The Old Testament is a collection of
thirty-nine books about the history and religion of the people of Israel.
The authors of these books are unknown, and each book possesses
a unique tone, style, and message. Individually, they include stories,
laws, and sayings that are intended to function as models of religious
and ethical conduct. Together—through hundreds of characters and
detailed events—they represent a unified narrative about God and
his attempt to relate to humankind by relating to a specific group
of people.
The Old Testament contains four main sections: the Pentateuch, the
Former Prophets (or Historical Books), the Writings, and the Latter
Prophets. This study guide covers books from the first three sections.
The Pentateuch
The Pentateuch comprises the first five books of the Old
Testament. It depicts a series of beginnings—the beginning of the
world, of humankind, and of God’s promise to the Israelites.
Genesis, the first book, opens with God’s creation of the world. The perfect world falls into evil when humans disobey God,
and the human population divides into separate nations and languages. After
many generations, God speaks to a man named Abraham. God makes a
promise, or covenant, with Abraham to make his descendants into
a great nation and to give them a great land. Abraham shows strong
faith in God, and God seals his promise with a number of signs and
tests. This special covenant with God passes on to Abraham’s son,
Isaac, and to his grandson, Jacob. Together, they represent the
patriarchs, or fathers, of the Israelite people. Jacob’s twelve
sons move to Egypt after the youngest brother, Joseph, miraculously
becomes a high official in Egypt.
In the Book of Exodus, the descendants of Jacob’s children
have become a vast people, but the Pharaoh of Egypt holds them in
slavery. God chooses one man, Moses, to rescue the Israelites. God sends
ten plagues to Egypt, and, with miraculous signs and wonders, Moses
leads the people out of Egypt and across the Red Sea. They go to
Mount Sinai, where God appears in a cloud of thunder over the mountain
and affirms to the Israelites the promise he made to Abraham.
God commands them to worship only himself, and he gives them various
ethical and religious laws.
The books of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy continue the
explanation of God’s religious laws and his promises to the people.
The people must keep these laws to enter and enjoy the promised
land, toward which they are heading. Despite God’s presence, the Israelites
complain and disobey incessantly, inciting God’s wrath. They wander
the wilderness for forty years in search of the promised land. These
books continue the period of Moses’s legendary leadership and miracles,
until his death at the end of Deuteronomy.
The Former Prophets
The Former Prophets, or the Historical Books,
cover the history of the Israelites from Moses’s death to the fall
of the nation in 587 b.c. In
the books of Joshua and Judges, the Israelites successfully conquer
the land promised to them by God, but they disobey God by worshipping
the deities of the surrounding peoples. Neighboring nations invade
and oppress the Israelites. God saves the people of Israel by designating
judges, or rulers, to lead the people in warding off their enemies.
The two books of Samuel (First Samuel and Second Samuel) cover
the rise of the united kingdom of Israel. Israel’s religious leader,
Samuel, appoints a king named Saul. Saul disobeys God, however,
and God chooses another man, David, to be Israel’s king. King Saul
attempts to kill the young David, but fails. Saul’s death closes
the first book. In the second book, David establishes the great kingdom
of Israel. He conquers Israel’s surrounding enemies and establishes
Jerusalem as the religious and political center of Israel.
The books of Kings (called 1 Kings
and 2 Kings) trace the decline of Israel’s
success. God blesses David’s son, Solomon, with immense wisdom.
As king, Solomon expands Israel into an empire and builds a great
temple in Jerusalem. Solomon disobeys God by worshipping other deities,
and, at his death, the kingdom splits into a northern kingdom, Israel,
and a southern kingdom, Judah. A host of evil kings leads the two
kingdoms away from worshipping God. Despite the attempts of the
prophets Elijah and Elisha to halt Israel’s wrongdoing, the two
kingdoms fall to the Assyrian and Babylonian Empires. Jerusalem
is destroyed, and the people are sent into exile.
The Writings
The Writings are placed after the historical
books in the Christian Bible. Some of these are narratives covering
the time of Israel’s exile in other nations and its eventual return
to the homeland. The Book of Esther, for example, tells the story
of an unassuming Jewish girl who becomes the queen of Persia and
boldly saves the Jewish people from genocide.
Many of the Writings are books of poetry and wisdom,
among the most important literature in the Old Testament. The Book
of Job is a lengthy dialogue investigating God’s justice and the
problem of human suffering. The Psalms are lyrical poems and hymns—many attributed
to King David—that express humankind’s longing for God. The books
of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes—similarly attributed to the wise King
Solomon—offer sayings and instructions about the meaning of life
and ethical behavior. Lastly, the Song of Solomon (also attributed
to Solomon) is a romantic, lyric dialogue between a young woman
and her lover.
