OLD TESTAMENT
HISTORY FOR SENIORS
THE UNFOLDING OF GOD’S
COVENANT PROMISE
“For the promise is unto you, and
to your children, and to
all that are afar off, even as many as
the Lord our
God shall call.” Acts
written by
1961
Adopted for use in the Protestant
Reformed Churches
by the Synod of 1961
FOREWORD
This catechism book is based upon the principle that
Genesis
We
have, therefore, divided the entire period from creation to the birth of Christ into five
periods, each period ending with a decisive victory for the church in the fulfillment of
this promise. These five victories are: the victory of the Flood, the victory of the
We have also emphasized in each period the Scriptural
truth that our covenant God remains faithful to His promise even though His church
constantly reveals herself to be unfaithful.
The workbook has been designed to help the child work
himself into the truth that he commits to memory.
We
wish to acknowledge the instruction of Rev. G. M. Ophoff, Professor in Old Testament
History in the
May
our covenant God so bless the instruction given through the use of this book that our
covenant youth learn to love the truth that, “It is not of him that willeth, nor of
him that runneth, but of God who showeth mercy.”
Romans
9:16.
Rev. J.A. Heys
PERIOD I
From Creation Through the Victory of
the Flood
LESSON 1
God Creates All Things
1. Quote the first verse of the Bible.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the
earth.”
2. Why is it so important that our Bible begins with this
verse?
Because it teaches us that God is eternal and that all
things were made by Him.
3. How did God create all things?
“He spake and it was done; He commanded and it stood
fast.” Psalm 33:9
4. Why did God create all things?
God created all things for the glory of His own name. Revelation 4:11
5. What important thing do we read about the creation of man?
Scripture states, “God created man in His own image.” Genesis 1:27
6. Was man made to be different from all other earthly
creatures?
Yes, man was made so that he could know God, talk with
Him, and love Him. Genesis 2:7b
7. How did God create man?
“The Lord God formed man out of the dust of the
ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of
life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7
8. What was Adam’s relation to the earthly creation?
He was its king under God. Genesis 1:26; Psalm 8:6-8
9. Where did Adam dwell?
In the garden of Eden, which was a picture of the heavenly
10.
What was in the midst of the garden?
The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil. Genesis 2:17, Genesis 3:24.
LESSON 2
The Gospel Promise
1. What had God said to Adam about the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil?
“Thou shalt not eat of it; for the day that thou
eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:17
2. Did Adam keep this commandment of God?
No, for he ate of the forbidden fruit which Eve gave him.
Genesis 3:6
3. Who tempted Eve to eat of this forbidden fruit?
Satan tempted her with the lie, “Ye shall not surely
die.” Genesis 3:4, 5
4. Did Adam and Eve know that they were guilty on account of
their sin?
Yes, for they knew that they were naked; and they made
themselves aprons of fig leaves. Genesis 3:7
5. How did God cover their nakedness?
The Lord God clothed them with coats of skin. Genesis 3:21
6. What was God’s curse upon
Satan?
“I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and
between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy
head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:15
7. What is so important about this Bible text?
It is the first announcement of the promise of the gospel.
8. Does the seed of the woman refer to all the children of
Eve?
No, God meant the elect believers and their spiritual
seed.
9. Whom does God mean by the seed of the serpent?
God means those who hate God and His church and are
sometimes in Scripture called “the world.”
I John 3:13
10.
How did God fulfill this promise?
He sent the Savior to deliver His people from the power of
Satan. Romans 16:20
LESSON 3
The Development of Sin
1. What became plain in the first two children that God gave
Adam and Eve?
That wicked Cain was of the seed of the serpent and
righteous Abel was of the seed of the woman.
2. How did Abel show that he was of the seed of the woman?
By faith he sacrificed a lamb to God. Genesis 4:4
3. How did Cain show that he was of the seed of the serpent?
He slew righteous Abel who loved God. Genesis 4:8
4. What was Satan’s purpose in the killing of Abel?
Satan attempted to keep Christ from being born.
