Each testament of the Bible is composed of certain narrative books that cover its historical time line and other books that take place somewhere inside of this historical time line.
The Bible Broken Down and Summarized:
Old Testament:
Genesis (and Job): The first eleven chapters cover (among other things) the stories of creation, humanity’s fall into sin, the flood, and the tower of Babel. Chapters 12–50 cover the stories of the patriarchs of Israel. Here the reader encounters the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. From Jacob came many sons who would eventually represent the tribes of Israel. Among these sons was Joseph, who was sold by his brothers into slavery and eventually became the second most powerful man in Egypt. Genesis ends with Joseph, his brothers, their families, and Jacob in Egypt. This is important because it explains why the people of Israel (the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) are in Egypt when the book of Exodus opens
Exodus (and Leviticus): The first eighteen chapters of Exodus tell the story of God’s deliverance of his people from slavery in Egypt. Included in these chapters are the stories of Moses’s birth and the ten plagues upon Egypt. Chapters 19–24 discuss God’s covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai and introduce the Ten Commandments (chapter 20). The third and final section of Exodus (chapters 25–40) opens with Moses on the mountain, receiving God’s instructions for the tabernacle. At the same time, the people of Israel rebel against God and build a golden calf to worship. After God’s judgment on the people, followed by the renewal of the covenant, the tabernacle (God’s dwelling place) is constructed. It serves as a guide for how the people of God were to worship him and also discusses the fundamental categories of priesthood and atonement for sin that set the background for Christ’s sacrificial death.
Numbers (and Deuteronomy): The book of Numbers explains how God prepared Israel to enter the Promised Land. The name of the book comes from the multiple censuses that Moses took of the people. Perhaps the most famous story is the account of the twelve Israelite spies sent to scout out the land of Canaan. Most of the spies feared the Canaanites and convinced the people that they could not take the land. As a result of Israel’s unbelief, God made Israel wander in the wilderness for forty years. The last section of Numbers describes the new generation of Israelites whom God prepared to take over the land he promised. Here we also learn about Moses’s successor, Joshua. Deuteronomy means “second law” and includes a repetition of many of the laws included in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.
Joshua: The next chronological book in the Old Testament’s is Joshua. Here we learn about Joshua’s leadership of the people of Israel. Beginning with the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River, we read of Israel’s conquest of Canaan (both successes and failures) and the division of this land among Israel’s tribes.
Judges (and Ruth): Judges is a record of the generations that followed the conquest of the land of Canaan. Often referred to as the cycle of Judges, the book includes a repeated story line. The Israelites would rebel against God, and God would punish their sin—usually by allowing an enemy nation to subdue them. This judgment would be followed by Israel’s repentance and prayer to God, which would lead to God sending salvation at the hands of a judge (thus the name of the book). This deliverance would lead to a time of rest for the nation. But soon after, Israel would again fall into sin, and the cycle would repeat. The events of the book of Ruth take place during the time of the Judges. The book of Ruth provides a contrast of faithfulness against the backdrop of unfaithfulness seen in the book of Judges, and two of the main characters, Ruth and Boaz, are ancestors of David and ultimately Christ.
1 Samuel: Up to this point, the nation of Israel has no king. But this changes with 1 Samuel. During this time, the Lord has the prophet Samuel anoint Saul as the first king of Israel. However, by the middle of the book, God has rejected Saul as king because of his disobedience. In the second half of the book, we read of David’s anointing as king, David’s victory over Goliath, Saul’s jealous attempts to kill David, and the end of Saul’s disastrous reign.
2 Samuel (and 1 Chronicles and Psalms): The reign of King David is recounted in 2 Samuel. The first half of the book tells of David’s great successes, and the second half tells of his great failings. The pivotal event in the middle of this book is David’s adultery with Bathsheba and subsequent murder of her husband Uriah. One of the saddest events of this half of the book is the rebellion of David’s own son, Absalom. This rebellion was eventually defeated, but it cost Absalom his life. First Chronicles parallels the events of 2 Samuel. Almost half of the Psalms were written by King David.
