The major themes of the Hebrew Bible (also known as the Old Testament) surely include God, man, sin, justice, grace, covenant, law, atonement, and holiness. A final theme we will examine is the Messiah. Almost everyone would agree that these ten topics are among the most important. Let’s take a closer look at each one.
God – From its very first verse, the Hebrew Bible affirms the following important truths about God: As for time, it is eternal, as for power, it is unlimited, and as for knowledge, it is infinite; He is one and not two or more, He is creator, not creature, and He is both loving and holy.
These characteristics, and many more, define who God is and lie at the heart of the Old Testament revelation of Him. He reveals himself primarily, however, not in abstractions or propositions, but in relation to human beings.
Man – Unlike God, human beings are limited: they have a beginning and are mortal, have limited power and knowledge, and are certainly not always loving and holy. Undoubtedly, the history of humanity has some heroism and stories of noble thoughts and actions, but it documents the sad history of failed potential, wasted opportunities and perverted purposes.
The original pair of human beings come into existence in relationship with God, objects of His grace and love and reflections of His likeness. Unfortunately, however, they give up their position before the Lord. In the name of independence, they become slaves to sin, in need of liberation. The progress of his descendants reaches its climax when Genesis 6 says: “Every inclination of the heart of man is only evil all the time.”
Sin: The Hebrew Bible reveals the nature of sin primarily in narrative form; in other words, by telling the story of what happened to real people. Human beings were created in a sinless state, even now as they are born into the world pure and innocent. Sinfulness is abnormal for human beings; it is out of alignment with what God designed us to be and do.
Since we bear the image of God, sin is anything that contradicts God’s own nature. Because God is true, lies are sin. Because God is holy, pollution is sin. Because God is love, hate is sin. Because God is unity, division is sin, etc. This is best expressed in Leviticus 19:1, where God says, “Be holy, for I am holy.” Throughout Leviticus, the announced moral precepts are linked again and again to the statement: “I am the Lord.”
Doing the right thing and experiencing the blessing that God brings is what the Old Testament means by knowing that God is LORD (see the statements in Ezekiel and elsewhere over and over again).
Justice – If sin rebels against the reflection of God’s nature in our lives, then justice is living in harmony with that nature. It is maintaining a trusting obedient relationship with God. Justice implies faith, but it also springs from a loyal heart in fidelity in walking.
The Hebrew Bible describes the righteous person as dedicated to God with his heart, his soul, and his strength. A right relationship with other human beings accompanies this right relationship with God. The Old Testament pictures the righteous person treating others as they would like to be treated, acting toward them as God would.
Grace: Some readers are under the impression that they will not find grace in the Hebrew Bible, which only becomes a major emphasis in the New Testament. This impression is false, dispelled by almost all the books of the Old Testament.
God’s goodness toward human beings begins with the first couple and continues as a constant theme in the Old Testament symphony. The LORD is “abundant in mercy” and is willing to forgive a thousand generations. Over and over again He reveals his long-suffering and his tender mercy toward sinners. Unfortunately, some have only focused on passages in which He reveals wrath against sinners, a counterpoint tune to be sure, but one that always takes place in the context of the covenant of love and fidelity.
Covenant – The sovereign, all-powerful, and transcendent Creator-God is willing to stoop to enter into agreements with human beings. These agreements are called covenants, and they provide much of the framework in which the Hebrew Bible takes place.
The major Old Testament covenants include those of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses (and all Israel), Aaron and Levi, and David. Each of these covenants involves promises that God makes and expectations that he has for the subjects of the covenant. The Hebrew Bible also looks forward to a New Covenant, which is what the New Testament is all about.
Law – The covenant that God made with the nation of Israel is called the Law (Torah, or Law of Moses). In the Law, God rehearses the saving acts for which He has placed the nation of Israel in His debt and then challenges them to agree to live in a relationship with Him, experiencing the blessings that accompany that relationship. Of course, he also warns them of the curses they will bring upon themselves if they break the pact. The Ten Commandments are basic to the Law, which establish the foundations for living in harmony with God.
Atonement: Under that same covenant with Israel, God provided a means to obtain forgiveness through a system of animal sacrifices. These offerings were a way for the believer to remove offenses and plead with God for a renewal of the close relationship that sin made impossible.
According to the Old Testament, atonement was only possible through the shedding of the blood of a perfect sacrifice. This laid the foundation for the eternal sacrifice of the Perfect Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, of the New Covenant.
Holiness – In the Hebrew Bible, to be holy means to be dedicated to God. Holiness is part of God’s nature and He imparts it to human beings in right relationship with Him. God intends all human beings to be holy at all times. Sin, however, defiles us and puts us in need of atonement so that we can be holy once more.
Messiah: The Old Testament anticipates the coming of the Holy One of God, who would have a miraculous conception, live a perfect life, serve as the ideal human being, and then voluntarily offer himself as the sin offering once and for all so that human beings could be restored to God and sanctified again.
Over a period of more than 1,000 years, inspired prophets predicted aspects of the life of this Saint. The accumulation of their predictions paints a perfect portrait of the birth, life, character, death, and even resurrection of Jesus Christ. Several of these prophecies in the Hebrew Bible describe him as “the Anointed One” (Hebrew: Meshiakh), or “the Messiah”, in keeping with the practice in Old Testament times of pouring olive oil over the head of a person specially designated by God to accomplish His purposes.