5. How did God continue the seed of the woman after Abel’s
death?
God gave Adam and Eve another God-fearing son, whom they
called Seth. Genesis 4:25
6. Did the wickedness of the seed of the serpent manifest
itself again?
It surely did, for the wickedness of man was great in the
earth. Genesis 6:5
7. How great was this wickedness of man?
Every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart was
only evil continually. Genesis 6:5
8. Can you mention a man of Cain’s generation who showed
himself to be of the seed of the serpent?
Yes, wicked Lamech who boasted to his two wives of having
killed a man. Genesis 4:23
9. Mention one of Seth’s generations who was of the seed
of the woman.
Enoch, who walked with God. Genesis 5:24
10.
Did the seed of the woman serve God in their own strength?
No, “It is God which worketh in you both to will and
to do of His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13
LESSON 4
Salvation In The
1. Was the church very large at the time of the Flood?
No, there were only eight souls left that believed and
obeyed God. I Peter 3:20
2. How did Noah show his faith before the unbelieving world?
He showed his faith by building the ark as God had
commanded. Hebrews 11:7
3. What do we read of the wicked world of that day?
They lived in sin and acted as though the flood would
never come. Matthew 24:37-39
4. What did God do for His church in that day?
He saved His church from the wicked world by the Flood. I
Peter 3:20
5. What beautiful promise did God give to Noah?
God said to Noah, “With thee will I establish my
covenant.” Genesis 6:18
6. What does this promise mean?
That God would be his friend and would save him and his
family in the ark.
7. Did God keep this promise?
Yes, God destroyed all the wicked by the Flood and saved
only Noah and his family. Genesis 7:21-23
8. What more does this promise mean?
That God would save His church and send the Savior.
9. Why is this destruction of the wicked so important?
Because it is the first great deliverance that God gave to
His church. Genesis 3:15
10.
What more can be said of this destruction of the wicked?
It is the type of the final judgment of the world. Matthew 24:37-39
REVIEW
PERIOD II
The World After the Flood to the
Victory of the
LESSON 5
The Reappearance of Sin
1. How did sin reveal itself after the Flood?
Noah became drunken, and Ham delighted in his father’s
sin. Genesis 9:20-22
2. What does God show us by the sins of those whom He saved
by the Flood?
That the Flood was not the final victory over sin.
3. What great need did the believers feel because of their
sins?
They felt the need of the Savior to save them from their
sins. Hebrews 11:13
4. How did Shem and Japheth reveal that they were righteous?
They would not rejoice in the sin of Ham but covered their
father’s nakedness.
5. Is there anything that shows that Noah also hated his
sins?
Yes, afterward he blessed Shem and Japheth, but cursed
6. Did sin develop rapidly after the Flood?
Indeed, for the wicked soon rebelled against God by
building the
7. Why did they build this tower?
They wanted to stay together to remain a strong kingdom.
Genesis 11:4
8. How did God prevent this?
God confused their speech so that they spread over the
earth. Genesis 11:7, 8
9. Why did God scatter them and make separate nations?
So that His church might safely grow in this wicked world.
10.
Where do we find God’s covenant people from this time
onward?
The church will be found in Shem’s descendants and
later also in Japheth’s. Genesis 9:26, 27
LESSON 6
The Call of Abraham
1. Why did God call Abraham out of
To continue His covenant with Abraham and his seed in the
land of promise. Genesis 12:1
2. Was this according to the covenant promise which God spoke
through Noah?
Yes, for Abraham was a descendant of Shem. Genesis 9:26
3. Were the Canaanites a God-fearing people?
No, they were wicked descendants of Ham.
Genesis 10:1-20
4. Why, then, did God send Abraham to such a wicked country?
Because He wanted him to be a stranger in the land of
promise.
5. How did it become plain that God wanted him to be a
stranger in the land of promise?
Abraham had to wait for God to give him the land.
6. How did Abraham reveal his faith in God’s promise?
He refused to make friends with the wicked Canaanites.
