I just finished my bible class and thought that some might enjoy reading this. I had to write a book report of the bible. I was allowed 8-10 sentences per book so here is my result. I hope you enjoy this.
Genesis
The book of Genesis is mainly narrative material. Some main concepts of this book are the creation week, fall of man, Gods promise, the flood, His covenant and the election of the Jewish people. Adam and Eve gave in to temptation with the result that there came a separation between God and His creation. The human race sins more and more and God decides to destroy his creation, but because he knows that Noah is a righteous man He saves Noah’s his three sons Ham, Shem, Japheth and their wives and two of each animal from the world wide flood. After which God tells Noah that they should scatter all over the world but the people (Noah’s descendants) don’t listen and God creates different languages that set people apart and they scatter all over the world. Then God calls Abram (later called Abraham) and establishes a covenant with him. God renews this covenant with Isaac and Jacob (later called Israel). Israel’s son Josef is sold by his brother into slavery in Egypt and through miraculous events becomes the right hand of Pharaoh. This allows him to save the empire and his family. Israel and his family move to Egypt after being reunited to Josef after 20 years and become a big nation.
Exodus
Exodus has some big arts that are narrative but most of the book is written as law. Some of the main concepts of Exodus are; the salvation of Israel out of Egypt’s captivity, Israel’s journey to mount Sinai, God setting them apart as His people and gives them His law. Exodus starts out Israel in bondage to Egypt when God meets Moses in a burning bush and calls him to be a free His people. Through the process of ten plagues, all of which showed the Egyptians that YHWH was greater than their gods, Israel is set free. Then the Israelites travel to mount Sinai during which God proves to them that He is in control and that they are His special people. God meets the Israelites at mount Sinai and renews His covenant with the Israelites, gives them the ten words or commandments. Then He continues to explain them how to live by them followed by consequences of them be it either blessing for doing so or curse for not following them which we see demonstrated in the instance of the golden calf. Then He orders the build of the tabernacle and gives detailed instructions to the design and architecture. After which the tabernacle gets build according to God’s instructions after which the pillar cloud/fire settled on the tabernacle and the Shekina of God (God’s presence or the glory of God) filled it so that even Moses could not enter.
Leviticus
The book of Leviticus is a book of Law. Some key themes are the holiness of God, the sacrificial system, and the liturgical calendar. The guidelines for priesthood, the consecration of Aaron and is sons, the profane fire of Nadab and Abihu, and then the repetition of the ten commandments are some clear examples of Gods holiness. The sacrificial system had three types of offerings: consecratory, expiatory, and communal. Consecratory offerings were the burnt offering, where everything was burnt, which was the main consecratory offering and provided atonement for a person, the grain offering and the drink offering. Expiatory offerings were called the guild offering or trespass offering and the sin offering. There are three types of communal offerings; the peace offering was to celebrate peace or a good harvest and other such things, the votive offering was offered after a vow or promise was kept, and the freewill offering is kind of like a catchall. God established a liturgical calendar by instating holidays. These celebrations were; Sabbath to remember that God created the earth, the Passover to remember that God delivered his people out of Egypt, Pentecost to be thankful for Gods provision of a harvest, the feast of tabernacles to remind Israel of their time in the dessert. God also gave laws for the jubilee year and the Sabbath year.
Numbers
Numbers is a book of law that has some substantial narrative portions and two censuses of the people of Israel, it could also be called a travelogue since it covers forty years of traveling. Some of the key concepts of Numbers are; cleanliness, faithfulness in regards to marriage and in regards to the Nazirite vow, and the journey of Israel through the dessert for forty years. God orders the Israelites to do a head count which is also used as way to organize Israel it was unique that it also numbered the tribe of Levi because they had no inheritance among the tribes because of their priestly duties. It has been a year since the Israelites have been delivered out of Egypt and at this point God addresses the issue of cleanliness, marital faithfulness, followed by the nazirite vow. God directs the Israelites to move to the promise land but on the way there they complain several times and Moses needs to intercede for them so that God won’t kill them. After the Israelites listen to the fearful spies and doubt God He tells them that they will not enter the promise land after which they sojourn through the dessert for forty years. During these years the repeating cycle is; the Israelites continue to complain after which God punishes them until none of the original Israelites that left Egypt is still alive. Moses also commits a major error when he responds to a complaint in the ‘we’ form making him and God even and because of this sin he will not enter the promise land. At the end of Numbers we find the Israelites again facing the promise land on the other side of the river Jordan. Here God orders another census which proves to the people that God was great because the Israelites had not dwindled in number even though none of the once that left Egypt were still living (other than Moses Joshua and Caleb).
Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy is the last book of five called the Pentateuch (book of law) and is also written in the form of law just like Leviticus. Some of the key themes are obedience brings blessing and disobedience curses, Gods law and the charge to take the promise land. Deuteronomy is pretty much a compilation of three addresses Moses gives the people of Israel. The first address covers the history of the last forty years to remind them of Gods character. The second address is about Gods law, the ten commandments and its specific stipulations. In the third address Moses starts by a covenant renewal reiterating the ten commandments and charging the Israelites to keep to them after that he covers the blessings that follow obedience and curses that result form disobedience which is followed by what we call a perpetual trust which means that God will not only be with this generation but also the future generations. The last section of this address appoints Joshua as his successor after which Moses warns the people what will happen when they turn away from God, sings a song and gives the Israelites a final blessing. Then he climbs mount Nebo where God shows him the promise land that he had so long anticipated. I would like to note that the people of Israel are a completely different people now in the sense that their mindset has changed form slaves to a real nation and God has shown himself true over and over in the dessert. Moses has charged them numerous times to “go and take possession of the land” and you can almost feel the excitement and anticipation of what is about to happen.
Joshua
The book of Joshua is mainly narrative material. The main concepts include the conquest, division and the settlement of Israel in the promise land. After the battle of Jericho and the battle of Ai the people of Gibeon tricked the Israelites in a coalition. The surrounding states attacked the Gibeonites and the Israelites counterattacked the enemy, captured and killed the five kings defeating the southern alliance made against them and then continued to attack and take their cities; Makkena, Libnah, Lachish, Gezer, Eglon, Hebron, and Debir, this gave the Israelites control over the entire Negev as far as Kadesh Barnea. Now the north formed an alliance against the Israelites, but he Israelites were able to attack the Canaanites first and scored a decisive victory after which they pursued them as far as the Sidon area burning Harzor (just like they did with Jericho and Ai). At this point the conquest has taken about five years and Israel now has control of the land that God had promised to Abraham. Then the land is divided between the tribes except for the tribes of Gad, and Reuben, and the half tribe of Manasseh because they had already chosen to keep the land that they conquered when they had war in the book of Numbers. At the end of the book Joshua says his farewell in the form of two speeches, one for the leaders and one for all the people. He pointed out that God is the one who had done all this work and he made clear that there was more work to do he also reminded them to keep the covenant and use the book of Moses as a guide.
Judges
The book of Judges is mainly written in narrative, both topical and chronological. The recurring themes are apostasy (evil in the sight of the Lord), oppression, repentance, and deliverance. The book is divided into three parts; introduction or prologue, the main body of text, and the epilogue (this is not a conclusion but like some examples of the moral corruption of this period). The first part gives us a historical overview of where the Israelites are at this point in time. The conquest has happened and God rebukes Israel for its unfaithfulness to Gods covenant. The main part of the book covers the stories of twelve judges whom are divided as six major judges; Othniel, Ethud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephtah, and Samson, and six minor judges; Shamgur, Tola, Jair, Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon. Every story in the book of Judges starts out with the Israelites doing evil in the sight of the Lord, this usually meant idolatry and breaking the commandments and the laws. Allowing the Canaanites to live among them and having covenants with them (such as intermarrying) involved tolerating and eventually adapting their faith and walking away from God. Each time that God sends a judge the people would repent from their ways, be delivered, and return to God only for the lifetime of that judge and then it would all go south again. It is also good to know that judges usually served a smaller area so that some lived at the same time this is what makes it chronologically a bit confusing at times.
Ruth
The book of Ruth is mainly narrative material. Some of the key themes are acceptance of others, faithfulness to the covenant and Gods sovereignty. Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law wants to move back to her hometown Bethlehem because both her sons and her husband are dead. Orpah, Ruth’s sister-in-law, decides to stay behind while Ruth goes with Naomi. Ruth tells Naomi in a speech in that she claims Naomi’s God as her God. Ruth gleans the field of Boaz who welcomes her and makes sure there is enough for her to glean. At the advise of Naomi Ruth tells Boaz that he was her kinsman redeemer to which he replies that he is second to someone else but that he will resolve the issue. The following day Boaz takes care of the legal transactions. Boaz and Ruth married and had a son who would be the grandfather of king David and the ancestor of Jesus Christ the redeemer of mankind.
1 Samuel
The book of 1 Samuel is mainly narrative material. The key theme is Israel’s change from a theocracy to a monarchy, starting with the last judge (Samuel) to the first king (Saul) and the anointing of the second king (David). Because Samuels sons aren’t able to lead the people they ask for a king to give them stability, bring them back and keep them right with God, even though Samuel tries to discourage the people. God gives them what they ask for in Saul, who is tall and, handsome and seems to do a good job in the beginning but he fails to honor God. Saul becomes a tragic figure with a life full of jealousy, fear, and an seeming failing mental health. Samuel anoints David to be the next king, a king after Gods heart instead of after Israel’s wants. David plays soothing music for Saul and slays Goliath the giant. Saul spends most of the remainder of his life chasing after David who keeps gaining popularity among the people. Saul’s son, Jonathan is an intimate friend of David and saves his live from one of his fathers plots to kill David. At the end of 1 Samuel both Saul and Jonathan are killed and the stage is set for David to be the next king.
