Old Testament Bible Lessons

This course is a series of Bible lessons on the Old Testament designed for older (middle school) children. Each lesson is about 20 minutes in length. The video portion of each lesson is accompanied by a Lesson Guide containing quizzes and test questions. The Lesson Guide is available in pdf format and can be downloaded or printed out for the student to complete in class. This course is very well suited for both home schools and private Christian schools worldwide, though it is primarily designed for use in a group setting. Parents and teachers can provide additional guidance to supplement these lessons and Bible knowledge tests, if desired.

Lessons

Lesson Number Title Summary
1 The Bible The book in your hand is a guide to help you study the Bible and to open for you, with God’s blessing, the beautiful riches contained in Scripture. However, before we begin to study the books of the Bible, we should first understand what the Bible is.
2 Creation Many ungodly people believe that the world came into existence by accident. This accident is given the name evolution.
3 Man In Genesis 1, God gave us a general overview of the days of creation. In Genesis 2, God draws our attention to a special part of His creation. He gives us greater detail about the creation of man. God made man in a special way.
4 A Gracious Promise The most disastrous event in the history of mankind is told to us in Genesis 3.
5 Cain and Abel Cain killed Abel. We are told that Abel’s blood cries from the ground. What does it cry?
6 Noah Even though God was just to be angry with humanity, He would still manifest His grace. First, we see it manifested in Noah.
7 The Flood and Judgement The destruction of the world before the flood is a picture of the judgment that shall take place in the last days. All those who set their hearts against the Lord will perish.
8 The Noahic Covenant Through Noah, God established a covenant with the whole earth. The promise made to Noah, extended not only to his family and his seed, but to “every living creature that is with you.” (Gen. 9.10)
9 The Tower of Babel Mighty as Nimrod was, there was one mightier than him. Try as he might, Nimrod’s plan came to ruin.
10 The Calling of Abram This lesson introduces us to the third major historical figure in Genesis – Abram. The first major individual was Adam.
11 Abram and Lot After his experience in Egypt, (Gen. 12) Abram returned to the land of Canaan. What a joy it must have been to return to the land of promise!
12 Melchizedek After Abram delivered Lot from captivity, he is met by a man named Melchizedek. By the number of lines that speak of Melchizedek, it might appear that Mechizedek is not an important figure.
13 Righteous by Faith After returning from defeating Chedorlaomer and rescuing Lot, the king of Sodom offered Abram the goods he had obtained in the raid.
14 Two Sons In Genesis 15.4 God said to Abram, “he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.” Abram and Sarai, because they were married, were as one.
15 Lot’s Wife What was it that caused so much trouble in the life of Lot? How many troubles came into Lot’s life because he chose to live in Sodom?
16 Abraham Deceives It is a remarkable thing we read in Genesis 20. Here we find Abraham deceiving the king of Gerar. He gave the king to believe that Sarah was his sister and not his wife.
17 Abraham Tested The testing of Abraham was not the only reason God told Abraham to offer Isaac. God desired to reveal something more of the way of salvation.
18 Isaac and Rebekah It is incredible to think that Isaac is the son of promise, but that very little is detailed in Scripture concerning him. One event that the Lord desires for us to consider is how Isaac obtained a wife.
19 Jacob’s Desire Jacob, although not a perfect man, was different than his brother. He was a “plain man”. The world did not draw him.
20 Jacob the Deceiver It is amazing that we read the name of Jacob in Hebrews 11- “By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.” (Heb. 11.21)
21 God Preserves Jacob Isaac blessed Jacob with the blessing that Abraham received of God (Genesis 28:4).
21 God Preserves Jacob (Part 2) Isaac blessed Jacob with the blessing that Abraham received of God (Genesis 28:4).
22 Jacob Returns to Bethel When Jacob fled from his brother Esau, the Lord had come to him, saying “I am with thee” (Genesis 28:15). Upon hearing these words, Jacob made a vow.
23 Joseph Loved – Joseph Hated The events recorded in Genesis 37 focus our attention on a new figure wherein God opens more fully His redemption.
24 An Eye upon God At first it might appear that Genesis 38 interrupts the history of Joseph. In reality, it acts as a point of com- parison between Judah and Joseph.
