Overview of the Old Testament...

 Chapter Six:

Note: Chapter Five has somehow been omitted.  Please continue reading the blog with this chapter.

Now that you have a personal relationship with God, it's time to begin studying the Bible, which is God's main way of speaking to mankind.  Use whatever version of the Bible you find easiest to understand.  The Bible is composed of 66 books, which are divided into two major sections:  39 books are in the Old Testament, and 27 books are in the New Testament.

First, I'm going to give you an overview of  the books of the Old Testament.  I know that for those who are reading the Old Testament for the first time, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed, especially when you have to read through all the family trees of the many who came before Christ.  But it is important that you understand this history you are learning.  

It tells us not only of the lineage of Christ, but it also shows repeatedly how God gave Israel  many chances to follow Him and what the consequences were when she chose to disobey.  But God in His ever-loving compassion, always had His hands open, waiting to receive a repentant Israel.  He was always willing to restore her to her rightful place.  It is the same way with all humanity.  God waits for us to come to Him, and even when we willfully wander away after other things, He patiently waits for our return.  When we wander away He has no choice but to allow the consequences, in the hope that we will see the error in our judgment and return to Him. 

Some may think the Bible is a book that only scholars can really understand.  However, it's really not that difficult once you understand that it's basically 66 smaller books that are all part of a bigger book.  The amazing thing is that as you become familiar with the Bible after reading it, you'll see how it all fits together as one book, even though it was written by many different authors.

The Old Testament was written between the 12th and 2nd centuries B.C. (Before Christ). The original language of the Old Testament was Classic Hebrew, but it was later translated into Greek, Latin and other languages. 

Genesis:  is the book of beginnings, the creation of the earth and the beginning of man.  It talks about Creation, followed by the first man and woman, who were deceived by Satan, God's enemy, and who were subsequently banished from the Garden of Eden, thus bringing sin into the world.  It records the wickedness that grew in the earth that brought the flood in which Noah and his family were the only survivors.  The rest of the book is the early history of the Israelites and introduces Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.  This is the first of the first five books of the Old Testament which are referred to as the Torah or Pentateuch. Torah is the Hebrew name for them, and the word Pentateuch is Greek.

Exodus:  how God used Moses to lead the captured Hebrews out of Egypt, the plagues God brought upon Egypt, and God's giving the Law at Mount Sinai.  The book concludes with a description of the order of worship which centers around the Law of Moses.  This is the second book of the Torah or Pentateuch.

 Leviticus:  this book takes its name from one of the twelve sons of Jacob, Levi.  It's  how the family of Levi was chosen by God to act as priests in the Tabernacle, and how the priests were to serve God.  It is also instructions to all the other Israelites on how to serve God.   Animal sacrifice was introduced as a covering for the individual and national sins of the people.  This is the third book of the Torah or Pentateuch.

Numbers: is a historical book, whose name refers to the two censuses, or counting, of the people of Israel.   It mainly tells of the rebellion of the Israelites in the desert after their escape from Egypt.  Because of the rebellion, only two adult men who had left Egypt eventually entered into Canaan, the land promised to Abraham in Genesis.  The rest died.   This is the fourth book of the Torah or Pentateuch.

Deuteronomy:  Moses reminding the children of Israel about the Law that God had given them and how important it was for them to obey it, prior to them entering the promised land of Canaan.  Moses died before entering the promised land. The law was given on the plains of Moab to Israel prior to their entrance to the promised land of Canaan, under the command of Joshua.  Repeating the law was very important to the welfare of this new generation, as most who had escaped Egypt were dead.  This is the fifth, and last book, of the Torah or Pentateuch.

Joshua: what Joshua did as the Israelite's leader, after he led them into the promised land. The book outlines the conquest and occupation by Israel under his military leadership. God explicitly states that all the inhabitants of the land were to be utterly driven out or destroyed in order to ensure spiritual purity and complete devotion to God by the Israelites.

Judges: when God gave the Israelites judges to rule them before they had kings.  This is 450 years of history when Israel was ruled by judges. Covers from Joshua's death to Samuel's birth.  There was great immorality as the Israelites failed to drive out the inhabitants of the land.  The book closes with the Israelite's desire for a human king.

Ruth:  the woman called Ruth and her story of trusting in God during what was a period of immorality and national decline.  God preserved a remnant who could serve as the core for future revival.  Ruth's descendant would be David, from whom the Messiah would come.