2 Samuel
The book of 2 Samuel is mainly narrative material. The key them is David as a king after Gods heart and as the forerunner to Jesus Christ. After the death of Saul and Jonathan, David is king of Judah but the northern part of Israel is claimed by one of Saul’s sons and one of Saul’s generals. Seven years later David is asked to be the king of the northern parts as well which he celebrates by bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. David is a great king and loves God but he also makes mistakes but we can see a big difference between him and Saul in the way he responds when his sin is pointed out. David had slept with his neighbor’s house and then tried to pass the buck which didn’t work so he had the neighbor killed after which he married his neighbor’s wife. As a result of this sin he loses the illicit son, his daughter gets raped by Amnon (her half brother) and his son Amnon is killed by his son Absalom (the girls full-brother). Absalom is a long estranged son of David that plots and executes a coup after which David flees. When David faced his son in battle on of David’s generals killed Absalom and David went back to Jerusalem as king but dissention between Judah and the northern states increased. Then there was another revolt this time from the tribe of Benjamin and in the process of taking care of this revolt there was some dissention between two generals in David’s army.
1 Kings
The book of kings is mainly narrative material. The key concept of Kings is that the people of the covenant failed despite of Gods faithfulness. 1 Kings picked up where 2 Samuel left off. The first part of 1 Kings covers the reign of Salomon and shows she prosperity of the kingdom and how a king with a divided heart left a divided kingdom. After Salomon’s death the northern kingdom (Israel) separated it self from what is now called the kingdom of Judah. From here on the narrative is difficult to follow because the writer switches back and forth between the north and the south. The book of 1 Kings follows the first nine rulers of Israel (the north) and the first four kings of the south (Judah). The kings that are given more attention are the ones that either showed uprightness or the ones that show why the kingdom eventually collapsed. 1 Kings ends with Jehosaphat as the ruler for Judah, and Ahaziah as the ruler for Israel. During this time God spoke through prophets such as Elijah, Micaiah and others.
2 Kings
The book of 2 Kings is mainly narrative material. The key concept of Kings is that the people of the covenant failed despite of Gods faithfulness. 2 Kings picks up where 1 Kings left off. Just like in 1 Kings the narrative is hard to follow because the writer witches back and forth between the northern and the southern kingdoms. There were twenty kings in northern kingdom and all of them were bad. There were twenty kings in the southern kingdom of which only eight were considered good. From chapter 17 on we only read about the kingdom of Judah because the kingdom of Israel was captured by the Babylonians. Through out the book of Kings God uses prophets to communicate to his people such as Elisha, Jonah and others. It is amazing to see that even though the people rejected God He never rejected them.
1 Chronicles
The book of 1 Chronicles is mainly written as a narrative. Some of the key themes of Chronicles are genealogy and the history of the kings of Judah. Chronicles ignores the kingdom of Israel and only focuses on the southern kingdom of Judah. As kings approaches the history from a prophetic point of view so Chronicles have a priestly view on the events. The first part of 1 Chronicles covers the genealogy from Adam through the Babylonian exile with the account of those who returned. The second part covers the kingship of king David. 1 Chronicles focuses on David returning the Arc of the Covenant to Jerusalem, his military advantages, and the preparations for the building of the temple.
2 Chronicles
The book of 2 Chronicles is mainly written as a narrative. Some of the key themes of Chronicles are the building of the temple, Salomon’s wealth and wisdom. Chronicles ignores the kingdom of Israel and only focuses on the southern kingdom of Judah. It treats the history of the northern kingdom as incidental in the storyline of the southern kingdom. The first half of 2 Chronicles covers how amazing Salomon was as king. His building the temple, his wealth and his wisdom are shared in detail while nothing is mentioned of his shortcomings. Salomon’s reign ends abruptly and is followed by the stories of the remaining twenty kings of Judah all the way up to the Babylonian captivity of Judah. The book ends with mentioning the release of Judah and the return of its people.
Ezra
The book of Ezra is largely narrative material. The main theme of Ezra is the return of people from the exile to Jerusalem. In the first few chapters Ezra writes about the return home from Jews that were in exile, about 1772 males returned. Then Ezra talks about the rebuilt of the temple and of Jerusalem. Of course they face some opposition and deal with all that through an exchange of letters with the Babylonian king who settles the issue and the rebuilt continues. Ezra arrives into this scene in chapter seven and carries with him a letter from the king, and gifts for the temple. Ezra addresses the issue of intermarriage with pagans. After which the people profess to this sin. This is followed with a case-by-case study of each marriage to solve the issue. The real issue is not the marriages but the acceptance of the pagan religions into these marriages.