25 Joseph Raised Out of Prison One day, while Joseph was in prison, two other men were sent to prison. Who were these men?
26 Joseph and His Brethren The events related in these chapters of Genesis are indeed beautiful. It is a story of brothers, once at enmity, brought together again in bonds of love.
27 Jacob Comes to Joseph Joseph endured much suffering in this life. However, that suffering was not purposeless.
28 God Heard Their Cry Joseph had done much good for Egypt. Seeing that God was with Joseph, Pharaoh had respect for Joseph.
29 Moses and the Burning Bush As Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro (called Reuel in Exodus 2), he saw something amazing. He saw a bush burning, but not consumed.
30 Let My People Go The wicked are like Pharaoh, they do not respect the Word of the Lord.
31 Deliverance Nine plagues came upon Egypt. Yet in those plagues the heart of Pharaoh had not been moved.
32 God’s Patience with a Complaining People There is no clearer evidence of the need for the Spirit’s work upon the heart than Pharaoh.
33 Keeping the Law: Not to Merit but to Show Thankfulness The Ten Commandments, given by God, are a display of His goodness and mercy.
34 The Lord Dwells Among His People In the world there are different views of God. Some believe that God cannot be known.
35 A Priest for the People It was a beautiful thing the Lord had done, to place the Tabernacle among His people. A place of reconciliation for all Israel to see, no matter where they encamped.
36 Moses Intercedes for a Rebellious People God delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt. He brought them through the Red Sea. What was the reaction of Israel? Were they thankful? Did they walk in the ways of the Lord?
37 Worshiping God Rightly God delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt. He brought them through the Red Sea. What was the reaction of Israel? Were they thankful? Did they walk in the ways of the Lord? Sadly, no, for while...
38 Walk Not According To The World When answering a question about who would be saved, Jesus related what would happen to some of those that confessed him with the mouth: “I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye...
39 Hearts of Ingratitude Numbers is the fourth book written by Moses. It gets its name from the command of God to Moses found in Numbers 1:2, “Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel.” The...
40 Aaron’s Rod Blossoming Numbers 15 opens with an incredible statement by the LORD. What are those words? It is this, “When ye be come into the land of your habitation, which I give unto you” (Num. 17:2). What is so...
41 The Serpent of Brass Lifted Up If you have read Numbers 21, you may have noticed that Nicodemus’s name is not mentioned one time in the chapter. Perhaps you wondered why a section of a lesson on the book of Numbers would be...
42 Phinehas: Turning Away God’s Wrath Balak was the king of the Moabites, when Israel arrived at the Jordan Valley, after forty years in the wilderness. Seeing how the Israelites had defeated the Amorites, Balak was filled with fear....
43 Cities of Refuge The forty years in the wilderness is almost accomplished. The children of Israel would soon cross into the land of Canaan—the land of promise. In preparation for the day that was fast approaching,...
44 A New Generation Deuteronomy is the fifth and final book of Moses. Moses, the man whom God chose to deliver his people from slavery in Egypt; Moses who, because of the disobedience of the people, guided them in...
45 Moses’ Last Days Moses, as God’s instrument, had done much for the children of Israel. He stood before Pharaoh to defend the Lord’s people. He led them forth from Egypt and across the Red Sea. He brought them the...
46 God's Promise Fulfilled The Bible is God’s revelation of himself and his salvation to fallen mankind. This lesson provides an overview of the Book of Joshua and the faithfulness of God in bringing his people into the...
47 A Promise to Rahab This lesson looks into the story of Rahab and how she rescued the Israelite spies sent into Jericho by Joshua. They promised to rescue her as well, and God honored that promise, for He is merciful...
48 The Rise of the Judges The Book of Judges tells the stories of the next generation of Israelites after Joshua died. They did not keep the oath of their fathers to serve the Lord, and God chastised them with terrible...
49 Gideon - God With Him God chooses the weak things of this world to show his power. In his mercy, God raised up Gideon to deliver the Israelites from the tyranny of their enemies. This lesson tells Gideon’s story and his...
50 Samson In this lesson, we look into the life of Samson, who God raised up as a judge of Israel. He was mighty in physical strength, and did many powerful feats, but led a sinful life. In this story, we...
