Need to make a distinction between creation story I (1:1-2:3) and creation II (2:4-). For example, in creation I: orderly creation by speaking the word, "let there be light," and the order of creation is: light first, then sky, land/sea, plants, sun/moon/stars, living things, creature, male and female in the image of God. God rested on the seventh day. In creation II: man was made first from the dust of ground, before creature, woman out of man’s rib, prohibited fruit of knowledge of good and evil.
	Noah’s vineyard: Noah started planting vine. He didn't know that he was naked when he drank wine too much. Ham didn't cover him, and he was cursed.
	Babel tower in ch. 11: scattering people by mixing of language. Is diversity a punishment or a blessing?
	Abram’s call in ch. 12. Tripled blessings and promise. I will make you a great nation, …and all the earth will be blessed through you.
	Abraham saves Lot, his nephew. *Melchizedek of king of Salem, priest of the Most High blesses Abraham.
	Abraham’s believing in God’s promise=rightousness in ch. 15.
	Covenant ceremony: split animals, smoking fire pot, ch. 15.
	Abram=>Abraham (father of nations), Sarai=>Sarah (mother of nations), ch.17.
	Abraham bargains with God, starting from 50, 45, 40, 30, 20 and finally 10 righteous men. There were not even 10 righteous men in that city.
	Lot and his wife, his two daughters, flee. His wife -> pillar of salt.
	Incest: Lot’s daughters wanted to maintain family line, so they slept with their father. First son named Moab, second son named Ben-Ammi
	Circumcision is the sign of covenant. Ch. 15.
	Abraham and Abimelech squabble over water at Beersheba.
	Sacrifice of Issac at Moriah. Ch. 22.
	Jacob wrestles at Jabbok with "man". Jacob named Israel. Altar=Peniel.
	Hamor rapes Dinah (daughter of Jacob). Revenged.

Sons of Israel :  Reuben  Joseph  Dan  Gad  Simeon  Benjamin  Napthali  Asher Levi    Judah  Issachar   Zebulon

	Judah cheats Tamar. *right of levirate marriage. Tamar also cheats him. Judah: "she is more in the right than I"
	Joseph and Potipar’s wife.
	Joseph places silver cup in Benjamin’s bags.
	Israel and family move to Egypt: 70 persons. Dwell in Goshen.

Exodus

	Ten plagues: pollution of Nile, frogs, gnats, filies, cattle plague, boils, hail and thunderstorm, locusts, thick darkness, death of first sons.
	The first Passover was in Egypt.
	Consecration of the first son. Ch. 13.
	Led by pillar of cloud, and pillar of fire.
	Song of the Sea=song of Miriam. Ch.15.
	God provides quail and manna.
	Jethro: Moses’ father-in-law, a priest of Midian, suggests a system of judging to help ease Moses’ burden of responsibility.
	10 commandments in ch.20. *also in Deutronomy 5.
	Three annual feasts: unleavened bread, harvest (weeks), ingathering (Succoth or Booths).
	Who is Moses? Of Levi, escape to Midian desert, marrying Zipporah, Jethro being his father-in-law, receiving the law at Sinai, first meeting God at burning bush.

Leviticus: Holiness code. Holy, be holy as I am holy.

	Kinds of offerings: burnt, cereal, peace, sin, guilt. But no love offering!
	Nadab and Abihu died, because of unauthorized offerings. (they are sons of Aaron).
	Day of atonement in ch. 16. Very important. Please read.
	The holiness code in 19:1, "You shall be holy for I am holy."

           Blood, neighbor, alien.

Sabbath year (7th): all rest. *Jubilee: 50th year. Return of property. Back to original condition to recovery. Jubilee is unique in Leviticus. Only appears here.

Numbers: they are marching, that’s why number is important(census), murmuring, before Canaan.

	1:1-10:10 Census, continuation of Leviticus at Sinai.
	10:10-36:13 Israel on the move.
	Miriam turned out leprosy why? because she blamed Moses’ marriage with Zipporah. Healed and comes back to tent after 7 days. Moses’ petition to healing. Moses’ humbleness.
	12 spies go into Canaan. Bad reports from 10, but only Joshua and Caleb only report good report. "if God is with us, we can…"
	Korah, Dathan, Abiram’s rebellion against Moses’ leadership. *jealousy.
	Moses’ mistake: striking the rock at Meribah Kadesh, desert of Zin.
	Aaron dies, his son Elezar takes over his priesthood.
	Moses’ bronze serpent on pole, everyone who see this is healed.
	Balaam’s story: Balaam hired by Balak, king of Moab, to curse Israel, but he didn’t. blessed instead. Know ass’s story. She-ass saw the angel of the Lord.
	Joshua to be Moses’ successor.

