Each part of the Bible communicates a specific message and contributes to the whole revelation of God's truth. Each building block of truth serves as the foundation for the next, until the progressive revelation of God is complete. From the account of Creation in Genesis until the final triumphal reign of Christ in eternity in the Book of Revelation, the Bible is one grand account of God's plan for mankind.
In the English Bible both the Old and New Testaments are divided into five sections:
NEW TESTAMENT
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1. Gospels
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2. Acts
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3. Paul's Epistles
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4. General Epistles
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5. Revelation
OLD TESTAMENT
Pentateuch
Pentateuch is Latin for the "five books," referring to the five books of Moses known as the Law. (The Hebrew word is Torah.) These books of the Law are the foundation of God's revelation in Scripture. In reality they are five sections of one book written by Moses at the time of the Exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt in the fifteenth century B.C.
The Pentateuch consists of a variety of materials: narratives, laws, ritual instructions, sermons, genealogies, and poetry. Each of five books presents a special theme.
Genesis
This book records the beginning of human history and the history of Israel. It contains nine beginnings of human history and 10 family histories, especially tracing the lives of Adam, Noah, Shem, and Abraham.
Exodus
This book tells the story of the Israelites' bondage in Egypt and their deliverance under Moses. It also contains several laws, excluding the Ten Commandments and the specifications for the tabernacle.
Leviticus
The name of this book comes from the Levites, the priests of Israel. It contains the laws governing the priesthood.
Numbers
This is the story of the number of Israelites who wandered in the wildness of Sinai for 40 years. The title is taken from the census, or "numbering" of the people in chapters 1 and 26.
Deuteronomy
In Latin this title means the "Second Law." It comes from the fact that the Law was repeated at the end of the wildness journey for the sake of the new generation that had been born in the wildness.
The major themes of the Pentateuch are:
Election
God chooses Abraham's descendants as a special people.
Covenant
God makes His covenant with Abraham's descendants, the nation of Israel.
Promise
God vows to bring the Israelites back into the Land of Promise, which is their earthly possession.
Law
God stipulates the laws that will govern His people Israel in the Promised Land.
History
The Historical Books tell the history of Israel from the conquest of the Promised Land under Joshua until the return from the Babylonian captivity. This history spans a total of 1,000 years (1440-440 B.C.).
Included in the books of history are the narratives of Israel's successes and failures as a nation.
Joshua
This is the story of Israel's conquest of the land Canaan under the leadership of Joshua. The theme of the book is "Total Victory."
Judges
After Joshua's death, Israel lapsed into a period of religious decline and political instability. This book in the account of the carious "judges" god raised up to deliver Israel from the enemies.
Ruth
This little book was originally part of Judges. A beautiful story of love and redemption, it shows that God was still at work while everything was going wrong.
1 Samuel
This book takes its name from its leading character in the early chapters, Samuel the prophet. It actually tells the story of the reign of Saul, Israel's first king.
2 Samuel
This is a continuation of the previous book. This volume centers on the reign of David, Israel's greatest king.
1 Kings
This volume begins with the reign of Solomon and describes the division of the kingdom after his death. From that point it contains a parallel account of the kingdoms of Israel (north) and Judah (south). The major prophetic figure in this book is Elijah.
2 Kings
The historical accounts of Israel and Judah continue until their respective captivities by Assyria (722 B.C.) and Babylon (586 B.C.). The major prophetic figure in this book is Elisha.
1 Chronicles
The Books of Kings are the history of Israel and Judah continues by the prophets, whereas the priests wrote the Chronicles. The histories are parallel, with an emphasis on the priests and the temple in the Chronicles.
2 Chronicles
The history of Judah from Solomon until the Babylonian exile is the major theme of this book.
Ezra
This book takes its name from Ezra the priest. It is the story of the return of Jewish exiles after the Babylonian captivity. It tells the story of the walls of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah
After the rebuilt the temple, Nehemiah returned to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Esther
This is the story of the Jews who remained in exile during the Persian Empire period. Esther marries Ahasuerus (Xerxes I), the Persian emperor, and spared the Jews from annihilation.
Throughout the Historical Books, the major themes center on God's providential care for Israel:
Davidic line
The Messiah is promised through the line of David.
Jerusalem
The city of David, Jerusalem, emerges as the capital of God's people.
Temple
The true temple of God is the one at Jerusalem.