51 Ruth the Moabitess The story of Ruth is a story of devotion and faith. In this story, we can see the mercies of God in bringing this young pagan woman into his household of faith, and how he used her in His great...
52 Samuel Judges Israel We begin our journey through the books of Samuel with the story of a woman who prayed for a son, and promised to give him to the service of the Lord. We also learn of the power of God, when Israel...
53 Israel's First King The people of Israel were not happy to have God ruling over them. They wanted a king. This is the story of how God, in his mercy, gave them their first king, and how the kingdom of Israel began.
54 The Kingdom Established The first king of Israel was Saul, a man who would not obey the Lord. He led Israel into wars against the pagan nations around them, but he could not be successful because he disobeyed God, and did...
55 David Anointed the Next King This is the story of David, the shepherd boy, who God raised up to be the next king of Israel. He was a man after God’s own heart. Anointed by Samuel, he killed the giant Goliath with a sling, and...
56 David Hunted by Saul David had been anointed by God to be King of Israel, and because of that, Saul wanted to take his life. So David fled into the wilderness to hide out, and 400 men came to be with him. While there,...
57 The Last Days of Saul Saul continued to show his hatred for God, and David fled to live under the Philistines. But while there, he secretly continued to protect and defend the people of God. Then there was a great war...
58 David, the Next King Saul was dead, and David was crowned king of Judah and Benjamin. The kingdom was divided for a while, and there were many years of war between David and the followers of Saul. Here are the stories...
59 Fetching the Ark So where was the ark? The Philistines had sent it back to Gibeah, and King David went to get it. Here are the stories of how that was done, and how David wanted to build a house for God, and the...
60 Thou Art the Man Since the fall of Adam and Eve, sin affects us all. This lesson shows that even David fell into grievous sin. Did David repent? Did God forgive him? Here is the story of how he tried to hide it,...
61 David’s Return to Jerusalem This lesson tells how Absalom, David’s son, tried to take away the kingdom, how David and his followers fled into the wilderness, and how they were brought back to Jerusalem. What a terrible time...
62 Seven Sons of Saul Killed Saul had been a wicked king, and he persecuted the people of Gibeon. Even though Saul was dead, and David was on the throne of Israel, God held Israel accountable to see that justice was done. This...
63 The Genealogies of Israel Now we jump over the Kings to look at the First Book of Chronicles, to complete the stories of David. But why these genealogies from Adam up through to the captivity? This lesson tells the reason...
64 David Appointed King This lesson reviews the death of Saul, and how David was made King. It tells us how David was loved and supported by the people, and even by other nations, and gives us insight into the heart of...
65 David’s Kingdom Established King David desired to have the ark of the covenant near him. This lesson gives details on how the ark was brought to Jerusalem from Gibeon, and the troubles that happened on the way. We see David’s...
78 Introduction to the Prophets It is time for us to look at all those books in the middle of the Bible that were written by the prophets. There are larger books, like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel, and there are the smaller books...
79 Isaiah's Vision and Song The first and largest of the prophetic books is the book of Isaiah. Isaiah was the son of Amoz. Isaiah prophesied during the reign of the kings Uzziah (also called Azariah), Jotham, Ahaz, Heze-...
80 Isaiah Prophesies about Christ The prophecy of Isaiah is sometimes called a Bible within a Bible. It has 66 chapters, the same number as the amount of books in the Bible. There are 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in...
81 The Prophet Jeremiah Called and Sent Not long after the death of the prophet Isaiah, God called Jeremiah to sound God’s final calls of warning to the people of Judah, before he would have to bring destruction upon them for their sins....
82 Jeremiah Opposed and Comforted What Jeremiah had feared, and the Lord had forewarned, came true. Jeremiah experienced much opposition, hatred and abuse for his faithful witnessing. In Jeremiah 11:21 we even find the people of...
83 Ezekiel, the Captive Prophet Ezekiel was one of those taken captive to Babylon when Israel and Judah were defeated. Judah was in a terrible state, but Jerusalem had not yet fallen. Even after all this devastation, the people...
84 Ezekiel’s Comforting Visions In this lesson we look at how God sends comforting words to his people of Judah, who are now in captivity in Babylon. First they were themselves conquered and carried away as slaves, and now they...