I and II Samuel:  these are two books named after the prophet, Samuel.  They give account of his birth and life.  Samuel was God's prophet who chose Saul to be the first king of Israel.  He later appointed David as king,  in order to replace Saul.  These books give account for the time up until Saul died and David became the king of Israel.

I and II Kings:  two books that give Israel's history during the time they had kings reign over them, the first being Kind David,(who died around 970 B.C.), and their last being King Zedekiah. The Jewish nation is divided into Judah in the South, and Israel in the North.  I Kings tells of Israel in its glory.  II Kings closes with Israel in ruins.

I and II Chronicles:  two books containing the stories of the Israelites that weren't written in either the first or second books of Kings. It was written to remind the nation of their entire history, and of their position among other nations, emphasizing the history of priestly worship from the death of Saul to the end of the Babylonian captivity.

Ezra:   the story of the priest who served the Israelites during the time they were in captivity in Babylon. Also covers the Jews returning from the Babylonian captivity, the decline of Babylon and its eventual overthrow by the Persians, which enable the Jews to return to Jerusalem. The Jews are allowed to return to Judah to rebuild the Temple. The Temple is completed and dedicated to God during this period.

Nehemiah:   Nehemiah returns from Babylon as Governor of Jerusalem, appointed by Artaxerxes, king of Persia. He plans and oversees the rebuilding of the city walls despite opposition and disunity. The wall is completed and more exiles are returned and registered as Jewish citizens. Nehemiah’s dedication to God drives him to make several religious reforms.

Esther:   written during the period of captivity, it is the story of a Jewish woman who became the wife of the King of Persia, Ahasuerus. Haman, prime minister to the king plots to exterminate the Jews.  Esther stops the plot.

 Job:  story of Job who suffers many trials and difficulties in his life and how he continues to serve God. God eventually intervenes and Job is restored to health and prosperity after he submits to God's will.  Satan is  mentioned frequently as he had challenged God that the only reason Job obeyed God was due to the blessings God has given Job.  In the end, it showed that even with Job's losing everything he had been given by God, and the horrible sufferings he had to endure, he still continued to serve God faithfully.  

Psalms:  Psalms means "hymns".  The content of the Psalms includes prophecy of Christ, praise to God, and visions of the future Kingdom of God and its glory. David is named as author of approximately half of the Psalms. A handful of other men are responsible for about fifteen, while the remainder are unnamed.

Proverbs:  a book of wise sayings, which many believe were nearly all written by King Solomon. Throughout the book, the view is presented that all men fall into two basic classes. Both are known by their habits, their deeds, their "fruits", their chosen "ways" in life, and their fitting ends. They are either with God or without Him, good or evil, or wise or foolish.

Ecclesiastes:   the book forms a collection of many wise sayings and proverbs of Solomon. Solomon, having lived a full life with all its pleasures, concludes that life is empty apart from God.  Without God, life would be meaningless, and all his worldly possessions would amount to nothing. Therefore, the conclusion of his studies states that man should love and fear God and obey His commandments.

The Song of Solomon:   a love story, written by King Solomon, in the form of poetry. It depicts the beauty and pure love between a man and a woman which develops into a mature, undying relationship. Some believe that it shows the relationship between Christ and His bride, the body of believers, which will be consummated at His return.

Isaiah:  written by the prophet, Isaiah, who ministered during the rule of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. His primary focus was the coming judgment on the southern kingdom of Judah due to its great wickedness. Isaiah identified the root of Judah’s trouble as its idolatry and apostasy. Although he spoke of judgments on other nations as well, he urged the kings and the people to put their trust in God rather than in alliances with earthly powers. He comforted his people with the realization that God loves those who are faithful to Him and keep His commandments. He spoke of the future Messiah who would come to redeem the nation and restore the Kingdom.

 Jeremiah:  written by the prophet, Jeremiah.  He warns of the impending force of Babylon that would destroy Jerusalem and enslave the Jews.  He's urging Jerusalem to turn from its wicked ways, but no one listens and he warns of false prophets who are leading the people astray with falsehoods.  Not heeding his warnings, Israel is taken to Babylon.  He predicts they will return after seventy years to rebuild the Temple and Jerusalem.

