Salvation History of the Old Testament in 800 words
This was one of the most unique assignments I have been given since coming to Concordia Theological Seminary. I was tasked with outlining the Salvation History of the Old Testament in 800 words or less, while hitting all of the major points, and introducing you and me into the story. I did miss one major event: the exile. But here is my entry ... in 800 words, on the nose.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In him was life, and through that life, through that light ... He will send his messengers to herald His coming and to turn the hearts of all who long for the life we lost.
The genesis of John coupled with the conclusion of Malachi, which buttress in their own way, is a wonderful starting point to begin a conversation about where we are in Salvation History. Here, we see the past meeting the future. Here, we see that from the beginning, the Old Testament isn’t mere history; it isn’t just law; it really isn’t old; and it certainly hasn’t been replaced by the New. God shows us how he has placed us in the middle of His incredibly rich story, through which he calls us over, and over, and over, out of the the waters of the great flood (Gen 5), through our pagan wildernesses (Exo 32), while He nourishes us with life-giving manna (Num 11) that breathes life into our dry bones (Eze 37) and promises to replace our hearts (Eze 36:26), so that we can gain true wisdom of Him (Prov 1:8) and rejoice with every breath (Ps 150:6) at the news that he has forgiven us, again, and that we no longer have to return to the dirt from which we came (Gen 3:19).
While reading the OT, it is easy to lose sight of God’s salvation. We will be confronted with unthinkable evil (2 Kgs 21:9), with cries for mercy (Est 8:3), with 613 commandments, with repeated failures to keep the covenant (Deut 6:4), with life even in the midst of intense persecution (Dan 3:25). But Christ is always at the center, a theme that emerges right after we discover how God set the light, the heavens, the earth, the sun, the moon, the skies, the waters, the rich soil with all its fruitfulness in place in six days.
God’s creation from the beginning truly was very good (Gen 1:31).
And then he said, damn, where are you (Gen 3:9)?
No sooner than Adam and Eve spoiled the Word’s ultimate creation and were cast out of the Garden to walk in the valley of the shadow of death, the Lord set in motion His plan of salvation by promising to restore creation (Gen 3:15) through the mother of all living (Gen 3:20), who just happened to be the one who snatched the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil to begin with. The Prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah, like their contemporaries, herald how God would provide that Son who would take on himself all of our weaknesses, sorrows, sins, debts (Isa 53) while presenting us with an unbreakable Covenant (Jer 31:31) that He would ultimately reveal in His Passover, the Last Supper, so that all could be men after His own heart (1 Sam 13:14).
First, He began his sanctifying work by calling one righteous man (Gen 6:9) to build an ark (Gen 6:14) so that He could wash the earth clean in the Great Baptism (Gen 6-8) that drowned the deepest wickedness caused by the fall. Out of the Great Flood, upon which the righteousness of faith flows, Noah was able to be “fruitful and multiply” (Gen 9:7) in the faithfulness God provided.
The Lord extended that blessing all the more through Abraham, the father of many, who through faith was filled an inexpressible and glorious joy (1 Pet 1:8-9) while waiting for the Lord to turn him into a great nation (Gen 12:2). Despite his best laughter (Gen 17:7), he continued to believe, even at 100 years old, that he and his 90-year-old wife would bear their first son. He showed us why we too should be willing to sacrifice everything, climbing great heights (Gen 22:14), to follow Him: God not only provides everything we need, He pours out Himself for the sacrifice (Exo 24:8).
God had much work to do before humbling himself to be the manifestation of God With Us (Isa 7:14). Israel soon found itself enslaved in Egypt, in so many ways like we struggle to believe. But God doesn’t leave us enslaved in our inability to believe in him. He calls us (Zec 13:9), much like he did to Moses on the mountain (Exo 3:15). We may not be able to see God, but we can hear the words he gave to his faithful servants. Jesus did emerge from the tomb, just like Jonah from the whale, so that we can be united with Him and made whole and return home (Joel 2:28). Amen.