Learn what Samuel and Kings say through their own words and through the lens of their original contexts, and discover how they shape discipleship today. This two-course Kings of Israel Bundle will not only enrich your understanding of the Historical Books, it will also improve your exegetical skills. From the birth of Samuel to the exiles of Israel and Judah, these courses explore the textual and theological issues in these historical books.

Embark on a journey of OT Hebrew exegesis with Jason DeRouchie. The books of the OT were the only Scriptures Jesus had. It was books like Genesis and Deuteronomy, Isaiah and Psalms that shaped Jesus’ upbringing and that guided His life in ministry as the Jewish Messiah. It was these Scriptures that Jesus identified as God’s Word and that He considered to be authoritative; it was these Scriptures that He believed called people to know and believe in God and guarded them against doctrinal error and hell. This course will give you the tools you need to access meaning in the OT and then apply it to your life. It will help you to grow in reading God’s living Word for depth and not just distance.

Join David W. Baker on a whirlwind tour, looking at the Old Testament from many different angles and at how it relates to ancient Near Eastern literature. From creation accounts and stories of destruction to Wisdom literature, discover different biblical literary genres that have parallels in ancient Near Eastern literature. Explore extrabiblical historical texts that mention key events and figures from the Old Testament. Understand how Israel fits into and is impacted by its ancient Near Eastern environment, but also how it is separate and unique, mainly on a theological level, but also by its distinct worldview.

In an age of international travel and migration, we’re familiar with people who look, sound, eat, and believe differently than we do. In order to become friends, it’s helpful to understand where they come from and how they do things differently, or the same, as we do. In the same way it is necessary to understand someone who comes from a different place than we do, how much more necessary is it to understand someone who is from not only a different geographical place, but also a different time than we are? The Old Testament starts at the beginning of the world. This course will undertake the task of crossing the bridges of geography, climate, time, and a landscape unknown to us: ancient Israel. Throughout the course, David W. Baker will address aspects of life from our own culture and time, as well as family structure and societal systems from ancient Israelite life. As we learn more about the social world of the Old Testament, we will be struck not only by our differences, but also...