Nehemiah
The book of Nehemiah is mainly written in narrative but it also contains poetry and genealogy. The main theme of Nehemiah is the rebuilt of the city walls of Jerusalem. After Nehemiah receives news that the city of Jerusalem is still not rebuild the king (whom he serves) notices this and asks what is wrong and what he can do about it. The king sends Nehemiah as ambassador to Jerusalem for a twelve-year term to finish the rebuilt. After Nehemiah arrives he first surveys the wall and what needs to be done and then presents himself and the proposed plan to the people. He supported his solution by showing what God had done up to this point. Through the problems that they had to face Nehemiah never lost sight of the plan and the rebuilt of the walls was completed in 52 days.
Esther
The book of Ester is mainly narrative material. Some of the key themes are dependency on God, and the survival of the Jewish people in hostile territory. Ester is orphaned and adopted by her uncle Mordecai who works for the Persian king. The king finds Ester in his search for a wife and he marries her. Haman is one of the kings advisors and he is angry with Mordecai, So after finding out that he is a Jew Haman decides to plot the killing of all the Jews. Mordecai finds out about this plan and tells Esther that she can choose to take part in Gods deliverance of her people or stand on the sidelines, this really shows the level of dependency on God. Ester approaches the king and outwits Haman and is used by God to safe her people.
Job
Job is usually labeled as a ‘wisdom book’ this means that it is largely written in poetry but it also has big portions that are narrative. The main theme is that not everything that happens in life is fair or that it happens because it is God’s will. It pretty much deals with the question of ages of why bad things happen to good people. The book is mainly a conversation (or several) between Job and his friends, Bildad, Zophar, Eliphaz, Elihu. (Job’s wife also does some complaining). Job’s friends mainly give wrong advice in their attempt to comfort him through human wisdom. Elihu is the last to try and comfort Job and in his speech he is the closest to answering Jobs question but it is God who speaks at the end to set things strait. God asks them questions to show that human wisdom I nothing compared to god’s wisdom. Job realizes his presumptions and repents and God vindicates him before his friends.
Psalms
The book of psalms is mainly written as poetry. It is a collection of prayers and songs that directed to God or is about God. Lament and praise are the two main types of psalms. A lament psalm expresses an emotion of sorrow or grief and often contain a promise. There are two types of psalms that are a lot like a lament psalm and they are son of trust or a song of confession. A praise psalm is usually positive and talks about Gods power and goodness. Royal psalms are a subcategory of praise psalms and usually talk about God as king. The book of Psalms can also be used as a guide to worship much like our modern day hymnbooks.
Proverbs
The book of proverbs is a book of wisdom, this means that it like the psalms is written in poetry. Some key concepts are the fear of the Lord, righteousness and wisdom. The book of Proverbs is a compilation of wisdom proverbs of Solomon or collected by Solomon. The word Hebrew word for wisdom usually denotes skill of craftsmanship so you could say that these proverbs teach you the skill of living. The first principle the book of Proverbs teaches is that the fear, or reverence of the Lord is the foundation of life. The second principle it teaches is the nature of humankind, especially things like folly, laziness, etc.
Ecclesiastes
The book of Ecclesiastes is another book of wisdom and is thus mainly written in poetry. The main theme is that God is needed for a meaningful life. Ecclesiastes is thought to be written by an older Solomon. He is looking back on his life and learning from all his mistakes that had led him away from God. Salomon comes to the conclusion that life without God is futile and vanity. He advises us to remember God through out our live so that we wouldn’t have any regrets like Solomon has now. Even though the beginning of the book seems very negative like there is no purpose to life he tie it all together in the end by the fact that God is just and will eventually judge everything and set things right.
Song of Solomon
The book Song of Solomon is also a book of wisdom and it too is mainly written in poetry. The main theme is love. It is questioned whether this is Gods love for us, praise for ‘true love’, or the development of love in a young marriage relationship. Either way it is the book that many Christians would like to skip over because of its ‘R’ rating. I personally believe that it is a great example and lesson for marriage.
Isaiah
The book of Isaiah is a prophetic book and it written mainly in poetry but it also has substantial narrative material. Some of the key themes are judgment and restoration. Isaiah told the kingdom of Judah that they should repent otherwise their faith would be worse than that of Israel. Isaiah also gave them a hope of restoration and in doing so he gave several messianic prophesies. He predicted the virgin birth, his death and suffering, and the one that Jesus proclaimed to have fulfilled part of that day. Despite Isaiah’s message of Gods displeasure with Judah, he laid the foundation for the hope of a messiah.