85 Daniel and His Three Friends When Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah, many of the best young men were carried off to Babylon to be trained for three years to serve in King Nebuchadnezzar’s court, and they were commanded to eat the...
86 Daniel—Nebuchadnezzar’s Forgotten Dream King Nebuchadnezzar had a frightening dream, but he could not remember what it was about. So he called all the magicians, astrologers, and sorcerers to tell him the dream and interpret it, but they...
87 Daniel—The Three Friends in the Fiery Furnace Have you ever seen a furnace? Or a great fire? Well, King Nebuchadnezzar had a great furnace with a huge fire to make it very hot to melt metals like silver and gold. He decided to make himself a...
88 Daniel—Nebuchadnezzar’s Madness The city of Babylon was great, with many beautiful buildings and towers, and a very thick wall protecting it. Babylon was very powerful and they conquered many nations. So King Nebuchadnezzar...
89 Daniel—The Writing on the Wall Nebuchadnezzar, is no longer alive, but many years ago when he conquered Jerusalem, he had taken the holy vessels from the Temple in Jerusalem, and brought them to Babylon. Now the new king is away...
90 Daniel in the Lion’s Den Now under the rule of Darius the king of the Medes and Persians, Daniel has many enemies in the new kingdom who are jealous of his authority. He was too honest, too trustworthy, and he would be a...
91 Daniel’s Visions and Dreams This lesson looks at several visions which God gave to Daniel to tell the future of the kingdoms of the world. Great nations would be raised up as mighty and powerful forces in the world, and other...
66 David Prepares for the Temple In lesson 62, we told you a little bit about the time when David numbered the people and 70,000 people died. Here in I Chronicles 21, we have more details about what happened. Satan had stirred up...
67 David’s Departing Instructions David planned everything for the temple before he died. In a solemn assembly, David and his captains selected three men and their sons to play on harps, psalteries, and cymbals. This music was not...
68 Solomon Becomes King David had become old, and soon a successor would be needed. Solomon was the heir appointed by God to be the next king of Israel, but Adonijah, his half-brother, wanted to be king, and he conspired...
69 Solomon Builds the House of God The temple which Solomon built as a house for the Lord was beyond compare in many ways. Every detail was carefully planned, no effort was withheld, and the cost of the materials was without limit....
70 The Kingdom is Rent After Solomon died, all Israel came to Shechem to make Solomon’s son Rehoboam king. Jeroboam came with his men also, and said that if Rehoboam would treat the people kindly, they would not rebel....
71 A Wicked Divided Kingdom This lesson teaches us how dangerous idolatry is. Both of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were worshipping idols, and King Ahab’s wife Jezebel even built a temple to Baal. But here is the story...
72 Ahab’s Reign and Death Queen Jezebel wanted to kill the prophet Elijah, but God protected him and hid him from her. This lesson includes stories of the wicked acts of Ahab and Jezebel, and how God brought a just end to...
73 Elisha Begins His Work This lesson tells of the prophet Elijah calling down fire from heaven to consume troops of soldiers who wanted to arrest him. It tells how Elijah called Elisha to take his place, and how Elijah...
74 Elisha’s Voice is Heard The prophet Elisha worked many miracles which made people listen to him, but still the idolatry continued in Israel. In this lesson, we have the story of how Elisha had Jehu anointed king and told...
75 A Succession of Kings This lesson tells of all the kings in Israel and Judah. All the kings of Israel were wicked, and only a few in Judah were good, and here are some of their stories, and the end of the northern...
76 Ahaz and Hezekiah They were both kings of Judah, one the father, the other the son, but they were very different—one was a very evil king, the other a very God-fearing king. In this lesson, we will consider the...
77 The Captivity of Judah Hezekiah’s son, Manasseh, was a very evil king. He led the people of Judah back into idolatry and wickedness, so God sent the Assyrians to conquer Judah. They captured Manasseh, put him in chains,...
92 Ezra - Return from Captivity In previous lessons, we’ve seen how both the northern tribes of Israel and the southern tribes of Judah were invaded and carried off into captivity, just as God’s prophets had foretold. In this...