1 Kings (and Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon): First Kings begins with the rule of King Solomon, the third and final king to rule over an undivided kingdom of Israel. The first half of the book describes Solomon’s reign. He is described as the wisest man to have ever lived and yet made some very unwise decisions including polygamy and idol worship. The second half of the book describes the division of the kingdom. The tribes of Benjamin and Judah formed the southern kingdom of Judah, while the remaining tribes made up the northern kingdom of Israel. King Solomon wrote the books of Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, and (most of) Proverbs.
2 Kings (and 2 Chronicles): In 2 Kings, readers see a dark period in which the two kingdoms are led by mostly evil kings. It is during this time, however, that God raised up the prophets to be his voice when the royal leadership failed. Both kingdoms were evil, but the northern kingdom was the worst of the two. In 722 BC, the Assyrians defeated the northern kingdom of Israel and carried the people into captivity. At the end of the book, in 586 BC, the southern kingdom of Judah is carried into exile by the forces of Babylon. Unlike their southern counterparts whose exile was temporary, the northern kingdom is never heard from again. As with 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles parallels parts of 1 and 2 Kings and focuses exclusively on the kingdom of Judah.
Ezra (and Esther): Ezra records Judah’s return after a seventy-year exile in Babylon. A highlight of the book is the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. The events of the book of Esther take place just after the exile during a time in which not all of the Jewish people had returned to Jerusalem. Persia had conquered Babylon. Esther, a young Jewish woman, had become queen to the Persian king Ahasuerus. During this time, a plan was hatched to destroy the Jewish people, but the plan was foiled and the Jewish people were saved.
Nehemiah: In Nehemiah, readers learn that while the temple had been rebuilt in Jerusalem, the city had no walls. Therefore, the nation was still vulnerable to enemy attacks. Once the walls were rebuilt, the nation of Judah could be reestablished. Nehemiah records the recommitment of the people to God’s laws including the public reading of scripture and the reestablishment of the Sabbath.
Prophetic Books: For the most part, the prophetic books are best seen historically in their relation to the seventy-year exile of the southern kingdom in Babylon (after 2 Kings but before Ezra). A simple way to categorize these prophetic writings is as follows: those who warned of the coming exile (preexilic prophets), those whose ministry was primarily during the exile (exilic prophets), and those whose ministry was primarily after the exile (postexilic prophets).
Preexilic prophetic books include Isaiah, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah.
Exilic prophetic books include Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel.
Postexilic prophetic books include Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The closing of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament are divided by 400 years of silence.
Source:
John Cartwright and Chris Hulshof, Everyday Bible Study: Growing in the Christian Faith, ed. Gabriel Etzel and Ben Gutierrez, 2nd edition, Everyday Bible Series (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2019), 13–14.
The Bible Broken Down and Summarized:
Old Testament:
Genesis (and Job): The first eleven chapters cover (among other things) the stories of creation, humanity’s fall into sin, the flood, and the tower of Babel. Chapters 12–50 cover the stories of the patriarchs of Israel. Here the reader encounters the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. From Jacob came many sons who would eventually represent the tribes of Israel. Among these sons was Joseph, who was sold by his brothers into slavery and eventually became the second most powerful man in Egypt. Genesis ends with Joseph, his brothers, their families, and Jacob in Egypt. This is important because it explains why the people of Israel (the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) are in Egypt when the book of Exodus opens
Exodus (and Leviticus): The first eighteen chapters of Exodus tell the story of God’s deliverance of his people from slavery in Egypt. Included in these chapters are the stories of Moses’s birth and the ten plagues upon Egypt. Chapters 19–24 discuss God’s covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai and introduce the Ten Commandments (chapter 20). The third and final section of Exodus (chapters 25–40) opens with Moses on the mountain, receiving God’s instructions for the tabernacle. At the same time, the people of Israel rebel against God and build a golden calf to worship. After God’s judgment on the people, followed by the renewal of the covenant, the tabernacle (God’s dwelling place) is constructed. It serves as a guide for how the people of God were to worship him and also discusses the fundamental categories of priesthood and atonement for sin that set the background for Christ’s sacrificial death.