Deuteronomy: Moses’ farewell addresses in Moab

	theme: keeping the commands=prosperity. Opp=perish
	Sinai=Horeb
	10 commandments in 5:6-21.
	Shema ((am:$): Hear!!! 6:4- "Hear O Israel, ….you shall love your God with all your heart, mind and strength."
	Warning against self-righteousness, ch.9-10.
	ch.12-26 : Law code, note Sabbath year, cities of refugee, the levirate marriage, "the wandering Aramean was my father…" in ch.26.
	ch.27: the liturgy of blessing and curses on mts. Gerizim and Ebal.
	Moses speech: "I have set before you LIFE and DEATH.." in 30:19.
	The songs of Moses: 32:1-43.
	Moses dies at mt. Nebo. Nobody know his grave.
	"Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like ( ), whom the Lord know face to face. *Answer is Moses!

Historical Books: Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, I-II Chronicles, Ezra &Nehemiah, Ruth, Esther

Joshua: complete victory at Canaan and occupation of it. Allotment also.

	God promises to be with Joshua. "courageous and faithful" (1:5-9).
	Joshua sends 2 spies to Jericho.
	Rahab (harlot) hides 2 spies. Agreement made to save her and whole her household when Israel attacks Jericho. Crimpson cord is signal.
	The ark of the covenant step into the Jordan; Jordan river parted and Israel crossed over on the dry ground. 12 stones to mark the crossing, erected at Gilgal.
	The new generation of Israel is circumcised at Gilgal.
	The Fall of Jericho: how did it fall? Simple! Marching around the wall once a day for days, and on the seventh day march seven times. And shout!
	But fail at Ai, because Achan sinned, hid some valuable plunders.
	The Gibeonites trick Joshua by pretending they are foreigners. A Result is that they became hewers of wood and drawers of water.
	The sun stops: Joshua says, "Sun, stand still at Gibeon"
	Joshua divides up the land according to the tribe. But Levi does not have inheritance.
	Cities of refugee: to protect unintentional killers (homicide).
	covenant renewal ceremony at Shechem. "Choose this day whom you will serve . . . but as for me and my household we will serve the Lord." Ch. 24.

Judges: conquest was not complete according to this book (1:19-36).

A cycle of story in this book goes like this: Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord-> They are under of foreign power, suffering->God sends a judge to save them->Again, evil-> . . . .

	Recognize 21:25, "in those days Israel had no king…." Also very frequently the following phrase appears: "Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord"
	Deborah: woman judge. Working with Barak, fighting Canaan.
	Jael, a brave woman, kills Sisera (commander of Canaanite army) by tent pegs. Ohhop!
	Gideon fights Midianites, with jars, torches and trumpets, with 300 men. Why only 300 men? God does not want Israelites to say that they are strong, so they win.
	Jephthah’s daughter: o, poor girl. Because of her father’s careless vow, she became victim(?), she was offered for burnt offering.
	Samson: Nazirite vow. Slay 1000 men with jawbone of donkey. Delilah lures him. Fatal death and end. Blinded.

1 Samuel: Saul’s story

	Hannah is barren and she prays; Eli priest at Shiloh. Samuel is born and dedicated to the Lord, working under Eli’s charge.
	Samuel anoints Saul, the first king in Israel and also David to be king later.
	Saul: first king, loses favor of the Lord, try to kill David, kill himself at battle
	Jonathan: son of Saul, friend of David
	Michal: daughter of Saul and wife of David
	David: son of Jesse, youngest son, king to replace Saul.
	Goliath: philistine, killed by David.

2 Samuel: David’s reign

	David: laments Saul’s death. Anointed king of Judah at Hebron. Two years later anointed king of Israel. Brings ark of the covenant. Try to build temple but not allowed (thru Nathan the prophet). Bathsheba became his wife after killing her husband Uriah.
	Absalom’s coup (his son) attempted.
	Joab: David’s chief military commander, kills Abner, Absalom.
	Mephibosheth: Jonathan’s crippled son saved by David.
	Hiram, king of Tyre: supplies cedar, carpenters for David’s house and for Solomon’s work in his house and temple.
	Nathan: prophet to David. Ewe lamb parable.
	Abiathar and Zadok: David’s priests.

