The Word Unleashed Tom Pennington

The Old Testament books of 1 and 2 Kings record the nation of Israel’s consistent disobedience toward God and His law and their repeated violation of the Mosaic Covenant that had been given on Mount Sinai. Because of their rebellion, the people faced many challenges and hardships, experiencing firsthand the curses God had promised for disobedience. But at their heart, 1 & 2 Kings describe a faithful and loyal God who desires to be gracious to sinners and to offer repentance, restoration, and salvation for all who come to Him.

Many Christians know that David wrote roughly half of the psalms recorded in the Old Testament. And most also know that David committed wretched sins that he repented of before the Lord. But fewer understand how the life, ministry, and kingship of David play a vital role in the story of the coming Messiah that unfolds in the Old Testament. The Scriptures teach that the Messiah would be a descendent of David and that He will reign forever on his throne.

The Old Testament books of Joshua and Judges record the highs and lows of the nation of Israel. On one hand, Joshua tells of God’s people finally entering the Promised Land, the land God covenanted to give to Abraham and his descendants forever. But soon after the conquest, Judges records that the people of Israel chose abandon God's Law and do what was right in their own eyes.

In one of the most remarkable scenes in the Old Testament, God gave His Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai. But these commandments are more than just external rules for God’s people to follow–they are internal, spiritual commands that every follower of God is required to obey from the heart.

The Book of Exodus records God’s interactions with Moses on Mount Sinai, which became the foundation and framework for life as the people of God. It was on Sinai that God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, His Law, and the sacrificial system. For the next two thousand years, the people of Israel would be intimately involved with God’s Law as the means to honor and worship Him and live separate from the pagan cultures around them.

The book of Exodus is the amazing story of God raising up of Moses to deliver His people, the nation of Israel, from slavery in Egypt and bring them to the Promised Land. But the task was not easy. Moses had to go up against Pharoah, the king of Egypt, to demand that he let God’s people go. In God’s providence, Pharoah's stubborn refusal put God's power on display and made His name known in Egypt and among the Israelites.