The Word of God speaks about an omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient God. Still, the Bible does not record everything that He does every time, everywhere, as that could be an impossible task. Therefore, the Word of God only holds what we need to know, and we need to do as it sees fit for our humble minds. However, to those who seek diligently in prayer, the Word of God holds revelations that are far beyond our understanding and utterance. Therefore, we will focus on what we know and humble ourselves under the gracious hand of the Holy Spirit to show us what He desires to reveal.
THE OLD TESTAMENT
PENTATEUCH or THE LAW
The word ‘Pentateuch’ means ‘five scrolls’ in Greek, which denotes the first five books of the Old Testament. These five books in Hebrew are called ‘Torah’, which means ‘the Law’. It consists of
a. Genesis
b. Exodus
c. Leviticus
d. Numbers
e. Deuteronomy
Though these books record many major events, large portions of them cover the commandments, statutes and ordinances that God gave to the children of Israel before they became a nation. Thus, they are known as the Law. These books are believed to have been written by Moses, the servant of God, around 1400 BC. When the New Testament speaks about the Law, it refers to these five books. In the sermons and parables of Jesus, we find Him referring to the Law and Prophets. ‘The Law’ that He speaks about is the first five books of the Bible. To have a clear understanding of the New Testament, we need to know what the Old Testament has to say.
THE HISTORY
The 12 history books of the Old Testament record the journey of Israel as a nation. As to how they conquered the Promised Land and became a monarchy. The chronicles of the kings of Israel and Judah; their rise and their fall. The Word of God faithfully records their feat and fault, contrary to some history books that are written by the powerful while in power that paint perfect heroes. These books were written by different authors who were prophets, scribes and royal officials across a time period of 1000 years. The history books are:
- Joshua
- Judges
- Ruth
- 1 Samuel
- 2 Samuel
- 1 Kings
- 2 Kings
- 1Chronicles
- 2Chronicles
- Ezra
- Nehemiah
- Esther
WISDOM OR SONG BOOKS:
The 5 Wisdom books contain songs and proverbs that have spoken to generations before us and will stand true to speak to generations after us. They provide comfort, guidance, hope, counsel and understanding to all those willing to hear them. These books were also authored by different personnel, written in different periods and compiled together under specific titles. The Wisdom books are:
- Job
- Psalms
- Proverbs
- Songs of Songs or Songs of Solomon
- Ecclesiastes
These books are often referred to as Song books due to their poetic structure. The book of Job, which consists mainly of dialogue between four friends, is partially prose and partially poetry in structure. Thus, it is included in the Songs section.
MAJOR PROPHETS
The Major Prophetic books of the Old Testament were written by the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. Their works are named after them. They are:
- Isaiah
- Jeremiah
- Lamentations
- Ezekiel
- Daniel
Among these books, the book of Daniel is sometimes grouped with the Minor Prophetic books. These books are not considered major books because of their importance, as all the prophetic words uttered by all the prophets were given by God and hold equal importance. Rather, these books hold a large volume of prophecies compared to the minor books. The Prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah ministered to the children of Israel under the reign of various kings of Israel and Judah. They preached repentance to the people and warned them against the coming destruction of the Temple and the land. The Prophet Ezekiel, who was exiled from Jerusalem during the first siege, ministered to the Jews who were in exile with him. The book of Daniel, unlike the others, does not hold prophetic messages to the people, but rather they are full of visions that Daniel saw concerning kings and kingdoms, empires that would rise and fall until the time when the Eternal Kingdom will be established on earth.
MINOR PROPHETS
There are 12 books in this section, thus giving them the name THE TWELVE or THE BOOK OF TWELVE. They are:
- Hosea
- Joel
- Amos
- Obadiah
- Jonah
- Micah
- Nahum
- Habakkuk
- Zephaniah
- Haggai
- Zechariah
- Malachi
These books were written by the authors after whom they are named. Many of the Minor Prophets ministered during the same timeline as the Major Prophets. The books can be divided into two sections: pre-exile and post-exile. Before the exile of the children of Israel by the Assyrian king, prophets like Hosea and Amos ministered to the 10 tribes of Israel. Prophets like Joel, Micah, Habakkuk and Zephaniah ministered to the tribes of Judah before the Babylonian exile. The Prophets Jonah and Nahum prophesied to the people of Nineveh. The Prophet Obadiah prophesied against Edom. After an exile of 70 years, when the Jews returned to their homeland, the Prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi declared to them the word of God.
The Prophetic books stand as a testimony to us that God always speaks to us, His people, proclaiming His plans and purpose for us. He also admonishes us in our failures and shortcomings, calling us to repent and reconcile with Him. And whenever we fail to come back to Him, He fervently warns us of the punishments that we are storing up for ourselves. Despite all of this, the Word of God clearly shows that our God is a God of restoration. The history of Israel in the Old Testament ends with the return of the exiled people and the restoration of Jerusalem, the chosen city. God has great plans for us; all His plans are always to restore and reconcile us to Himself. To Him be all the glory forever and ever.
We shall learn more about the New Testament in the next blog.
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