1 Kings

	Adonijah: son of David, wants to be king but killed by Solomon.
	(Adonijah was supported by Abiathar and Joab).
	Solomon: son of David (thru Bathsheba), king after David. Asking for wisdom. Builds temple. The end is evil. Following after wives’ foreign gods. Solomon was supported by Nathan and Zadok.
	Rehoboam: son of Solomon. Follows young men’s advice instead of old advisors. Northern tribes stood against him. So, divided into two kingdoms (Northern kingdom, Israel, and Southern kingdom, Judah).
	Jeroboam: first king of Israel. Evil.
	Ahab: evil. Jezebel is his wife. Association with Elijah.
	Jezebel: Phoenician. Evil. Plot to take Naboth’s vineyard. Try to kill Elijah. The end is terrible: the dogs eats up her body.
	Elijah: mt. Carmel, fight Baar priests. Fire comes to burn his offerings.
	Elisha: Elijah casts his mantle on him.

2 Kings

	Elijah: taken up into heaven with a chariot of fire and horses of fire.
	Elisha: Curing Naaman’s leprosy, who is commander of Aram.
	Gehazi: Elisha’s servant, takes money from Naaman and becomes leper.
	Hezekiah: king of Judah. Very good. Consults Isaiah. Become ill. Sign: "sun-dial"
	Isaiah: predicts Babylonian captivity.
	Josiah: king of Judah. Reforming king. Repairs temple. Book of law found in the temple. Religious reform. Passover re-instituted.

1-2 Chronicles: treat lightly. Because of overlapping contents found in Kings.

	Little attention to Northern kingdom.
	Nothing about Elijah and Elisha.
	Levites given much credit throughout.

Ezra & Nehemiah

	The edict of Cyrus, king of Persia -> Israel returns to rebuild temple.
	Under Darius of Persia, a second group comes to Jerusalem. Work supported by prophets such Haggai and Zechariah.
	Nehemiah: he was cupbearer to the king, returns to Jerusalem as governor, to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
	Nehemiah’s reforms: tithes, put away foreign wives.
	Ezra: the priest, brings the book of law. Contemporary of Nehemiah. Put away foreign wives.

Ruth

This is a beautiful story, developing around field and harvest and levirate marriage. Read it as a whole.

	Naomi is Ruth’s mother-in-law, who lost her husband and her two sons.
	Levirate marriage is custom in this story.
	Boaz: marrying Ruth. Becomes ancestor of David.
	Ruth: from Moab; Ruth’s adamant saying: I will go wherever you go; where you will die, I will die; where you are buried, I will be buried…

Esther

	Queen Vashti: refuses to appear at king’s banquet and is deposed as a result of king’s furor.
	Mordeicai: a Jew, a monor official, cousin of Esther, asking Esther to work for Israelites by approaching king (which means risking her life).
	Hamaan: high official. Want to get rid of Jews. Hanged.
	Esther: our heroine queen. Approached king. Hamaan’s Plot discovered. Saves her people.
	That is why Purim is established to mark this event.

Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel & Minor prophets: Amos, Hosea, Micah, Zephaniah, Nahum, Habukkuk, Haggai, Zechariah, Obadiah, Obadiah, Malachi, Joel, Jonah

Isaiah

	son of Amoz, at the times of king Uzziah, Ahaz, Hezekiah.
	song of vineyard (5:8); I planted best quality vine but produced bad.
	call narrative (6:1-8). The Lord is on throne. I am a man of unclean lips… cleaned by a live coal. Take a note of v.8: whom shall I send? Here I am. Send me."
	sign of Immanuel: 7:1-17
	a child is born: 9:6-7
	the branch from Jesse : 11:1-9. *also here peaceful garden where children can play with lions.
	Servant song (ch.40-55). Especially note: 53:3-6; 55:1-8.
	the spirit of the Lord is on me, to preach good news to (61:1-4)
	new heaven and new earth (65:17-25)

Jeremiah jailed and taken to Egypt

	Active in Jerusalem before, during and after the fall of Jerusalem.
	New covenant in ch.31.
	criticizing the lying prophets and priests (ch.5,7)
	call narrative: I am only a child.
	no wife and children.
	the image of potter and pottery (ch.18-19)
	lamenting his birth because of his hard time (suffering from his people).
	word like fire and hammer (23:28-32)
	bearing a yoke of bars: symbolizing slavery to Babylon.
	the story of the scroll (ch. 32): written, destroyed, and rewritten. Who is his scribe? Baruk.