Numbers (and Deuteronomy): The book of Numbers explains how God prepared Israel to enter the Promised Land. The name of the book comes from the multiple censuses that Moses took of the people. Perhaps the most famous story is the account of the twelve Israelite spies sent to scout out the land of Canaan. Most of the spies feared the Canaanites and convinced the people that they could not take the land. As a result of Israel’s unbelief, God made Israel wander in the wilderness for forty years. The last section of Numbers describes the new generation of Israelites whom God prepared to take over the land he promised. Here we also learn about Moses’s successor, Joshua. Deuteronomy means “second law” and includes a repetition of many of the laws included in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.
Joshua: The next chronological book in the Old Testament’s is Joshua. Here we learn about Joshua’s leadership of the people of Israel. Beginning with the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River, we read of Israel’s conquest of Canaan (both successes and failures) and the division of this land among Israel’s tribes.
Judges (and Ruth): Judges is a record of the generations that followed the conquest of the land of Canaan. Often referred to as the cycle of Judges, the book includes a repeated story line. The Israelites would rebel against God, and God would punish their sin—usually by allowing an enemy nation to subdue them. This judgment would be followed by Israel’s repentance and prayer to God, which would lead to God sending salvation at the hands of a judge (thus the name of the book). This deliverance would lead to a time of rest for the nation. But soon after, Israel would again fall into sin, and the cycle would repeat. The events of the book of Ruth take place during the time of the Judges. The book of Ruth provides a contrast of faithfulness against the backdrop of unfaithfulness seen in the book of Judges, and two of the main characters, Ruth and Boaz, are ancestors of David and ultimately Christ.
1 Samuel: Up to this point, the nation of Israel has no king. But this changes with 1 Samuel. During this time, the Lord has the prophet Samuel anoint Saul as the first king of Israel. However, by the middle of the book, God has rejected Saul as king because of his disobedience. In the second half of the book, we read of David’s anointing as king, David’s victory over Goliath, Saul’s jealous attempts to kill David, and the end of Saul’s disastrous reign.
2 Samuel (and 1 Chronicles and Psalms): The reign of King David is recounted in 2 Samuel. The first half of the book tells of David’s great successes, and the second half tells of his great failings. The pivotal event in the middle of this book is David’s adultery with Bathsheba and subsequent murder of her husband Uriah. One of the saddest events of this half of the book is the rebellion of David’s own son, Absalom. This rebellion was eventually defeated, but it cost Absalom his life. First Chronicles parallels the events of 2 Samuel. Almost half of the Psalms were written by King David.
1 Kings (and Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon): First Kings begins with the rule of King Solomon, the third and final king to rule over an undivided kingdom of Israel. The first half of the book describes Solomon’s reign. He is described as the wisest man to have ever lived and yet made some very unwise decisions including polygamy and idol worship. The second half of the book describes the division of the kingdom. The tribes of Benjamin and Judah formed the southern kingdom of Judah, while the remaining tribes made up the northern kingdom of Israel. King Solomon wrote the books of Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, and (most of) Proverbs.
2 Kings (and 2 Chronicles): In 2 Kings, readers see a dark period in which the two kingdoms are led by mostly evil kings. It is during this time, however, that God raised up the prophets to be his voice when the royal leadership failed. Both kingdoms were evil, but the northern kingdom was the worst of the two. In 722 BC, the Assyrians defeated the northern kingdom of Israel and carried the people into captivity. At the end of the book, in 586 BC, the southern kingdom of Judah is carried into exile by the forces of Babylon. Unlike their southern counterparts whose exile was temporary, the northern kingdom is never heard from again. As with 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles parallels parts of 1 and 2 Kings and focuses exclusively on the kingdom of Judah.
Ezra (and Esther): Ezra records Judah’s return after a seventy-year exile in Babylon. A highlight of the book is the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. The events of the book of Esther take place just after the exile during a time in which not all of the Jewish people had returned to Jerusalem. Persia had conquered Babylon. Esther, a young Jewish woman, had become queen to the Persian king Ahasuerus. During this time, a plan was hatched to destroy the Jewish people, but the plan was foiled and the Jewish people were saved.