Lamentations:  also written by the prophet, Jeremiah, who had also been taken captive.  In it he tells of Israel's troubles because they disobeyed God, as well as the troubles of surrounding nations.  It emphasizes the result of divine judgment for the people's sins and underlines the lessons that Jerusalem should learn from its troubles.  It also reflects the love and sorrow of God for His people as He is punishing them.

Ezekiel:  written by the prophet, Ezekiel, who was also taken captive to Babylon.  He records his activities while in Babylon and his message is directed to his countrymen who were still in Palestine, and later to his fellow captives.  He reassures his fellow captives that they would be restored to their own land after God's chastening.

Daniel:  named after the prophet, Daniel, who was of the royal line of Jewish kings and had also been taken captive as a young man to Babylon. The book of Daniel predicts the destiny of two opposing powers:  The Kingdom of Men and the Kingdom of God.  His prophecies dealt more with the nations that controlled Israel. 

Hosea:  named after the prophet, Hosea, it tells of the patient long-suffering of God towards rebellious and unfaithful northern kingdom of Israel.  A theme is Hosea's marriage to unfaithful Gomer, which is symbolic of the relationship between God and Israel.

Joel:    tells of Joel's love for God and his obedience to God by his warning the people to repent  and of wars which were coming and how nations would fight one another.  The last portion of the book is concerned with events associated with the "Day of the Lord". 

Amos:  named after the prophet, Amos, who was a shepherd and called by God to pronounce judgment by denouncing Israel's luxurious living, idolatry and moral depravity.  He urges the people to repent. He foretold the dispersion of the Israelites, but points to a day when God would regather them in the land of their forefathers.

Obadiah:  written by the prophet, Obadiah, it only has one chapter.  It pronounced judgment upon the nation of Edom for its antagonism against Israel.  Edom is the nation that descended from Esau, the twin brother of Jacob, who had his name changed to Israel.  Edom was to be punished for the violence against Israel they committed when invading the land.

Jonah:   God had sent Jonah to warn Ninevah, the capital of Assyria,  to repent and obey God so that they might avoid destruction.  Jonah was reluctant to obey God and found himself in the belly of the fish for three days.  Upon release, he preaches and to Ninevah, who believe his message and repent and are spared by God.

Micah:  written by the prophet, Micah, who was in the Southern kingdom of Judah.  He was as Amos was to the Northern kingdom of Israel. 

Nahum:  written by the prophet, Nahum, approximately 140 years after the recorded events in the book of Jonah.  Ninevah had turned from its repentant attitude and had taken the Northern kingdom of Israel into captivity.  Nahum gives an indictment of doom upon Ninevah.  They who were once used as God's tool against the people of Israel will now be destroyed because of their great wickedness.

Habakkuk:  written by a man who loved God and couldn't understand God's failure to judge the wicked nation of Babylon  He is shown that he must continue to trust in God's mercy regardless of the circumstances.  The wicked appear to prosper while the righteous are chastened, however this prosperity is only temporary.

Zephaniah:  Zephaniah prophesied during King Josiah’s reign, who was responsible for a great religious reformation. This followed the wicked reigns of Kings Manasseh and Amon, who led the nation into various forms of idolatry. Zephaniah pronounces inescapable judgments against Jerusalem for their sins, and exhorts national repentance. He further speaks of the "day of the LORD", when God will intervene to judge sin.

Haggai:  written by the prophet, Haggai, it forewarns of troubled times to come.  Spoken to the few Jews who have returned to Judah from captivity in Babylon.  He exhorts them to complete the Temple whose foundation had been laid eighteen years prior,  and the Temple was eventually completed in 516 B.C.  He pronounces that pagan empires will be overthrown by God, and Judah will be elevated during the time of the Messiah.

Zechariah:  written by the prophet, Zechariah, a younger contemporary of Haggai.  He also encouraged rebuilding the Temple.  Like Daniel and Revelation, this contains visions symbolizing future events and contains detailed references to the coming Messiah.  It concludes with descriptions of the enemies of Jerusalem being judged and of the future glory of God's Kingdom.

Malachi:  the last book in the Old Testament.  Malachi’s message comes to the people in a time of great spiritual decline. It is approximately eighty years after the rebuilding of the Temple, and the promises of the coming Messiah have not yet happened. As a result, the people had become lax and had an increasingly casual attitude toward God and worship. Malachi states that their sacrifices were unacceptable to God, husbands were unfaithful, and the priests had neglected God’s covenants.