Aroma of Worship

Books in the Bible (Old Testament)

Jan 16, 2010 Blogs
Posted by Abigail Abanilla

These are the books in the Old Testament and what they are all about. This is for reference purposes: to help students and everyone else learning the bible. The books are ordered the same way it is in the Bible. (Reference: BIBLE, Contemporary English Version)

Genesis – This book tells about a number of “beginnings” – the creation of the world and of the first man and woman. It also tells how God made a special covenant (agreement) with Abraham and promised to bless him and his descendants. Genesis also includes a number of stories about two of Abraham’s descendants: his grandson Jacob, who was also known as Israel, and Abraham’s great-grandson Joseph who became an important administrator and court official for the king of Egypt.

Exodus - The name Exodus means “departure” and this book tells how God used a man named Moses to lead the Hebrew people (Israelites) out of a life of slavery in Egypt. God led the people through the Red Sea and into the Sinai Dessert. He miraculously provided them with the water and food they needed. God made an agreement (covenant) with the people and gave the Law to Moses at Mount Sinai so that the people could live as God intended.

Leviticus - This book contains many of the laws and instructions God gave to Moses in the desert. It lists detailed descriptions of the responsibilities of the priestly clans, such as presenting sacrifices and offerings on behalf of the people of Israel. The priests of the Israelite religion were to come from the tribe of Levi, the same tribe that Moses was from. The first high priest was Aaron, Moses’ brother.

Numbers - The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years before entering Canaan, the land God had promised to their ancestor Abraham. The name of the book comes from two censuses taken during the journey. Numbers includes instructions for celebrating religious festivals and for dividing the land among the twelve Israelite tribes.

Deuteronomy - Shortly before Moses died, he gave three farewell speeches. In them he reviewed the many laws God had given the Israelites. This book gets its name, which means “second law”, from this review. Deuteronomy includes many succinct and beautiful summaries of God’s commands to love one another and to care for the poor.

Joshua - Before Moses died, Joshua was chosen to lead the Israelite people into the promised land. The book named after this charismatic leader describes his various military expeditions and how he led the Israelite armies into victory over the Canaanites. The book ends with the division of the land among the twelve tribes of Israel.

Judges - After the death of Joshua, the Israelites often disobeyed God; they worshiped false gods and fell into the hands of surrounding nations and enemy peoples. When this happened, God sent special leaders called “judges” to deliver them. Some of these leaders were heroic figures like the skilled military commander Gideon and the strong man Samson. Others were people of wisdom like the prophet Deborah.

Ruth - This short book presents the simple story of the love and dedication between a young Moabite widow named Ruth and Naomi, her Israelite mother-in-law. It tells their journey together to Naomi’s hometown in Judah and Ruth would find a new husband and eventually have a son whose own grandson would one day be Israel’s greatest King.

1 Samuel – The two books of Samuel were originally one long book. Although named after Israel’s last judge, the prophet Samuel, his story makes up less than a quarter of the combined two books. First Samuel goes on to tell how the people of Israel wanted a king like the nations around them and how Saul from the tribe of Benjamin was chosen to be Israel’s first king. But God was not happy with Saul and chose a shepherd named David from the tribe of Judah to be king in Saul’s place. At first, David served in King Saul’s court, but eventually he had to flee from the jealous king. At the end of First Samuel, King Saul dies in battle.

2 Samuel – Second Samuel records how David was made king of the tribe of Judah. Later he was made king of all of Israel. God made a special covenant with David, promising him that one of his descendants would always be king of Israel. The remainder of 2 Samuel tells of David’s struggles to keep control of his kingdom and his family. Much of David’s misery is seen as a direct result of his own sin – his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah.

1 Kings - First and second Kings continue the history of Israel. First Kings starts with stories about David’s son Solomon who was known as Israel’s wisest king. After the death of Solomon, the united Israelite Kingdom split into two separate kingdoms – Israel in the north, led by various monarchies, and Judah in the south, led by descendants of David and Solomon. Intertwined with the stories of warfare are the stories of two of ancient Israel’s great prophets and miracle workers – Elijah and Elisha.

2 Kings - Second Kings continues the story begun in 1 Kings. It tells of the fall of the kingdom of Israel to the Assyrian Empire in 722 B.C. and the defeat of the kingdom of Judah by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The fall of Judah and its capital city Jerusalem marked the beginning of the next phase of Israel’s history, the Exile (or the captivity), when the leading citizens of Judah were deported to Babylonia. These events were seen as judgment upon the people because they did not follow God’s law.

1 Chronicles – First and Second Chronicles tell much of the same history covered in the books of Samuel and Kings from a slightly different point of view. Here, King David is even more highly regarded. In 1 Chronicles he is especially honored for having made Jerusalem the center of worship in Israel.

2 Chronicles – Second Chronicles continues the story of the kingdom of Judah. King David’s importance is apparent in 2 Chronicles where his son and heir, Solomon, is highly praised while the kings of the northern kingdom, Israel, are mostly ignored. Hezekiah and Josiah, two kings of Judah who shared David’s enthusiasm for proper worship practices, receive special attention.

Ezra - Ezra and Nehemiah draw from a variety of sources and were originally one book. They tell about the period after the exile when the Persian king Cyrus and Artaxerxes allowed the Jewish people to return to their homeland and rebuild their cities and the temple in Jerusalem. Ezra, whose story continues in the book of Nehemiah, was a scribe and priest who worked to re-establish obedience to the law of Moses. See also Haggai and Zechariah for more about this period in Jewish history.