93 Ezra - Rebuilding the Temple We learned in the last lesson how, in God’s providence, King Cyrus not only allowed, but supported the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. Now we will see how it went when they returned. They...
94 Ezra - The Scribe We’ve seen how the temple at Jerusalem was finally rebuilt by the captives who returned. Now God caused King Artaxerxes to send Ezra to Jerusalem with much silver and gold to supply the temple and...
95 Nehemiah - Rebuilding the Walls The temple has been rebuilt, and the priesthood and Levitical offices set up, but the walls around Jerusalem were still a pile of rubble. When Nehemiah heard about this, it made him very sad, even...
96 Nehemiah, the Task Completed Nehemiah faced many adversaries when he came to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. They did everything they could to discourage the work, trick Nehemiah, ambush and even assault the workers. They even...
97 Esther the Queen This book takes us into the lives of the Jews living in exile in the land of Persia, and into the royal courts of the King Ahasuerus. God’s name is not mentioned once in this book, and yet the book...
98 Esther — Haman’s Plot Everywhere God’s people go, there God’s enemies will seek to do them harm. In this lesson, we learn of an age-old enemy of God’s people who tries everything he can to destroy them. The dark forces...
99 Esther — The Jews Saved In this lesson, we see how God’s providence was at work, putting a Jewish girl on the throne of Persia, and making her uncle a hero. You will be surprised at the end of this story, and the glory...
100 Hosea — the Minor Prophets Now we will take a look at the Minor Prophets, and one man who God called to do some rather unusual things in order to give a message to warn his people of their impending doom. God is like that,...
101 Joel and the Day of the LORD There is a dreadful destruction coming on the land of Judah, as shown by the prophecy of Joel. But it is not an army of invading warriors that God is sending to destroy the land. It is plagues of...
102 Amos the Fearless Herdsman This was a time of great prosperity in Israel, and the rich people were enjoying life to the full, but the poor of the land were robbed and lived in misery. There was no justice or righteousness in...
103 Obadiah Prophesies Edom’s Fall Back in Genesis, you will remember that Jacob and Esau were twins. Jacob went on to serve the Lord, but Esau went the way of the world. Esau became a great nation, called Edom. Over the years, the...
104 Jonah’s Flight Everyone has heard of the story of Jonah and the whale. This lesson takes us a lot deeper into the story. We will learn how Jonah came to be thrown into the ocean and swallowed by a great fish. Why...
105 Jonah’s Mission The great city of Nineveh was about to be destroyed because of their wickedness, and God sent Jonah to tell them to repent. Why didn’t Jonah want to go? What happened when he got there? This lesson...
106 Micah Preaches Judgment and Mercy The next minor prophet we are considering is Micah, who lived at the same time as Isaiah. Micah was called to especially point to the idolatry of the leaders of Judah, their covetousness, fraud,...
107 Nahum, a Message for Nineveh Do you remember when God sent Jonah to Nineveh and called them to repent or be destroyed? They did repent in those days, and God spared them, but over a hundred years later, they had become more...
108 Habakkuk’s Questions, God’s Replies Here now was a prophet who had a tender heart towards the coming destruction of Judah. It was a time of terror and terrible grief, but Judah’s idolatry, Sabbath breaking, and covetous were worse...
109 Zephaniah—Threatenings and Promises God had sent many prophets to call the people of Judah to repent, but they had gotten worse and worse. Now God raised up Zephaniah to plainly deliver the message of their certain destruction, of...
110 Haggai Urges the Rebuilding of the Temple Israel had been destroyed, and Judah devastated and sent into captivity in Babylon. Seventy years have passed, and God had already sent Ezra and many of God’s people back to Jerusalem and they...
111 The Night Visions of Zechariah In this lesson, we will look at the five strange visions that God gave to Zechariah during the night. There are special meanings to the visions, and this lessons tells us all about them, and what...
112 Zechariah Prophesies of Christ Does the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news of a Savior for sinners, begin in the book of Matthew? Or does it begin in the Old Testament? You might be surprised to see how many things Zechariah...
113 Malachi-The Last Old Testament Prophet So who is this last Old Testament prophet, and what did he have to say to God’s people after they returned to Jerusalem after the captivity in Babylon? Were they faithful? Did they keep God’s law?...