Nehemiah: In Nehemiah, readers learn that while the temple had been rebuilt in Jerusalem, the city had no walls. Therefore, the nation was still vulnerable to enemy attacks. Once the walls were rebuilt, the nation of Judah could be reestablished. Nehemiah records the recommitment of the people to God’s laws including the public reading of scripture and the reestablishment of the Sabbath.
Prophetic Books: For the most part, the prophetic books are best seen historically in their relation to the seventy-year exile of the southern kingdom in Babylon (after 2 Kings but before Ezra). A simple way to categorize these prophetic writings is as follows: those who warned of the coming exile (preexilic prophets), those whose ministry was primarily during the exile (exilic prophets), and those whose ministry was primarily after the exile (postexilic prophets).
Preexilic prophetic books include Isaiah, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah.
Exilic prophetic books include Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel.
Postexilic prophetic books include Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The closing of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament are divided by 400 years of silence.
Source:
John Cartwright and Chris Hulshof, Everyday Bible Study: Growing in the Christian Faith, ed. Gabriel Etzel and Ben Gutierrez, 2nd edition, Everyday Bible Series (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2019), 13–14.
Each testament of the Bible is composed of certain narrative books that cover its historical time line and other books that take place somewhere inside of this historical time line.
The Bible Broken Down and Summarized:
Old Testament:
Genesis (and Job): The first eleven chapters cover (among other things) the stories of creation, humanity’s fall into sin, the flood, and the tower of Babel. Chapters 12–50 cover the stories of the patriarchs of Israel. Here the reader encounters the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. From Jacob came many sons who would eventually represent the tribes of Israel. Among these sons was Joseph, who was sold by his brothers into slavery and eventually became the second most powerful man in Egypt. Genesis ends with Joseph, his brothers, their families, and Jacob in Egypt. This is important because it explains why the people of Israel (the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) are in Egypt when the book of Exodus opens
Exodus (and Leviticus): The first eighteen chapters of Exodus tell the story of God’s deliverance of his people from slavery in Egypt. Included in these chapters are the stories of Moses’s birth and the ten plagues upon Egypt. Chapters 19–24 discuss God’s covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai and introduce the Ten Commandments (chapter 20). The third and final section of Exodus (chapters 25–40) opens with Moses on the mountain, receiving God’s instructions for the tabernacle. At the same time, the people of Israel rebel against God and build a golden calf to worship. After God’s judgment on the people, followed by the renewal of the covenant, the tabernacle (God’s dwelling place) is constructed. It serves as a guide for how the people of God were to worship him and also discusses the fundamental categories of priesthood and atonement for sin that set the background for Christ’s sacrificial death.
Numbers (and Deuteronomy): The book of Numbers explains how God prepared Israel to enter the Promised Land. The name of the book comes from the multiple censuses that Moses took of the people. Perhaps the most famous story is the account of the twelve Israelite spies sent to scout out the land of Canaan. Most of the spies feared the Canaanites and convinced the people that they could not take the land. As a result of Israel’s unbelief, God made Israel wander in the wilderness for forty years. The last section of Numbers describes the new generation of Israelites whom God prepared to take over the land he promised. Here we also learn about Moses’s successor, Joshua. Deuteronomy means “second law” and includes a repetition of many of the laws included in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.
Joshua: The next chronological book in the Old Testament’s is Joshua. Here we learn about Joshua’s leadership of the people of Israel. Beginning with the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River, we read of Israel’s conquest of Canaan (both successes and failures) and the division of this land among Israel’s tribes.