Ezekiel exilic period, by the river Chebar, in Babylon.

	called "mortal"
	wheel within a wheel (1:16)
	eat scroll (2:8-9) also 3:1-3. Eat scroll is very unique expression.
	brick and siege. Iron plate. Lie upon your left side 390 days, …
	pack baggage and dig a hole through the wall (12:3-6): why? symbolically telling the fall of Jerusalem.
	Vision of the VALLEY OF DRY BONES (ch. 37). Lesson: Israel is recovered.

Daniel Dream interpreter, post-exilic, apocalyptic, written in Aramic.

	Daniel and 3 friends: Shadrach, Mesach, Abednego)
	Interpretation of dream: statue (gold, silver, bronze, iron and clay). Empires.
	Three friends cast into fiery furnace. But safe and give glory to God.
	Handwriting on the wall: Mene Mene Tekel Parsin. "your days are numbered.."
	Daniel cast into Lion’s den but safe. Daniel was praying regularly.
	Daniel’s dream about 4 beasts.
	recognize verses: like a son of man with the clouds (7:13); come to everlasting life (12:2)

Amos ah! justice and justice, for the poor, he was among the shepherds of Tekoa, sycamore tree. Criticized the wealthy, a wrong concept of the day of the Lord.

	5:24: "Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."
	Amos is from Judah but goes up to North (Israel), facing Amaziah high priest. (7:7-10)

Hosea whoredom and gomer

	infidelity of Israel
	3 sons named after prophetic messages.
	recognize 11:1-3; 13:14

Micah, you should love kindness, walk humbly with God (6:8)

Ruler will come from Bethlehem (5:2). Messianic connection.

Zephaniah

I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord (3:9)

Nahum

Oracles against Nineveh

Habakkuk questions, why are the wicked prosperous?

"The righteous will live by their faith" 2:4

Haggai silver is mine, and the gold is mine… rebuild temple.

Zechariah

A contemporary of Haggai, your king rides on a donkey! Messianic image.

Obadiah Indictment of Edom

Malachi

My messenger! "Elijah will come again, before the great and terrible day of the Lord." 4:5-6

Joel like noel song, we sing joel, joel, because God pours out his spirit on all flesh. (2:28)

Jonah joking about God. Then I ran away to Tarsis. I don’t like Neneveh. They are my enemy. I did not know how much I was so stingy and a narrow-minded person.

Psalms & Wisdom literature

Psalms

Whenever you are in a worship service, carefully learn which psalms are used. Know them by heart. The most important psalms are: 1, 8, 22, 46, 51, 84, 90, 91, 100 and 137.

During your devotional time, read psalms.

Proverbs proves the system of reward and punishment.

be familiar with following verses:

         3:6, 9:10, 15:1, 16:9, 22:6, 22:1, 25:21-22

some verses contain PERSONIFIED WISDOM. (1:20, 3:17, 8:1-36, 9:1-6, 16:1, 31:10-31

Ecclesiastes vanity, vanity, vanities, I know because I experienced all.

A little dark color of wisdom: for example, "better to go to the mourner’s house than to feasting house" "death is better than birth"

identify the following verses:

         1:1-3, 7-8, 14-16, 18; 3:1-9; 5:5, 12; 7:1-2; 10:19; 11:1; 12:1

Song of Solomon

A lyric love poem, no god is mentioned like Esther.

Look at special language:

      "My beloved is like…"

      "Make haste, my beloved, .."

      "I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys"

      "…for love is strong as death, jealousy is cruel as the grave."

Job

	Basically, this book talks about human suffering in a different way. Namely, it is against deuteronomic view of blessing and punishment. This book seems to tell us that there is no clear reason why the innocent are suffering. Rather, a deeper level of our relationship with God must be placed upon us among any other things.
	Focus on the plot how it happened (heavenly meeting with satan,...), and how his four friends came to tell him what? What was its final product of all this process?

NEW TESTAMENT

        Synoptic Gospels

Mark. mark this is a kind of the early gospel, written around 68-73 C.E, the time of the Roman-Jewish war (66-70 C.E).