Jeremiah
The book of Jeremiah is a prophetic and is thus mainly written in poetry but it also contains some large sections of narrative. Some of the main themes ate repentance, restoration, and exile. Jeremiah was an interesting person who embodied some of his prophesies by acting them out. He lived in Jerusalem and proclaimed that Judah would be led into captivity just like the north. He also proclaimed that God could choose to fulfill the judgment or have mercy and would choose based on the personal lives of the people, yet Jeremiah had no problem saying it was to late to repent. He suggested Judah to surrender tot Babylon because it would make the unavoidable easier. Jeremiah is often considered the weeping or a pessimistic prophet because of his proclamations and his complaining that the people did not receive them. Jeremiah also prophesied things about the coming Messiah such as that he would be from the line of David, and also coined the words ‘new testament’ even though it was hinted at in Exodus.
Lamentations
The book of lamentations is mainly written in song. The key theme is the sorrow over the destruction of Jerusalem. Lamentations is divided in 5 songs that are written in the form of a lament, hence the name. Jeremiah writes as if he can see his beloved city crumble. He has a great love for Jerusalem but understands that real love speaks the truth even when it is hard to say. Jeremiah’s heart is broken because of this sorrow but he also states that Jerusalem will be destroyed because of the sins of its inhabitants. He ends with a prayer that asks God to restore Himself to us, so that we may return to Him..
Ezekiel
The book of Ezekiel is written in narrative and poetry. The main theme in Ezekiel is the destruction and the restoration of Jerusalem. Ezekiel was an interesting prophet. Some of his Prophesies were object lessons (like Jeremiah did) to show people what was about to happen. Ezekiel also told parables, stories that compared the subject to something more common and easy to understand so that people could understand. Ezekiel also had visions of which some gave him insight into the spiritual realm. Some of these visions, the most notable ones gave Ezekiel insight into the future. It is amazing to see the detail some of these visions had. Ezekiel was a normal prophet in the sense that he announced judgment as God’s representative.
Daniel
The book of Daniel is mainly written in narrative but also has some portions that are poetry. The main theme of Daniel is that God is in control of history and future. Daniel is a young man when he is led into captivity by Babylon where he will be trained as an advisor to the king. The book of Daniel tells the story of Daniels life in Babylon. How he was faithful to God, and how God saves him and his friends from evil. The book also shows us how God influenced this Babylonian nation and how He is in control over what has happened or what will happen. The book also contains a few prophecies that proclaim things concerning the end of times.
Hosea
The book of Hosea is mainly poetry because it is a book of prophecy. The main concept of Hosea is Gods never ending love for His people. God called Hosea to marry a harlot named Gomer. They had three children whose names all bore prophetic significance. Gomer runs away and God calls Hosea to buy her back. Then the last part of the Book of Hosea is written in the style of prophetic law because it resembles a divorce. God uses Hosea’s life to show how much He loves Israel and how Israel keeps leaving Him and cheating on Him. In Hosea’s final address he proclaims the separation but also calls for repentance and promises that if Israel returns that God would forgive them and heal their land.
Joel
The book of Joel is a prophetic book and is thus mainly written in poetry. Some key themes are the call to repent, the condemnation for apostasy and Gods judgment on the day of the Lord. After a plague of locust ruins the harvest Joel says that this was just a foretaste of what is to come if the people do not repent. He compares the invasion of the insects with an invasion of army troops. His main message is for people to repent so that God may change his mind. He talks about the day of the Lord as the day of Gods judgment. When he does this he mentions Gods final judgment when He will reign the earth. This is one of the few prophecies that have not yet been come to fruition. Joel also prophesies about God poring out his Spirit over all the people which we experienced from the day of Pentecost on.
Amos
The book of Amos is a prophetic book and is thus mainly written as poetry. The key theme of Amos is the day of the Lord, which is a day of judgment or a day of celebration and blessing. Amos was a shepherd who was called to proclaim judgment on the shepherd of the people (the king). In the beginning of the book Amos condemns the seven nations of the region. And the book focuses on the condemnation of the kingdom of Israel. Israel is being condemned because of the worship of other gods beside YHWH. It is also being condemned because of the social injustice that was happening, The day of the Lord is the day when this judgment would come to pass. The day of the Lord could also mean a time of blessing but that was not the case in this case.
Obadiah
The book of Obadiah is a prophetic book and it is thus written poetry. The main theme is that you should not rejoice in the suffering of others because God might turn the tides on you. The second main theme is the day of the Lord; which means doom for Edom and rejoicing for Judah. All we really know of the book is that Obadiah is the writer, but we are not sure which one or what time. Edom rejoiced in the suffering of Edom and because of this pride and because of their false security God will bring them down in the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord will also be a day of rejoicing for Judah.
