The book of Leviticus is a record with little narrative, containing the rules and regulations given by God, through Moses, to his chosen people. The prevailing theme and sentiment of Leviticus are succinctly summed up in Leviticus 19:2, “Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” The authorship of Leviticus is attributed to […]
Numbers is an account of Israel’s wanderings in the desert and contains two censuses (“numberings”) of the people. However, a more aptly descriptive title would be “In the Wilderness.” Much of the book of Numbers is about the growing pains of this fledgling nation. Now away from the control and domination of their Egyptian masters, […]
Deuteronomy is the book of laws, but not laws in a narrow, legal sense, but rather in a narrative format as presented by Moses at God’s direction. The book of Deuteronomy consists of three speeches of Moses that cover a look back at Israel’s journey (chapters 1 to 4), laws and regulations (chapters 4 to […]
The book of Joshua is one of the historical books in the Old Testament. It covers the latter part of the life of Joshua, the protégé and successor of Moses. The time frame covered is from the death of Moses to the conquest and allocation of the land God gave his people, the 12 tribes […]
The book of Judges is one of the historical books in the Old Testament. On a timeline, it occurs immediately after the book of Joshua. Following it are the events recorded in Samuel and Kings. Once the people settle in Israel, they are governed by a series of judges, hence the name for this book. […]
The book of Ruth, named after the central character in this account, is a captivating story of a widowed woman’s loyalty to her mother-in-law and the resulting reward for her devotion. That reward included a new husband, a secure future, and part of the bloodline of King David (Ruth 4:13 & 17) and Jesus (Matthew […]
The books of 1 and 2 Samuel are two of the historical books in the Old Testament. Originally they were a single book (and still are in the Hebrew Bible). Named after the prophet Samuel, these two books cover his life, as well as the first two kings of Israel: Saul in First Samuel and […]
The books of 1 and 2 Kings are two of the historical books in the Old Testament. Originally they were a single book (and still are in the Hebrew Bible). Historically, the book of 1 Kings picks up where 2 Samuel ends. The book of 2 Chronicles is a parallel account of 1 and 2 […]
The books of 1 and 2 Chronicles are two of the historical books in the Old Testament. Originally they were a single book (and still are in the Hebrew Bible). After an initial historical review (chapters 1 through 9), the book of First Chronicles focuses on the reign of King David (also covered in Second […]
The book of Ezra is one of the historical books in the Old Testament. The book is named after its primary character, Ezra. Chronologically, Ezra picks up where Second Chronicles leaves off, with King Cyrus’s decree letting the exiles go home. (The books of Esther and Daniel give us some insight into what happened during […]