	Audience: Christians facing persecution.
	Human condition: self-centered (saving life, being great, power over)
	Vision: other-centered
	Jesus: ‘son of man’ messianic secrecy, limited authority
	Disciples: afraid, do not understand, want power
	purpose of writing: to empower fearing Christians

HOW TO BEGIN

Jesus appears as adult and identity as messiah is unknown.

HOW TO END

	ends in failure and fear as women flee from the grave.
	ending at 16:8 (short ending), longer ending is after 16:9.

UNIQUE CONTENT

	1:15,  "The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand"
	3:17,  Boanerges = sons of thunder (James and John)
	2:27-28, "The Sabbath was made for man"
	4:11, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God"
	8:34-35, "For whoever would save his life will be lost it…"
	14:51, young man who left the linen cloth and ran away.

UNIQUE HEALINGS                     

	Deaf and dumb man, "Ephphatha, be opened" 7:34
	Blind man of Bethsaida: "I see men, but they look like trees, walking" (8:22-26)

UNIQUE PARABLE

The seed growing secretely (4:26-29)

Matthew Jesus as royal Davidic King, great teacher, judge

	Date: 80-90C.E.
	Audience: Christian Jews in conflict with Pharisees
	Human condition: blind hypocrisy
	Vision: follow law with integrity, leading to society of righteousness
	Jesus: royal figure who fulfills the law and prophets, teacher, publicly known, founds the church, model of righteousness
	Disciples: model of discipleship, understand, little faith, commissioned

HOW TO BEGIN:

	royal genealogy (from Abraham to Joseph)
	infancy narrative: wise men, Herod’s plot to kill Jesus, fleeing to Egypt

HOW TO END:

disciples commissioned on mountain in Galilee

UNIQUE CONTENT

	Sermon on the Mount (especially 5:1-12 & the Lord’s prayer 6:9-13)
	check the difference with Luke’s sermon on the Plain. for example, blessed are those who are poor (Luke)

	Peter on the water (14:28-33)
	Peter’s confession at Caesarea Philippi. Peter (Petroj) = rock, "I will build my church"
	picture of last judgment: sheep and goats (25:31-46)
	death of Judah: potter’s field (27:3-10)

UNIQUE MIRACLE AND HEALING

	Tax in fish’s mouth (17:24-27). Go to Michigan Lake and try it, whether you can find      coin in fish's mouth.
	Two blind men: have mercy on us, Son of David! (9:27-31)
	Dumb demoniac

UNIQUE PARABLES

	weeds in the wheat (13:24-30)
	the kingdom of heaven is like: mustard seed, leaven, hidden treasure, pearl of great value,
	net thrown into the sea (13:31-50)
	unforgiving servant (18:23-35)
	laborers in the vineyard (20:1-16): "the last will be first and the first will be last"
	two sons (21:28-32) "which of the two did the will of his father?" "tax collectors and
	prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you"
	marriage feast and wedding garment (22:1-14): a king preparing a feast. "For many are called but few are chosen"
	Ten wise and foolish virgins (25:1-13), "keep awake therefore, for you know neither    the day  nor the hour"
	Talents: 5, 2, and 1 talent. Cf.: pounds (same amount) in Luke
	Last judgment (25:31-46)

Luke very like social gospel (like Amos)

	Date: 80-90 C.E
	Audience: predominantly Gentile Christians or Gentile God-fearers
	Human condition: society without mercy, iniquities in wealth and power
	Vision: society with mercy, sharing of wealth, use of power to serve
	Jesus: devoted to God first, came to seek and save the lost, prophet’s tragic death.
	Disciples: 12 and 70 sent out

HOW TO BEGIN

	Lowly Jesus (manger),
	Infancy narrative: Elizabeth, Zechariah,…annunciation to Mary, shepherds in the field,   magnificat, Simeon and Anna the prophetess

Roman events (emperor Augustus, registration at hometown), orderly account as historian

         (I examined the past)

HOW TO END

	Jesus explains scripture (24:46-49)
	shows necessity of suffering (24:25-26)
	on the road to Emmaus (24:13-32), disciples’ eyes were opened when Jesus gave . .. Commissioning in Jerusalem, promise of Spirit.

UNIQUE CONTENT

	teaching of John the Baptist (3:10-14) "share tunics, be content with your pay"
	genealogy of Jesus: from Joseph to Adam.
	Christ rejected at Nazareth (4:16-30), reading the scroll of Isaiah, "the spirit of the Lord is on me"
	sermon on the plain (6:20-49): blessed are you who are poor (not in spirit), blessed are you who hunger now, blessed