Poetry
The five books of poetry include an epic saga, musical songs, wise saying, philosophy, and a love story. The nature of Hebrew poetry is developed around parallels of thought, rather than parallel rhymes. For example,
Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come unto thee (Psalm 102:1).
Job
The story of Job's suffering is a poetic saga of a righteous man's struggle with a brief narrative, while the main body of the story is written in poetry (3:1-42:6).
Psalms
These are the songs of worship for the people of Israel. The book forms a hymnal in five parts. David wrote many of the psalms. They include songs of praise, worship, adoration, and deliverance. Some of the psalms are messianic in nature and include prophecies about Christ.
Proverbs
This book is a collection of "wise sayings," mostly compiled by Solomon. They express practical aspects of daily living and are especially worthwhile for establishing values about love, work, marriage, family, finances, and friends.
Ecclesiastes
The Latin title for this book means the "Preacher." In it Solomon preaches his advice to the next generation. This philosophical treatise wrestles with the question of the meaning and purpose of life.
Songs of Solomon
This love poem is written antiphonally between Solomon and his bride, the Shulamite woman. It is a beautiful picture of Christ's love for His bride, the church. It also provides a biblical guideline for courtship and marriage.
The major themes of Hebrew poetry are:
Praise
God is the object of our praise and worship.
Prayer
In times of prosperity and in times of affliction, men need to pray.
Wisdom
True wisdom is fearing the Lord and obeying Him.
Major Prophets The prophets were the messengers of God. Their public ministries paralleled the reign of Israel's kings. They were powerful men of God who received messages from God by direct revelation. Some of the early prophets included Nathan,
Elijah, and Elisha. The Major Prophets are so designated because of their writings.
Isaiah He was the greatest of the writing prophets. His ministry paralleled the reigns of Uzziah, Jothan, and Hezekiah of Judah (740-680
B.C.). He is especially known for his prophecy of the Virgin Birth of Christ (7:14) and Christ's death on the cross (52:13-53:12).
Jeremiah During the last days of Judah (586 B.C.),
Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet. He predicted the
Jerusalem would fall to the Babylonians, Jeremiah was later exiled to Egypt.
Lamentations This is actually a little book of poetic lament written by Jeremiah. It includes a firsthand account of the fall of Jerusalem.
Ezekiel During the Babylonian captivity, Ezekiel was taken prisoner and wrote his prophecy from captivity. Unlike Isaiah's and Jeremiah's, Ezekiel's prophecy is filled with symbolism.
Daniel Taken captive to Babylon while just a teenager,
Daniel rose to great prominence under King Nebuchadnezzar. His prophecies include the rise of the four major Gentile empires and the coming kingdom of the
Messiah.
Minor Prophets
These 12 prophets had various
ministries to Israel and Judah. The last 3 prophesied after the Babylonian
captivity.
Hosea This prophet delivered
his message to the problems symbolize God's love for unfaithful Israel.
Joel One of the earliest
minor prophets, Joel predicted the coming Day of the Lord and His judgment of
the nations.
Amos The herdsman of Tekoa
in Judah traveled north to Samaria to deliver God's message of judgment to
Jeroboan II (c. 750 B.C.)
Obadiah The shortest book in
the Old Testament, this prophecy foretells the fall of Edom.
Jonah This well-known
prophet ran from God rather then go to Nineveh to preach. After three days and
nights in the belly of a "great fish," he changed his mind.
Micah A contemporary of
Isaiah, this eight-century B.C. prophet predicted the birthplace of the Messiah
as Bethlehem in Judah (5:2).
Nahum A seven-century
B.C. prophet, Nahum predicted the fall of the Nineveh, the capital of Assyria.
His prophecy was fulfilled in 612 B.C.
Habakkuk Also
seventh-century B.C. prophet, Habakkuk
predicted the fall of Babylon. His prophecy was fulfilled in 539 B.C.
Zechariah A contemporary of
Jeremiah, Zephaniah warned Judah of her imminent fall, which would prefigure the
ultimate Day of the Lord.
Haggai The first of the
post-exilic prophets, Haggai challenged the Jews to finish building the second
temple.
Zechariah This is the
most apocalyptic of all the Old Testament prophecies. Zechariah is filled
with detailed predictions of the coming of the Messiah.
Malachi The last of the
Old Testament prophets, Malachi predicted the coming of John the Baptist as the
forerunner of the Messiah.
The major themes of prophets are:
Judgment God's severe
judgment results form willful and deliberate sin.
Restoration Through God
judges, He also restores us to blessing.
Promise The promises of God
give us hope for the future.
