Old Testament Studies I

Dr. Keith Essex of The Master's Seminary teaches through the first half of the Old Testament, Genesis to Esther in the Hebrew canon's order: the Torah, the conquest and the kings, and the writings, read the way Jesus himself named them.

This course walks the Old Testament's first half book by book, Genesis through Esther, following the order of the Hebrew canon that Jesus named in Luke 24: the law, the prophets, and the writings. It begins with how to study the whole Bible, settles the Torah's purpose and shape, and then works through creation, the covenants with Noah, Abraham, and Israel, the exodus, Sinai, the wilderness, the conquest, the judges, the kings, and the writings that close the era.

Each lecture below is a full seminary class session, and each has its own page with the video, a study sheet that walks the lecture section by section, links to every Scripture passage discussed, key terms, a comprehension check, discussion questions, and a printable PDF.

Lectures by Dr. Keith Essex, embedded from The Master's Seminary's public channel.

Enrollment is free and optional, and takes a minute: let the church know you are studying.

All 34 lectures are ready.

  1. 01The Making of an Expositor: Why This Course Exists66 min
  2. 02Observation, Interpretation, Application: The Bible in Its Hebrew Order62 min
  3. 03Introducing the Torah: One Book, Nine Names, and the Stance Jesus Took50 min
  4. 04The Themes of the Torah, and the Search for Its Purpose58 min
  5. 05The Shape of the Torah: Three Divisions, Three Speeches, and the End of the Days43 min
  6. 06Genesis, the Book of Beginnings, and the Covenant with Noah36 min
  7. 07The Abrahamic Covenant: A Great Name, a Single Seed, and Blessing for Every Family57 min
  8. 08The Toledot of Genesis: Ten Generations, Two Halves, and the Man Without One50 min
  9. 09Reading Genesis 1 to 11 as History: Days, the Image, the Seed, and the Flood62 min
  10. 10Did the Patriarchs Live? Chronology, Shiloh, and How to Preach Narrative65 min
  11. 11Exodus Begins: Redemption, and the Name Israel Would Finally Experience48 min
  12. 12A Kingdom of Priests: The Covenant at Sinai and the Shape of Exodus54 min
  13. 13Interpreting Exodus: Pharaoh's Heart, the Bridegroom of Blood, the Plagues, and the Date60 min
  14. 14Leviticus: Living in the Presence of Yahweh45 min
  15. 15The Offerings: Five Sacrifices, the Worshiper's Own Hands, and the Assurance of Forgiveness27 min
  16. 16The Way to God and the Walk with God: The Shape of Leviticus and the Day of Atonement33 min
  17. 17Atonement, Azazel, and Strange Fire: The Questions Leviticus Raises57 min
  18. 18Numbers: In the Wilderness, Where Complaint Became Rebellion and Grace Still Held63 min
  19. 19The Camp, the March, and the Two Generations: How Numbers Holds Together52 min
  20. 20Three Million in the Wilderness? The Numbers of Numbers, and the Jealousy Ordeal51 min
  21. 21Balaam: The False Prophet Through Whom God Blessed Israel53 min
  22. 22Deuteronomy: The Words of Moses, and the God Who Chooses71 min
  23. 23Law Codes, Treaties, and the Speeches of Moses: What Kind of Book Deuteronomy Is71 min
  24. 24The Shema, the Shape of the Statutes, and What the Law Means for Christians78 min
  25. 25The Other Covenant: Deuteronomy 29 and 30, and the Heart God Must Change47 min
  26. 26Introducing the Former Prophets: One Story from Conquest to Exile67 min
  27. 27Joshua: The Land Taken, Given, and Waiting to Be Possessed70 min
  28. 28The Conquest, the Canaanites, and the Promise Kept and Still Waiting40 min
  29. 29Rahab's Lie and the Longest Day: The Hard Texts of Joshua63 min
  30. 30Introducing Judges: The Downward Spiral and the Covenant That Held69 min
  31. 31Why Judges Is in the Bible: Canaanization, the Coming King, and the Clock55 min
  32. 32Jephthah's Vow, and the Book That Should Have Been Named David42 min
  33. 33The Themes of Samuel: Anointed Ones, and the God Who Humbles and Exalts76 min
  34. 34The Demand for a King: Rebellion, Providence, and the Bookends of Samuel70 min

Start with Lecture 1

Why this course exists, and why the Bible in your own language is a gift: the orientation that sets the table for everything from Genesis to Esther. About an hour with your Bible open.