knarf188,
I think that you are asking a great question...
I personally believe that the OT does not address the question of salvation in the terms that the NT uses (that is, salvation in the OT is not the sins forgiven, Jesus in me, going to heaven doctine we find in the NT). In the OT, salvation is presented as physical deliverance from oppression. A trace through God's covenant program will illustrate what I mean.
God chose the nation of Israel to be a nation whereby all nations would be blessed (Gen 12:1-3). This would be accomplished through Israel's obedience to God's law. Nations would see how Israel acted much differently morally and politically than every other nation and that their God blessed them more than any nation, and as a result, this would draw nations to want to be just like them. God gave Israel his covenant law for them to obey (Ex 20). If they obeyed, they would experience physical blessings galore (Lev 26). If they did not obey, they would experience physical curses all the more (Lev 26). If they repented of their sins, they would experience physical salvation or deliverance from their oppressors. Israel's history shows many times over that they did not obey the law (Jer 31:31-34). In fact, they broke God's covenant! Therefore, Israel rejected God's promises of physical blessings in the earth by their rejection of His covenant. God is not obligated any longer to fulfill his promise of physical blessings because the covenant is broken. (Hosea even speaks of God as `divorced` from Israel!)
So what is God to do now so that Israel and other nations can be saved? He makes a new covenant, NOT like the covenant before that Israel broke (Jer 31:31-34) This new covenant will be kept because God will make His law a part of his people (see NT concept of `born again`). Furthermore, this covenant is not like the previous covenant in that no physical blessings or curses are mentioned! In this new covenant people will obey God and the nations will be blessed and be drawn to the new Israel as a result.
Christ inaugerated the new covenant in the NT (Lk 22:20). We are shown in the NT that a saved person, or a "new covenant" person, will have tribulation on earth (Jn 16:33) but will be blessed with eternity in the new heavens and earth (i.e. Heaven - Rev 21-22). Christians are promised a much different earthly physical existence than Israel, eh?
So then, how was Israel `saved` in the OT? If you are referring to the idea of going to heaven, I do not think that the OT develops this idea very much. I think it alludes to it in serveral areas, but not explicitly like the NT. (if you want specific passages and explanations, let me know). Israel's covenant with God in the OT was very physically oriented; that is, what will happen when I am alive, on earth. I think that they thought that the type of physical existence that they had on earth would follow them into eternity. So, if an Israelite obeyed God on earth and experienced the covenant blessings, then their afterlife would be that of blessings (i.e. Gen 15:15, 1 Kin 2:6-9). Personally, I believe that those who obeyed God's covenant law will be in heaven, just as those who live a life of obedience to Christ will be in heaven (...you will know them by their works -see Rev 22).