Jonah
The book of Jonah is mainly composed of narrative material. The main theme is that god can judge a nation but also as mercy for the innocent. Jonah the prophet it called by God to go to Nineveh with a call for repentance and a message of mercy. Jonah doesn’t listen and flees to Tarshish but God intervenes on the way their by way of a great storm. As a last hope Jonah is thrown overboard where God has provided a great fish to swallow him up and after three days, during which Jonah repents the fish spits him out. God calls him again and this time he listens. After delivering the message Jonah waits the destruction of Nineveh but the people repent and God has mercy on Nineveh. As Jonah waits God teaches him a lesson showing him that just like Jonah would save a tree to provide him shade God saves those he loves.
Micah
Micah is a prophetic book and is written in poetry. The main themes of Micah are the greatness of God, social injustice and the Messiah. Micah lived in the same time as Isaiah and preached similar messages. Micah’s messages said that the worshipping of other gods led to social injustice. Micah proclaimed the time of exile but also promised that God would restore the nation. Micah understood that God would use the Messiah to restore the nation. Micah proclaimed the birth of Christ, and that His origins would be of the old, ancient times (or eternity). Through out the book Micah also talks about attributes of God and shows his audience the greatness of God. Micah is also mentioned in the book of Jeremiah.
Nahum
The book of Nahum is a prophetic book that is written in poetry. The key theme is the prophecy of the destruction of Assyria and Nineveh (its capital). Like Jonah, Nahum had an international message also fro the Assyrians. Even though they repented with Jonah there would be no chance for that this time. Assyria and Nineveh would be destroyed. For the Jews this could be taken as an advice not to make an allegiance with the Assyrians because they wouldn’t last. Assyria was destroyed fifty ear after Nahum’s proclamation.
Habakkuk
The book of Habakkuk is a book of prophecy and is mainly written in poetry. Some key themes are the judgment and trust. Habakkuk is a conversation between the prophet and God. He asks God why evil prevails to which God replies that judgment is to come. Then Habakkuk asks why a nation more evil is to be the judgment, to which God replies that their consequences will come to and that He has the overall picture in mind. Habakkuk realizes that Gods wisdom is deeper than his own and prays a prayer of surrender to God. Even though he doesn’t understand why God does what He does he chooses to rely on Him.
Zephaniah
The book of Zephaniah is a prophetic book and is mainly written in poetry. The key theme of the book is the judgment and a little bit of hope. Zephaniah predicts the judgment of the southern kingdom and its surrounding areas. This happened less than fifty years later with the Babylonian expansion. Zephaniah finishes with the prophesying of the restoration of Israel (as a whole) build upon its true worshippers. It seems like this prophecy is still to come to fulfillment.
Haggai
The book of Haggai is mainly written as a narrative. The key theme is the rebuild of the temple. Haggai had only one thing on his mind. He delivered four messages in four months and they were all about the rebuild of the temple. The work had laid still for fifteen years and now the work was stating again.
Zechariah
The book of Zechariah is mainly written in narrative but has substantial portions of poetry. The key themes are return to God, end of time, and messianic prophecy. Zechariah calls the people back to god and to worship him with true worship. Then he has eight visions that are somewhat hard to follow but seem to be an apocalyptic preview. Zechariah then continues to explain the true purpose for fasting after the people ask him if they need to continue to fast. He also gives some messianic prophecies. He said that the messiah would come riding on a donkey, and how he would be sold for 30 silver coins, and that he would be killed. He will be a fountain that washes sin a way and once he will be restored he will reign as a restored king from Zion and be king to all the nations.
Malachi
The book of Malachi is written in poetry. The key theme is true worship. Malachi proclaimed that even though the Jews were going through the motions they didn’t really worship. They had done a good job avoiding idolatry and went trough the motions but they didn’t worship with their hearts. Malachi called them to come and bring their best and first fruits. He also gave them hope that God would poor out his blessings over them, and heal them. Malachi finishes with the promise that before the messenger would come God would send Elijah
Matthew
The book of Mathew is written in sayings and narrative. Matthew is written for a Jewish audience. Many times in the book of Matthew we see the words; “Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet ……” This shows that Jesus is the fulfillment of the hopes of Judaism. Matthew is not written in a chronological nor biographical order for that very reason. Matthew starts out by showing them that Jesus is indeed the son of David. Then the book talks about how to live as believers and about the kingdom of God. Jesus used parables to illustrate this. We also read about the objections Jesus had to deal with. The last section is written in chronological order in a biographical style and it talks about Jesus last few days, his death and resurrection and the church’s commission.
