A Review of the Stories of the Old Testament

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. On the first day God created light and he separated light from darkness; God called light day, and darkness he called night. On the second day, God created the sky and seas. On the third day God created dry ground that brought forth seed bearing plants and grass. On the fourth day God created the sun, moon and the stars and put them in the sky to govern night and day. That brings us to the fifth day, in which God created fish to fill the sea, and birds to fly in the sky. On the sixth day God created: livestock, wild animals and creatures that moved along the ground God also created man in his own image on the sixth day. On the seventh day God rested. Just as God rested, we are to rest on the Sabbath day.

Out of all the creatures the LORD created, man was his favorite because he was created in the image of God himself. From the dust of the ground God made man and called him Adam. From Adam’s rib, God made woman and called her Eve. God gave man dominion over all of God’s creation. God also told Adam and Eve to increase in number and fill the earth.

God gave Adam and Eve the Garden of Eden. It was luscious, filled with all kinds of fruits. God said they could eat of any fruit in the garden but not from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, and the consequence of disobeying God is known as the fall of mankind. Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden. Adam and Eve, who were once perfect, without blemish and made in God’s very own image, were dead in sin because they now knew the difference between good and evil.

Adam and Eve had two sons named Cain and Abel. They both brought an offering to the LORD. The LORD favored Abel’s offering. Cain was angry and jealous, so when they went out in the field, Cain killed his brother.

The population increased, as with that so did sin. The world grew wicked, and God regretted ever creating it, but Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. God told Noah he was going to wipe out the people on earth with a flood. God instructed Noah to build an ark and put two of every kind of animal on the ark. Noah did as the LORD commanded, and the LORD saved Noah and his family.

God flooded the earth and everything died. After the flood, God established a covenant with Noah, promising to never destroy the earth again with water. As a sign of the covenant He put a rainbow in the sky. God blessed Noah, then God told Noah’s family to increase in number and fill the earth.

Time passed and once again population and sin grew. The people gathered and decided to build a city for themselves with a tower that reached to the heavens, so they could make a name for themselves. So God came and gave them different languages and scattered them throughout the world. The tower the people were unable to finish is called the “Tower of Babel”.

God called a man named Abram. God commanded Abram to go from his country, people and father to a land God would show him. So Abram left Harran; God was with Abram. Abram traveled all over the land and became very wealthy.

At this time Abram remained childless, with no one to inherit his great wealth, except a servant. The word of the LORD came to Abram and said that his servant wouldn’t be his heir. The LORD took Abram outside and told him to look up at the stars in the sky and count them. God told Abram that his offspring will be as many as the stars in the sky.

Abram believed the LORD, and God counted it as righteousness.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to him. God made a covenant between Himself and Abram. The LORD told Abram he would be the father of many nations. He changed Abram’s name to Abraham. God said he would be his God and the God of his descendants. As a sign of the covenant he had Abram and all his descendants circumcised. God also changed Sarai’s name to Sarah. The LORD told Abraham he would bless Sarah with a child, and she would be the mother of nations. God told Abraham to name his son Isaac. After this, Abraham took all the males in his household to be circumcised.

When Abraham was a hundred years old Sarah had Isaac. Some years later the LORD came to Abraham and told him he must take Isaac to a mountain he would show him and sacrifice him. So the next day, Isaac carried wood for the sacrifice and they left for the mountain. As Abraham went to kill his son an Angel of the LORD called out, and stopped him. The LORD saw Abraham was faithful, so he provided a ram for the sacrifice.

Isaac had two sons named Jacob and Esau. The birthright was Esau’s as first born. Isaac was old and his eyesight was bad. He told Esau to get him some food, so he could bless him before he died. Rebekah heard what Isaac said, so she and Jacob tricked Isaac into believing Jacob was Esau, and Jacob ended up getting the blessing.

Jacob had twelve sons, who later become the twelve tribes of Judah. Out of his twelve sons his favorite was Joseph. Jacob gave Joseph a coat of many colors and treated him better than the others.

Joseph had two dreams. The first dream was interpreted as his brothers bowing down to him. The other dream was not only his brothers bowing down, but his parents as well.

His brothers had enough of Joseph, and one day they sold Joseph into Egypt as a slave. The brothers showed Joseph’s special coat to their father, insinuating he had been killed by a wild animal.

The LORD’s favor was upon Joseph and he worked his way up in ranks. He found himself second in command to Pharaoh in all of Egypt. Pharaoh’s wife tried to seduce Joseph. Being the honest man Joseph was, he denied her. Pharaoh’s wife told Pharaoh Joseph tried sleeping with her. Joseph was punished and put in prison.

While Joseph was in prison, he came across two of Pharaoh’s workers. They both dreamt and Joseph was able to interpret their dreams. In both dreams Joseph predicted both workers being released; Joseph asked them both to remember him upon their release, in hopes of getting out.

The workers forgot about Joseph until Pharaoh had two dreams he needed interpreted. Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and Joseph told Pharaoh what they meant. Pharaoh (a different one than before) put Joseph in charge. Joseph was able to store up food during the seven years of abundance he predicted. He intentionally stored up so much food it would last through the seven years famine that would follow the years of abundance. Through Joseph, God was able to save Egypt and surrounding countries.

Jacob, Joseph’s father was in Canaan and had no food. He heard there was grain in Egypt, so he sent his sons to buy some. Upon their arrival Joseph recognized his brothers but his brothers didn’t recognize him. When the brothers approached Joseph, they bowed just as Joseph’s dream predicted.

Joseph proceeded to ask them questions, and accused them of being spies. They told him that their father sent them because they heard Egypt had grain. The brothers told Joseph of their younger brother Benjamin who stayed back home. Joseph put one of the brothers in prison and sent the others back to Canaan to bring Benjamin and prove their story true.

When they returned with Benjamin, Joseph forgave them and said that what they meant for evil, God used for good, to save all of the land.

Joseph sent his brothers to get his father, and just as his other dream predicted, his whole family bowed before him, and moved into the land just outside of Egypt to be close to Joseph. God used Joseph and a seemingly hopeless situation to save his chosen people.