Nehemiah - Ezra and Nehemiah draw from a variety of sources and were originally one book. They tell about the period after the exile when the Persian king Cyrus and Artaxerxes allowed the Jewish people to return to their homeland and rebuild their cities and the temple in Jerusalem. Nehemiah, a former official in the Persian court, was appointed governor of Judah and saw that the wall around Jerusalem was rebuilt, so that the people would be safe from foreign influences and military threats.

Esther – This book tells the story of a Jewish woman who became the queen of Persia and was able to use her position to expose a plot to destroy the Jewish people.  Through clever strategy, the plot is defeated and the enemies of the Jews are destroyed instead. The annual celebration of this victory is the Jewish festival of Purim.

Job - This book consists almost entirely of a series of poetic speeches about the problem of suffering. The title character is a wealthy man who suffers a series of calamities, eventually losing everything that matters to him. Job’s friends try to explain the reasons for his sufferings. But Job insists that he is an innocent and righteous man. In the end, God speaks to Job and presents him with an overwhelming impression of God’s majesty and wisdom.

Psalms – This poetic book consists of 150 prayers and hymns that were used by the Hebrew people as part of their public and private worship. Rich in beauty and wisdom, they continue to be an important component of Jewish and Christian worship today. Psalms expresses a wide range of human emotions – from joy to fear, from trust to anger, from hope to despair.

Proverbs - This book is a collection of wise sayings that were used in ancient Israel to teach God’s people how to live right. One of the main teachings of Proverbs is that all wisdom is a gift from God. This wisdom supplies practical advice for everyday living.

Ecclesiastes - This book contains the thoughts of a very wise person known as “Preacher”. The preacher reflects deeply on the contradictory nature of human life, on God’s mercy and justice, on the seasonality of life, the nature of time, and on many other topics that continue to engage people today.

Song of Songs – This book is a collection of poems in which a man and a woman describe the joy and ecstasy of their love for one another. It has been understood both as a picture of God’s love for Israel and of Christ’s love for the church.

Isaiah - This book takes its name from the great prophet Isaiah who lived in Jerusalem in the latter half of the eighth century B.C. It contains warnings about God’s judgment on the people of Judah because of their disobedience to God. But it also has messages of hope that point to a future King descended from King David who would bring a time of comfort and peace to all nations.

Jeremiah - Before the Babylonians and destroyed Judah, the prophet Jeremiah warned the kings, priests, and people about the coming of God’s judgment. While many of these messages were harsh and disturbing, Jeremiah also pointed to a time when God would make a new covenant with his chosen people.

Lamentations - This book is a collection of five poems lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. Although the general tone of this book is one of sadness, it includes an inspiring message about God’s unfailing love.

Ezekiel – The prophet and priest Ezekiel lived in Babylon before and after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. He received many of his insights from visions and had a gift for dramatically and symbolically communicating them both to the Jewish exiles in Babylonia and to the people still living in Jerusalem. The book concludes with an elaborate vision of the future temple in Jerusalem.

Daniel - Daniel was a Jewish official who served in the courts of Babylonian and Persian kings. The first part of the book tells stories about Daniel’s faithfulness to God in spite of the many pressures he faced as a captive in Babylonia. The second part of the book is made up of Daniel’s prophetic visions about the downfall of a series of pagan oppressors and the ultimate victory of God’s people.

Hosea - The prophet Hosea lived in the northern kingdom of Israel and just before it fell to the Assyrians in 722 B.C. He accuses both the people of Israel and Judah of acing toward the Lord the way an unfaithful wife acts toward her husband. Yet he also assures them that the Lord loves them and is ready to forgive them.

Joel - This short book portrays Israel’s enemies as a plague of locusts invading and destroying the land. Joel tells of a day when all of Israel’s enemies will be judged. Joel urges the people to turn from their sins so that they, too, won’t be destroyed.

Amos - During an era of prosperity, this humble sheep farmer from Judah preached judgment against the rich leaders of Israel’s northern kingdom. Amos urged them to consider the poor and oppressed rather than their own self-satisfaction.

Obadiah - Obadiah prophesied judgment against Edom, a country southeast of Israel that had not helped Israel when foreigners were invading it. Because of this, the Lord was going to punish the Edomites and give their land to the people of Israel.

Jonah - This book is a short story about a man who tries to run from God. Jonah did not want to deliver the Lord’s warnings to the people of Nineveh as the Lord commanded him. The Lord used a great fish and a vine to teach this reluctant prophet about the nature of God’s mercy.

Micah - Micah had harsh words for the rich people of Israel and Judah who exploited the poor. But he also looked forward to a day when justice would prevail and peace would be restored under the leadership of a chosen king.

Nahum - This short book is a poetic celebration of the fall of Nineveh, the capital of one of Israel’s cruelest oppressors, the Assyrian Empire.

Habbakuk - This book features a dialogue between the prophet Habakkuk and God about suffering and justice, and concludes with a prayer in praise of the Lord’s power and glory.

Zephaniah - Zephaniah announced “the day of the Lord”, a time when God would bring judgment on Judah and the other nations surrounding it. This coming day would be one of the doom for many, but those from Israel and Judah who remain humble and faithful would survive to bless the whole world.

Haggai - After many of the Jews had returned to Judah from exile in Babylonia, they built themselves expensive houses but had to struggle to make a living. Haggai told the people that if they put God first and rebuilt the temple, God would richly bless them.

Zechariah - Zechariah, like Haggai, urged the people to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, assuring them of God’s help and blessings. Like Ezekiel, Zechariah received many of his messages in the form of highly symbolic visions. Although he warns that God will punish Judah as well as the nearby nations for their sins, he also announces that God will provide the people with a king and establish peace among the nations.

Malachi – Malachi had strong warnings for the people who had returned to Judah from Babylonia. He accused them, and especially the priests, of being indifferent to the laws of instructions that had been given to Moses at Mount Sinai.

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