Mark
The book of Mark is also written in sayings and narratives. This book is to be believed to be the first of the four gospels and the basis for Matthew and Luke. Mark was written for the gentile and Roman audience. Mark strikes me as having ADHD because it is written at a fast pace with a lot of action and vivid illustrations. He uses the word immediately a lot to transition between scenes. Mark seems to have three parts to it Starting with Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, followed with his ministry in Judea. The third and final part is the passion of Christ. He has been referring to this through out the entirety of the book and this truly is the climax of Mark.
Luke
The book is written in sayings and narratives. Luke writes in an orderly and comprehensive way, thus providing us with a chronological biography of Jesus’ life. Luke describes Jesus not only as the Jewish messiah but also as the savior of the world. For this very reason Luke doesn’t write about strictly Jewish material. Luke does however write about Jesus’ Jewish heritage and shows that Jesus is the fulfillment of the OT expectation about salvation. Luke has more emphasis on prayer and Jesus prayer life than the other Gospels, it also mentions praise and thanksgiving a lot. Luke really writes to prove to everyone that Jesus is the savior of the world by showing that he came not only for the Jews but for the gentiles also.
John
The book of John is written in sayings and narratives just like the other gospels. When John was written he had probably already access to the other three gospels but he does not follow any of their order. John differs from the others in a few ways. John has more lengthy discourses instead of the parables. John uses the miracles as signs. And the “I am” sayings are unique to the gospel of John. Beside these differences the ministry of Christ is the same in all four gospels. John divides his book up into two sections: Jesus’ public ministry and his private ministry to the disciples. I usually advise people to start with this gospel (when they start reading the bible for the first time) because it seems to be to me the gospel of love.
A note about the gospels: The gospels were written when the first apostles died. Until then the Christians had been remembering Christ orally through pericopes (stories and sayings). When the apostles realized that it might be a while before Jesus returned they chose to write things down. This is why it is hard give the gospels a typical literary label. Other than stories and sayings about Jesus they also include teachings of Jesus, which include parables. Parables are stories that illustrate a point through a type of riddle. There are four types of parables; similitude, metaphor, truth parable, and epigram. Because of this difference it is important to do good exegesis to prevent misinterpretations.
Acts
The book of Acts is written as a historical narrative. Luke wrote this book to Theophilus as the sequel to his gospel. Acts starts where the gospel ended; the ascension of Christ. The first part of Acts covers the ministry of Peter, which starts the day of Pentecost. This includes the dispersion of the church after Stephen’s death. The second part of Acts starts with the conversion of Saul and then follows Paul on his missionary journeys. At some point these journeys are written in first tense (we) and other times in the third tense (they). This is because Luke did travel with Paul on occasions. Acts ends abruptly with Paul in jail in Rome. It is thought to end this way because both Luke and Acts would be written as a brief for Paul’s defense before Caesar. But even if that is so Acts gives us the history and foundation of the early church.
Roman
The book of Romans is written as a letter by the apostle Paul to the Christians in Rome. When Paul wrote this letter to the Romans he had not yet been there and thus did not address any specific local issues. This allows Paul to write in a logical and orderly theological manner explaining foundational truths and sound doctrine. Acts is divided in three major sections. The first part address and explains why the claims about Jesus are so important, this section can be viewed as Paul’s gospel message. The second part addresses the questions that are raised by these claims and provides answers to these issues. The third part ties it all together by providing an application for all these principles in ones life. The book then closes with a personal greeting to Paul’s personal friends and family.
1 Corinthians
The book of first Corinthians is written by the apostle Paul as a letter to the church in Corinth. In this letter (probably the second of four) Paul address a number of issues that the church was dealing with. Paul is dealing with some misunderstood directions, which he had given them in a previous letter, There are seven issues which Paul addresses: Church division or a sectarian spirit; the Christians were in debate over the preference of religious leaders. Tolerating immorality; which manifested itself in three ways: incest, lawsuits, sexual immorality. Marriage and divorce; the church had asked him a question that he was now answering. Rights and responsibilities; especially about the use of our freedom in Christ in this case specifically about the eating of food offered to idols. Worship; is also an question that Paul answers in three parts: The role of women in worship, the proper way to celebrate the Lord’s Supper and the place and use of spiritual gifts. The resurrection of the body is the third question that Paul answers. Paul finishes by addressing what money was being collected for the relief of the Christians in Jerusalem.