Judges (and Ruth): Judges is a record of the generations that followed the conquest of the land of Canaan. Often referred to as the cycle of Judges, the book includes a repeated story line. The Israelites would rebel against God, and God would punish their sin—usually by allowing an enemy nation to subdue them. This judgment would be followed by Israel’s repentance and prayer to God, which would lead to God sending salvation at the hands of a judge (thus the name of the book). This deliverance would lead to a time of rest for the nation. But soon after, Israel would again fall into sin, and the cycle would repeat. The events of the book of Ruth take place during the time of the Judges. The book of Ruth provides a contrast of faithfulness against the backdrop of unfaithfulness seen in the book of Judges, and two of the main characters, Ruth and Boaz, are ancestors of David and ultimately Christ.
1 Samuel: Up to this point, the nation of Israel has no king. But this changes with 1 Samuel. During this time, the Lord has the prophet Samuel anoint Saul as the first king of Israel. However, by the middle of the book, God has rejected Saul as king because of his disobedience. In the second half of the book, we read of David’s anointing as king, David’s victory over Goliath, Saul’s jealous attempts to kill David, and the end of Saul’s disastrous reign.
2 Samuel (and 1 Chronicles and Psalms): The reign of King David is recounted in 2 Samuel. The first half of the book tells of David’s great successes, and the second half tells of his great failings. The pivotal event in the middle of this book is David’s adultery with Bathsheba and subsequent murder of her husband Uriah. One of the saddest events of this half of the book is the rebellion of David’s own son, Absalom. This rebellion was eventually defeated, but it cost Absalom his life. First Chronicles parallels the events of 2 Samuel. Almost half of the Psalms were written by King David.
1 Kings (and Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon): First Kings begins with the rule of King Solomon, the third and final king to rule over an undivided kingdom of Israel. The first half of the book describes Solomon’s reign. He is described as the wisest man to have ever lived and yet made some very unwise decisions including polygamy and idol worship. The second half of the book describes the division of the kingdom. The tribes of Benjamin and Judah formed the southern kingdom of Judah, while the remaining tribes made up the northern kingdom of Israel. King Solomon wrote the books of Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, and (most of) Proverbs.
2 Kings (and 2 Chronicles): In 2 Kings, readers see a dark period in which the two kingdoms are led by mostly evil kings. It is during this time, however, that God raised up the prophets to be his voice when the royal leadership failed. Both kingdoms were evil, but the northern kingdom was the worst of the two. In 722 BC, the Assyrians defeated the northern kingdom of Israel and carried the people into captivity. At the end of the book, in 586 BC, the southern kingdom of Judah is carried into exile by the forces of Babylon. Unlike their southern counterparts whose exile was temporary, the northern kingdom is never heard from again. As with 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles parallels parts of 1 and 2 Kings and focuses exclusively on the kingdom of Judah.
Ezra (and Esther): Ezra records Judah’s return after a seventy-year exile in Babylon. A highlight of the book is the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. The events of the book of Esther take place just after the exile during a time in which not all of the Jewish people had returned to Jerusalem. Persia had conquered Babylon. Esther, a young Jewish woman, had become queen to the Persian king Ahasuerus. During this time, a plan was hatched to destroy the Jewish people, but the plan was foiled and the Jewish people were saved.
Nehemiah: In Nehemiah, readers learn that while the temple had been rebuilt in Jerusalem, the city had no walls. Therefore, the nation was still vulnerable to enemy attacks. Once the walls were rebuilt, the nation of Judah could be reestablished. Nehemiah records the recommitment of the people to God’s laws including the public reading of scripture and the reestablishment of the Sabbath.
Prophetic Books: For the most part, the prophetic books are best seen historically in their relation to the seventy-year exile of the southern kingdom in Babylon (after 2 Kings but before Ezra). A simple way to categorize these prophetic writings is as follows: those who warned of the coming exile (preexilic prophets), those whose ministry was primarily during the exile (exilic prophets), and those whose ministry was primarily after the exile (postexilic prophets).
Preexilic prophetic books include Isaiah, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah.
Exilic prophetic books include Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel.
Postexilic prophetic books include Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The closing of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament are divided by 400 years of silence.
Source:
John Cartwright and Chris Hulshof, Everyday Bible Study: Growing in the Christian Faith, ed. Gabriel Etzel and Ben Gutierrez, 2nd edition, Everyday Bible Series (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2019), 13–14.
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