Building Bible Confidence: Part 12

Part 12: An Overview of the Old Testament

Introduction: Road Map to the O.T.

As we have learned, the Bible is a collection of books. The first of two main divisions, the Old Testament, is comprised of thirty-nine books. In the Jewish tradition, these books are referred to as the Tanakh. The Tanakh is an abbreviation for Torah (the law), the Nevi’im (the prophets), and the Ketuvim (the writings). Jesus and His followers may have used similar organization as they commonly called the Scriptures “the law and the prophets,” (e.g. Luke 22:44). Most modern Bibles, however, follow the Christian tradition. The same thirty-nine book are divided into four sections of law, history, wisdom poetry, and prophecy. Our survey will consider the books according to this organizational division. 

Books of Law

The first five books are primarily about God’s Law. There is a narrative history from the creation through Israel's arrival at the promised land. God’s covenant with the patriarchs was replaced with the law of Moses, a written covenant with 613 laws. Genesis is about beginnings. These beginnings include God creating everything, mankind falling into sin, Abraham’s family becoming the small nation of Israel. Exodus is about deliverance. God sent Moses to deliver the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. God established a covenant with Israel on Mount Sinai, marking the beginning of the Mosaic Age. 

Leviticus is about atonement. Laws are set in place for a sacrificial system that will atone, that is to repay or reconcile, for the sins of the people. Numbers is a recording of the wanderings of the people in the desert as they struggle to keep their part in the covenant. Also recorded are census of the twelve tribes and their encampments. Deuteronomy was about obedience. The covenant was rehearsed and reviewed. Moses died and leadership was passed to Joshua. 

Books of History

After the books of law is a history of God’s covenant people, the Israelites. These twelve books are mainly narratives about the troubled nation as they enter the promised land as conquerors, only to struggle across the centuries with sin.

During first section of the narrative the conquest of Canaan (the promised land) is documented, and the twelve tribes of Israel settle the land.  Joshua is about conquest. Joshua led Israel through the war, partial conquest, and land division of the promised land. The book of Judges is about hard times. The Israelites fell into a cycle of: (A) sin, (B) punishment, (C) repentance, and (D) deliverance by “Judges.” Ruth is a short book about redemption. A young foreigner endured devastating challenges during dark days of the judges of Israel. She overcame great odds to become an ancestor of the royal family of Israel and the Messiah. 

Eventually, Israel sought to be ruled by a king like the nations around her. First and Second Samuel [two books] are about the beginnings of monarchy and the rise of David’s throne. This was a time when kings ruled, although there were struggles, wars, and great sin surrounding even the best of the kings. The major character is King David, a great grandson of Ruth, and forefather to Jesus. First and Second Kings are about slow destruction. The kingdom split into the northern “Israel” and the southern “Judah.” Bad kings and sinful living eventually led both kingdoms into slavery.  First and Second Chronicles are a Judean review of the same historical events as the books of the Kings but with primary emphasis on the southern kingdom of Judah and her rulers. 

The final historical section is about the Jewish people after the exile. The timeline jumps about 70 years into the future after the southern Judah was taken captive by Babylon. The book of Ezra is about restoration. Some of the Jews returned from captivity and rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem. Nehemiah is a book about reconstruction. Rebuilding the wall and city of Jerusalem continued even though enemies tried to stop the Jews. The book of Esther is about preservation. A Jewish woman became queen of Persia and saved her people from a genocidal destruction.

Books of Wisdom Poetry

Even though this section comes after the history books, these were written during (or even before) the events of Israel’s history. These are written primarily as poetic form, not as narratives. The writings can be challenging, so the reader should slow down to meditate on the wisdom and great moral truths. 

Job is about suffering. A man of faith loses everything—from his wealth to all his children. His three friends join him on a journey of understanding about how God's justice works and why bad things happen to good people. 

Psalms is about praise. These are a collection of sacred expressions of humanity reaching out to God. The spectrum of emotion from sorrow to joy is expressed. Proverbs is about wisdom. These are short sayings of general truths mostly written by Solomon, the wisest of Israel’s kings.

Ecclesiastes is about the life’s meaning. Solomon seeks clarity and discovers the meaninglessness of a life without God. Song of Solomon is about love. This is a symbolic poem about the loving relationship between a man and a woman. It is also seen metaphorically as God’s love for His people.

Books of Prophecy

Also written throughout the history of Israel are books of prophecy. The prophets were sent by God as “covenant preachers” who rebuked sin, called for repentance and obedience to the law, and foretold of judgment to come. They also shared a future of the promised messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. These works are collections of direct revelations from God, prophetic sermons, poems, and sometimes brief narratives. 

The prophet Isaiah begins the first half of the written prophets. This section is known as the major prophets. They are categorized this way because they are significantly longer. This Some of Isaiah’s prophecies are the clearest concerning the coming Messiah and His kingdom. Jeremiah announced the impending captivity and sufferings of Judah, the final overthrow of its enemies, and the coming of the new covenant. Lamentations is a small companion of Jeremiah about sorrow. Jeremiah wrote sad laments over the capture of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple. 

Ezekiel prophesied messages of warning and comfort to the Jews in their captivity. Daniel begins as a narrative of some of the Jews in captivity. It also makes a series of prophecies concerning future kingdoms, including the Kingdom of Heaven that would come through Jesus.

The second section of the written prophets is traditionally known as the minor prophets. These twelve books are not minor in importance but merely in length. Hosea highlighted the relational nature of God and Israel. God commanded Hosea to marry a prostitute.  She later returned to adultery as an example to the nation and their spiritual adultery to God.  Joel preached repentance amidst a great locust plague as well as the coming Day of the Lord. Amos cried out against injustice and called for justice to flow like a river and wash away the iniquity of the people. 

Obadiah foretold of the desolation of a neighboring country called Edom because of their arrogant pride and harm to God’s people. Jonah attempted to run from God but later repented; however, he struggled to understand God's mercy and purpose in preaching to Israel’s enemy, the Assyrians. Micah, like Amos, cried out against injustice and prophesied judgment and captivity to come.

Nahum preached God’s wrath and the downfall of Nineveh, the capital of the evil Assyrian empire. Habakkuk questioned God's purpose, and God encouraged him. Habakkuk preached woe to the wicked as well as teaching the just to live by faith. Zephaniah foretold the overthrow of Judah for its idolatry and wickedness to come. A faithful remnant would have hope.

After seventy years in captivity, the remnant returned to the Judean portion of the promised land. Haggai rebuked the people for being too busy to rebuild the temple. Zechariah had powerful, apocalyptic visions about heaven, the people, and the Messiah. Finally, Malachi highlighted a series of arguments between an ungrateful people and a patient God. Like other prophets, he shared visions of the Messiah and His coming kingdom. 

In Review

A Bible student who is reading the Bible for the first time might be intimidated by so much new information. Even though the Bible is a big book, we can see it is like a long journey. The journey of 1,000 miles always begins with one step. Keep going! Only through a consistent study of God’s Word will a Bible student be able to see the Scriptures as God intended: a message of hope for a world lost in sin.

*This article was taken from The Bible Series, a twelve-part study written by Jonathan Edwards. This study is available for free PDF download at www.pureandsimplebible.com