Hebrews 11:9
7. How did Abraham show that he did not always trust God’s
faithfulness?
Twice he lied about his wife to protect himself. Genesis 12:10-13 and 20:1, 2
8. Did Abraham receive a son according to the promise?
Yes, God gave Abraham and Sarah a son in their old age. Genesis 21:1-5
9. Why did God make Abraham wait so long for this promised
son?
To show that the birth of Isaac was a wonder of grace.
10.
What did God say concerning Isaac?
In Isaac shall thy seed be called. Genesis 21:12
LESSON 7
The Covenant As Established with
Abraham
1. What important place did God give Abraham in the line of
the covenant?
God made him to be the father of all believers. Romans 4:12
2. What did God reveal to Abraham as the father of believers?
That his seed would be as the sand upon the seashore. Genesis 22:17
3. Who is this seed?
Christ and those who belong to Him by faith. Galatians 3:16; I Corinthians 3:23
4. How did God try Abraham’s faith in the promise?
God commanded him to offer up his only son, Isaac. Genesis 22:1, 2
5. How did Abraham reveal his strong faith in God’s
promise?
He believed that God could even raise Isaac from the dead.
Hebrews 11:17-19
6. What did God teach Abraham in this trial of his faith?
That God would provide Christ as the lamb that takes the
place of His people. Genesis 22:13, 14 and John
1:29
7. What sign of the covenant did God give to Abraham and his
seed?
The sign of circumcision, which today is replaced by
baptism. Genesis 17:9-14
8. How did Sarah insist that Isaac should receive the
covenant blessing?
She demanded that Ishmael be sent away. Genesis 21:9, 10
9. Why did Abraham send his servant to
Because he sought a God-fearing wife for Isaac.
10.
What did God reveal would happen to Abraham’s seed
before they received the promised land?
God told Abraham that his seed would be afflicted for four
hundred years in a strange land.
Genesis 15:13
LESSON 8
The Covenant People Multiplies
1. Were all the children born in the line of the covenant
elect children of God?
No, God shows us in the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah
that they were not. Romans 9:13
2. What did God declare of these sons in Romans 9:13?
“Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.”
3. How did Jacob try to obtain the birthright blessing?
By deceiving his blind father. Genesis 27
4. Why was this so wrong?
Because it showed that he was not trusting God.
5. What did Esau do after Jacob received the birthright
blessing?
He planned to kill Jacob as soon as his father died. Genesis 27:41
6. What did God promise Jacob in a dream when he fled from
Esau’s wrath?
To take care of him in
7. How did God keep this covenant promise to Jacob?
God gave to him his family and many possessions. Genesis 30
8. How did God assure him of continued blessings when he
returned to
God told Jacob that the covenant promise would be
fulfilled in him and in his children.
Genesis 28:13-15
9. How many sons did God give Jacob?
God gave Jacob twelve sons after whom the twelve tribes of
10.
What became plain again in the lives of these sons?
That God proves His faithfulness in spite of their sins.
LESSON 9
The Covenant People in
1. What very wicked thing did ten of Jacob’s sons do?
They sold Joseph as a slave into
2. Did God intend to bring evil upon Joseph?
No, although these brothers meant it for evil, God meant
it for good. Genesis 50:20
3. How did God show His favor upon Joseph in
God raised him from the position of a slave and from out
of prison to be a ruler in
4. Did these sons of Jacob show a different attitude towards
Joseph in later life?
Yes, they did when they confessed their sin to Joseph. Genesis 44:18ff.
5. What did Jacob do when he learned that Joseph was alive?
With God’s approval Jacob moved to
6. Why did God bring Jacob and his family to
God wanted to show His glory by delivering His people from
the cruel bondage of
7. How did God bring about this cruel bondage?
God raised up a wicked king who made the Israelites
slaves. Exodus 1:8-14
8. Of what was this bondage a picture?
Of the spiritual bondage of sin.
9. What else did God teach His people through this bondage?
God taught them that we obtain the covenant promises only
by a wonder of grace.
