Understanding

the
Old Testament
a narrative summary

by
David Nichols

2008
BookSurge Publishing
 CHAPTER 1:
IN THE BEGINNING
All was darkness and chaos until God said, “Let there be 1
light,” and the world as we know it came to be. God
continued the process of creation day by day until the land, sea
and sky had taken shape, and there were plants and creatures
living in them. On the sixth day, Adam (“the man” in Hebrew)
and Eve (“mother of all” in Hebrew) were created in God’s own
image, and in intimate partnership with each other. On the
seventh day, God rested.1
God looked at everything that was being created and saw how
good it was. Adam and Eve had an abundant supply of food in
the Garden of Eden, and the freedom to do almost anything they
wanted. The only thing they were required to do was to take care
of the world God had given them. The only thing they were
forbidden to do was to eat fruit from the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil.2
Unfortunately, Adam and Eve found themselves unable to resist
either the lure of the forbidden fruit or the lies of the snake that
told them this fruit would make them like God.3
Adam and Eve soon discovered the error of their ways. 2
Eating the forbidden fruit indeed gave them knowledge of
good and evil, but at a horrible price:
• It cost them their innocence, as they hastily covered
themselves out of shame at their nakedness;
• It cost them their joy, as they cowered in fear when
they heard God approaching;
• It cost them their integrity, as they blamed others for
the foolish choices each had made;

1
Genesis 1:1-25; 2:1-7; 2:22
2
Genesis 1:28-31; 2:15-17
3
Genesis 1:27; 3:1-4
16 | UNDERSTANDING THE OLD TESTAMENT

• It cost them their hope, as they were expelled from the

Garden into a wilderness of weeds and thorns; and,
• It cost them their immortality, as they were now denied
access to Eden’s tree of life.4
Though Adam and Eve suffered the consequences of their
actions, God did not simply abandon them. God’s compassion
was shown by making leather clothes to protect them from the
harsh environment in which they were now to spend their lives.5

3 Adam and Eve lived as best they could in the wilderness,

starting a family and rejoicing at the birth of their sons,
Cain and Abel. As time passed, however, problems arose. Abel
offered one of his animals as a sacrifice to God, and Cain offered
some of the crops he had grown. Abel’s offering was accepted
by God, but Cain’s offering was not. Furious that God favored
his brother, Cain lured Abel into a field and killed him. When
God asked where Abel was, Cain replied, “Am I my brother’s
keeper?” God told Cain he had better listen because his brother’s
blood was crying out to God for justice.6
God told Cain he would suffer the consequences of his actions
by leaving his family and going deeper into the wilderness. God
did not abandon Cain completely, but showed compassion by
placing a mark on him that would be a deterrent to any who
might seek to kill him in his travels.7
This was not a promising beginning for humanity, and the
generations that followed fared no better. God saw the extent to
which evil and wickedness were flourishing, and was deeply
grieved by it. Eventually, evil became so pervasive that God
decided to start over – not by creating a new world, but by
working through Noah, a good man who was willing to do

4
Genesis 3:7-23
5
Genesis 3:21
6
Genesis 4:1-10
7
Genesis 4:11-16
 IN THE BEGINNING | 17

everything God asked of him.8

God told Noah to build a huge ark in which his family and many
animals would be rescued from a cataclysmic flood. Although
what he was asked to do must have sounded ridiculous, Noah did
everything as instructed. Forty days of torrential rains followed,
turning Noah’s world into an ocean. When the floodwaters
receded, Noah came safely out of the ark with his family and the
animals. Everything was ready for a fresh start, and God said the
rainbow would be a perpetual sign that never again would such
destruction come upon the earth.9
God pronounced blessings on Noah and his family, telling them
to multiply throughout the earth and setting forth simple
conditions under which they were to live:
1. Don’t eat the blood of any animal; and,
2. Don’t shed the blood of any person.
Consuming animal blood and spilling human blood would be
considered an offense against God who gives life to all.10
The fresh start God gave Noah and his descendants soon 4
went awry. Noah planted a vineyard and celebrated the
wine he made by drinking so much that he passed out naked in
his tent. One of his sons, Ham, entered the tent, saw Noah’s
condition, and joked to his brothers about it. The brothers, Shem
and Japheth, discreetly covered their father’s nakedness. When
Noah discovered what had happened, his anger at his shameless
son boiled over into curses upon Ham and his descendants.11
As the generations came and went, the world that followed 5
Noah looked no better than the one that had preceded him.
In spite of God’s warnings about the shedding of blood, mighty
warriors like Nimrod were praised and honored. Others wanted

8
Genesis 6:5-12
9
Genesis 6:13-22; 7:1-24; 8:1-22; 9:1-17
10
Genesis 9:4-7
11
Genesis 9:20-25
18 | UNDERSTANDING THE OLD TESTAMENT

to make a name for themselves by building a tower in Babel tall

enough to reach the heavens. God put an end to that project by
giving the people different languages. Unable to make sense of
each other’s babbling, they separated into groups by language
and moved into different areas of the world.12
Noah’s descendants multiplied throughout the earth as God had
instructed, but in ways that led to misunderstanding and conflict.
God decided something new would have to be done if humanity
was ever to discover the goodness of life intended by God from
the beginning.

12
Genesis 10:8-32; 11:1-9
 IN THE BEGINNING | 19

Questions for Reflection/Discussion

1. As the world began, God addressed the darkness and
chaos by speaking words that brought transforming light
and order. Where in today’s world do we find darkness
and chaos still in need of transformation?
2. Adam and Eve paid a terrible price for giving in to the
lure of forbidden fruit and the lies of a deceiving creature.
What temptations and deceptions are people susceptible
to in today’s world? Why do people so easily make bad
choices?
3. After the senseless murder of his brother, Cain was told to
listen because Abel’s blood was calling out to God. Where
does the blood of innocent victims of war and violence
call out to God for justice today? Are we listening?
4. One of Noah’s sons found his father’s situation
entertaining; the other two sons did what they could to
restore their father’s dignity and respect. What can we do
to restore the dignity and respect of those who are the butt
of cruel jokes and taunts today?
5. Evil spread like wildfire in the generations that preceded
Noah and in the ones that followed him. Are there more
recent times in which evil has become pervasive? What
are some examples?