Mark Dever, and much more. By watching, listening to, and reading these resources, you’ll be better prepared to read, study, teach, or preach the book of Judges.

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Knowing the Bible: Judges (thegospelcoaltion.org) Why would Christians study a book like Judges, a book that would easily be rated R for its content if produced for the modern screen? Death and slaughter, human sacrifice and betrayal, illicit sex and scandal saturate the pages of this book. Ehud murders Eglon and leaves him to rot in his own fecal matter. Jephthah sacrifices his only daughter as a burnt offering because of a vow he has made to the Lord. Samson spends a night with a prostitute. A Levite cuts up his concubine, who has been brutally raped to death, and sends her dismembered body throughout Israel in order to incite war. In the book of Judges, we observe clearly that life is messy and foul and complicated, and that it is the cycle of our own sin that creates these problems.

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