Epic of Eden Video Study Guide: Understanding the Old Testament

By Sandra L. Richter

The Old Testament of the Bible can feel like a junk drawer—a disorganized collection of important stuff we don’t want to lose yet don’t know what to do with. From the Pentateuch to patriarchs and from kings to prophets, it can feel like a puzzle we’ve tried to put together but wind up putting back in the box because it’s too complicated. The Epic of Eden Video Study Guide is ideal for groups and individuals looking for a deeply substantive and profoundly spiritual exploration of the Old Testament. Sandra Richter, a learned scholar and passionate teacher, shows us how Old Testament understanding leads to fresh depths of New Testament faith for everyday life in the real world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Seedbed
• Release date: Sep 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781628242577

Sandra L. Richter

Sandra L. Richter (PhD, Harvard University) is Robert H. Gundry Chair of Old Testament Studies at Westmont College. She is a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Harvard University's Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations department, and she previously was a professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College. Her publications include The Deuteronomistic History and the Name Theology and articles in Eerdmans' Handbook to the Bible and Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books.

Book preview

THE EPIC OF

EDEN

VIDEO STUDY GUIDE

THE EPIC OF

EDEN

VIDEO STUDY GUIDE

Understanding the Old Testament

SANDRA L. RICHTER

Copyright 2014; second edition 2015 by Sandra L. Richter

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission, except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible®. Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Printed in the United States of America

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-62824-255-3

Mobi ISBN: 978-1-62824-256-0

ePub ISBN: 978-1-62824-257-7

uPDF ISBN: 978-1-62824-258-4

DVD (3-disc set) ISBN: 978-1-62824-146-4

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015949841

Cover Design by Nikabrik Design

Page design by PerfecType, Nashville, Tennessee

SEEDBED PUBLISHING

Franklin, Tennessee

Seedbed.com

SOW FOR A GREAT AWAKENING

To all the amazing people with whom I’ve had the privilege of exploring the frontiers of the Great Story—my seminarians at Asbury Theological and Wesley Biblical; the good people of RCP fighting the good fight throughout the great state of California; the remarkably dedicated laypeople from Memphis to Marietta, Killearn to Jackson, Old Bethel to Boston, Lexington to Lubbock, Houston to Haverhill, Asheville to Southborough; and of course my undergrads at Wheaton—may this study serve to expand your borders, build the kingdom, and bring the exiles home.

CONTENTS

Publisher’s Foreword

Acknowledgments

How to Use This Book

Week One: The Great Cultural Barrier

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five

Week Two: Redemption

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five

Week Three: Real Time and Space

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five

Week Four: Covenant

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five

Week Five: Treaty

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five

Week Six: God’s Original Intent

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five

Week Seven: God’s Final Intent

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five

Week Eight: Noah

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five

Week Nine: Abraham

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five

Week Ten: Moses

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five

Week Eleven: David

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five

Week Twelve: The New Covenant

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five

Group Session Guide

Bright Came the Word From His Mouth

Hear the music inspired by The Epic of Eden

Twelve original songs written and performed by Matthew Clark.

For more information visit matthewclark.net

PUBLISHER’S FOREWORD

Welcome to OneBook, the Bible study resource brought to you by Seedbed Publishing.

In all of the history of the world, one book stands in a category of its own; one book towers over them all. We’re referring, of course, to the Bible, the Word of God.

Unparalleled in truth and unmatched in wisdom, the Bible tells us the story of the world—from creation to new creation; it reveals the reality of God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and it teaches us what it means to be a human being, created in the image of God, broken by sin yet redeemed by grace, and destined for a life of profound purpose and deep meaning.

The Bible is worthy of our highest attention and deepest devotion. To be sure, it is a complex book—sixty-six books, written in three different languages, over the course of fifteen hundred years, across three continents, by more than forty authors. It is in the marvel of such complexity that we discover the miracle of its simplicity: from beginning to end, Genesis to Revelation, the Bible tells a single, unified story.

John Wesley famously said in the preface to his sermons,

I am a spirit come from God, and returning to God: just hovering over the great gulf; till, a few moments hence, I am no more seen; I drop into an unchangeable eternity! I want to know one thing—the way to heaven; how to land safe on that happy shore. God himself has condescended to teach me the way. For this very end He came from heaven. He hath written it down in a book. O give me that book! At any price, give me the book of God! I have it: here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be a man of one book.

We want to invite and inspire you to a lifelong study of the Bible. We want you to become a person of OneBook. We are determined to help you understand it and to read it for all it’s worth so that you will be equipped to fulfill God’s purposes for your life. This is not so much a book we seek to master as a book we seek to be mastered by.