10.
What gave
God had promised to bring them back to
LESSON 10
Deliverance Through the
1. Whom did God prepare to deliver His people?
God prepared Moses for this work. Exodus 2 and 3
2. How did God prepare him in the first few years of his
life?
God spared his life and made it possible for him to be
taught in his parents’ home. Exodus 2:8-10
3. How do we know that God was preparing him in the king’s
court?
He learned the wisdom of the Egyptians in order to lead
God’s people. Acts
4. How was Moses further prepared?
He spent forty years in Midian as a shepherd. Exodus 3
5. How did God call Moses to the work of delivering His
people?
God spoke to him from the burning bush and gave him signs
to show Pharaoh.
Exodus 3:1-10 and 4:1-9
6. Was Pharaoh willing to let the people go?
No, God hardened his heart to show His power in him.
Exodus 7:4 and Romans 9:17, 18
7. How did God show His power in
God sent ten plagues to show Pharaoh that He is God.
8. What had God commanded Moses and
To keep the Passover. Exodus 12
9. Of what is the Passover a type?
Of the shedding of the blood of Christ upon the cross.
10.
What is so important about the deliverance through the
It marks the second great deliverance which God gave to
His church.
REVIEW
PERIOD III
Through Solomon’s Glorious Reign
LESSON 11
Rebellion in the Wilderness
1. What became plain from
That they were a rebellious people.
2. How did
By accusing Moses and Aaron of leading them into the
wilderness to die of hunger.
3. Why did they speak so evilly of Moses and Aaron?
Because they lusted after the food in
4. What sin did
5. How did God show His faithfulness?
He gave them manna from heaven and water from the rock.
Exodus 16:14, 15 and Exodus 17:6, 7
6. What remarkable victory did God give
7. What great sin did
8. To what did the sin of the golden calf lead?
To the sin of idolatry.
9. Did God destroy
No, for the sake of the elect remnant the nation was
spared.
10.
What does God prove in all this history?
That we are saved by grace and not by our works.
LESSON 12
1.
Why did God lead
To organize their whole life as a covenant people.
2. What did God give
The Ten Commandments and the civil and ceremonial laws.
3. What does God demand of us in these Ten Commandments?
That we shall love the Lord our God with all our heart,
with all our soul, with all our mind, and with
all our strength. Luke 10:27
4. What does the Law teach us concerning ourselves?
That we by nature are prone to hate God and our neighbour.
Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day II
5. How did God use the Law to teach
Through the Law God taught
6. What did God give
God gave
7. How did the tabernacle point to Christ?
The sacrifices in the tabernacle were types of Christ, who
died for our sins.
8. Why was the tabernacle called God’s house?
Because it was a type of God dwelling with His people.
9. How did God dwell with His people in the tabernacle?
In a cloud of glory in the
10. Did it become plain that
Indeed, for
LESSON 13
The Church in the Wilderness
1. What proved to be a turning point in
2. How did they show their unbelief?
They rejected the good report of Joshua and Caleb and
believed the evil report of the other ten spies.
3. Why was this an act of unbelief?
Because they did not trust God to fulfill His cove nant promise to
give them the land.
4. How did God punish this unbelief?
He caused
5. What happened during this period of forty years?
All above twenty years, with the exception of Joshua and
Caleb, perished in the wilderness.
6. What characterized this period of wandering?
It was a period of wicked murmuring and rebellion. Psalm 95:10
7. How did
Numbers 21
8. Mention another example of rebellion.
The rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram against Moses
and Aaron. Numbers 16
9. How did God punish
God sent fiery serpents which killed many of them. Numbers 21:8, 9
10.
How did God save them from these serpents?
God told Moses to lift up a brazen serpent upon a pole,
and those who looked upon it were saved.
Numbers 21:8, 9
LESSON 14
1. Why did God forbid Moses to lead
Because in his wrath against
2. What did this deed of Moses show?
That he was only a typical mediator.
3. <