We have carefully chosen teachers, men and women, who have given their lives to understanding Scripture and in the process have stood under its teaching. We have searched for people who love Jesus, who love the church, and who love others.

I am pleased to present to you our first release in the OneBook Collection—The Epic of Eden Video Study Guide: Understanding the Old Testament by Dr. Sandra L. Richter.

The Epic of Eden Video Study Guide: Understanding the Old Testament

The Old Testament makes up three-fourths of the Bible—a clear majority—and yet it is the least understood part of the Bible. Sandra Richter is one of the finest teachers of the Old Testament in the world. She has a way of teaching the Old Testament that brings it to life. As a result of engaging with her in this study of the Old Testament, you will come to a profound understanding of the New Testament and all that Scripture means for your life. She comprehends it from a deep place of faith and understanding and she has learned to teach it to ordinary people in extraordinary ways.

Richter is a wife, a mother of two daughters, a Harvard-educated scholar, a teacher, and a passionate, Spirit-filled preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ. She presently serves on the faculty of the esteemed Wheaton College in Illinois.

You are in for a treat over the course of the next twelve weeks as you study the Word of God together through this workbook and the video teaching sessions. It is our hope that you and your Epic study group will be richly blessed by this investment of your time.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This epic study of the Old Testament could not have been completed without the colossal investment of many people. Our gratitude goes to J. D. Walt, the sower-in-chief of Seedbed Publishing, for having and holding the vision to make this happen. To Andrew Miller, director of publishing at Seedbed, for the nuts-and-bolts leadership necessary to any task of this magnitude. To Ryan Staples for hours of filming and diligent (tedious!) editing of the DVDs. To Nick Perreault of Nikabrik Design for his commitment to detail in creating some amazing maps and charts (and always being willing to nudge Dothan just a little further to the west). To Jason and Mary Aycock for our pedagogical template and the first run at the written guides. To Kathy Noftsinger for her dedicated, fastidious, and creative investment in bringing the written guides and so much more to their current state of telos. To Don Swank, who indefatigably tracked down numerous images from ancient files and the far reaches of the Internet. To Holly Jones for her masterful project management. To Maren Kurek and Tammy Spurlock for their expert copy editing and proofreading skills. To Kristin Goble at PerfecType for her artful typesetting. To Matthew Clark, whose vision and heart have set this great story to music—music that he has so generously shared with us. To the studio audiences who courageously endured hours and hours of filming. To Tiffani Walt for her unending encouragement for this project and its team members. To Steve, Noël, and Elise who suffered through too many weekends away. And to every pastor and layperson who would not stop asking . . . our team is grateful to say that The Epic of Eden Video Study Guide: Understanding the Old Testament is at last available. Let the adventure begin!

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

Your Journey:

This study is designed to take participants on a journey into a deeper understanding of the Old Testament. Imagine traveling to a different place, a different time, and a different culture. We all come to this journey from different places—how much we already know about the Bible, our current time commitments, and the depth to which we want to dive into this study. With this in mind, we want to give you some categories to consider as you approach this book.

Your Self-Guided Tour (the Weekly Readings)

Participants may find it helpful (though it isn’t mandatory) to keep a notebook or journal for jotting questions, answers, or other notes as they complete their daily reading, view the videos, or share in the group discussion sessions.

Keeping your imagination on taking a journey, let’s consider that we are traveling to that distant region of the Fertile Crescent where the events you will learn about actually took place. Think of the daily readings as a self-guided tour at an excavation site where you can choose one or more of the following tools:

A camera: this is for the traveler who is unfamiliar with the territory. The traveler with a trusty camera wants to capture landscapes and portraits. We invite this user at a minimum to read the Into the Story section from each of the five days for the week along with the Scripture that corresponds to it. You may want to review the other sections as well, but do not feel obligated to answer all the questions. The goal here is to gain a better understanding of the broader story of the Old Testament as you gain a clearer picture into its culture and characters.

A rake: this is for the traveler who wants to take a closer look at the particulars on the ground. A sturdy rake allows you to get a sense of what lies beneath the surface. The goal here is not only to gain a better understanding of the Old Testament, but also observe some of the finer particulars of the story and characters by asking questions. We invite you to read the introductory word from the author at the beginning of each week, and to read each day in its entirety along with the Scripture. You are not required to answer all of the questions, but you should at least read and consider them.

A spade: The spade is a shovel with a pointed end that is good for digging into the ground. This is for the traveler who has a good grasp of the overarching story of the Old Testament, but really wants to gain a deeper understanding of the meaning, its connections to the New Testament, and its implication for what it means to be the people of God. We invite you to consider each section of the reading and carefully respond to them as is helpful. Dig in!

Your Expert Guide (the Videos)

The videos are best viewed after the weekly reading. The Week One readings correspond to the Session One video, Week Two readings