2 Corinthians
The book of second Corinthians is written by the apostle Paul as a letter to the church in Corinth. This is the fourth letter to Corinth and is the most autobiographical of all Paul’s letters. In this letter Paul expresses joy about the good reports that he had received about the church but he also addresses some issues that were still at hand. 2 Corinthians can be divided in six parts. First Paul explains his change of plans after which he writes about the restoration of a repentant sinner in the church. Then Paul explains the new covenant this is written in more of an emotional rather than rational manner. Paul follows this by addressing the issue of the offering for the believers in Judea. Then Paul becomes very forthright and defends himself regarding his authority and he calls the self appointed leaders that appointed him of satan. This is also where we read about what Paul has endured in the name of Christ.
Galatians
Galatians is written by the apostle Paul as a letter to the church in Galatia. The purpose of the letter is to address the issue of circumcision and Jewish rituals for the Gentile believers. The letter to the Galatians consist of three parts: First Paul writes about his ministry and mentions some private meetings with the apostles who agreed with him that the message of the gospel is that salvation comes from faith in Christ not by following the OT law. Second Paul writes that there is no reason to be bound by the OT law and that the rituals and laws don’t bring salvation but that the gentiles were free from that obligation. The third part that Paul writes about is that believing in Christ does have lifestyle implications. He explains that the consequences of believing in Christ do result in doing or not doing certain things not out of obligation or as a means to earn your justification but as a result of your personal relationship with Christ.
Ephesians
Ephesians is written by the apostle Paul to the church in Ephesus. Paul wrote this letter to encourage the church whose pastor was imprisoned for his faith. Paul starts with praising God after which he reminds the church of their history and how they are now a new creation and heirs of Christ. This first part can be seen as a believer’s position and the next part can be seen as the believer’s practice. In the next part Paul gives instructions on how to have a holy lifestyle and how it should be set apart by their mindset. In the last part Paul addresses personal relationships in which he emphasized the spiritual relationship. He illustrated this by providing us with the example of our spiritual armor.
Philippians
Philippians is written to the church in Philippi by the apostle Paul. Paul start out by thanking them for their support and love shown through and presented by Epaphroditus. He encouraged them to continue to grow in love and faith. He exhorted them to show the same humility as Christ had shown them. Paul then told them that if anyone could be confident in being Jew he was it but he told them that it would count for nothing if he didn’t know Christ. He then explained that it was a lifelong project to become more Christ like and that their lifestyle thus should reflect that growth.
Colossians
Colossians is a letter to the church in Colosse written by the apostle Paul. Paul focuses on the nature of Jesus as the Messiah and focuses on the hope we have in Him. He contrasted this hope to the “new gospels” which were false gospels. There are three key features of these “new gospels” that Paul addresses. First it is the false view of Jesus as not divine, which Paul explained as a messiah who couldn’t provide a hope. Second Paul addresses the dependency of philosophy or human logic, which was based on false presumptions and really wasn’t wisdom at all. Third Paul addressed the biggest issue in this letter. The fact that our actions are a result of Christ’s work within us and not the means to our salvation. According to Paul the antidote to these issues was a correct understanding of Jesus and an understanding of how that implicated our lifestyle.
1 Thessalonians
1 Thessalonians is a letter to the church in Thessalonica and is written by the apostle Paul. Paul encourages the church and commends them for standing steadfast despite the tribulations. He also wanted to correct an error in their doctrine and wove through this letter three points of focus; faith, hope ad love. The church was strong on faith and their love was solid but needed some work. It was their hope what had taken a beating under all the persecution and Paul wanted to reestablish their hope in Christ. Paul finishes by addressing two other issues; first he addresses several areas of their lifestyle. Second he addressed the questions of what happens to “those that fall asleep”. Because some of the believers had died in the persecution he wanted to explain how the resurrection will work.
2 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians is the second letter Paul writes to the church of Thessalonica. Paul wrote this letter to straighten out some misunderstandings about the day of the Lord that was troubling their faith. He was proud of their growth in faith and love but they were still struggling with their hope. Paul clarified their understanding of the day of the Lord, which had not yet come and it would be very clear when it arrived. He also explained that there were certain things that needed to happen before that day would arrive. He finished by giving some prayer requests and telling them to work at their jobs and not sit around waiting for the day of the Lord. Finally Paul signed this letter by his own writing which seems to be done to avoid forgeries.
1 Timothy
1 Timothy was a letter to Timothy written by the apostle Paul. After greeting Timothy Paul first warns against false teachers and suggests that that is the foundation to all other problems. Paul encourages Timothy and tells him not to give up after which he talks to him about managing the churches. He mentions that a church unite in prayer would not be divided, he then continues and talks about the place of women in the context of church management. Paul tells timothy to appoint qualified leaders to help him manage the church. Paul then tells Timothy to be encouraged and not to give up, this he followed up by giving Timothy some guidelines concerning relationships. Paul didn’t want Timothy to fail his responsibilities and this letter was to help him until Paul returned to Ephesus.
2 Timothy
2 Timothy we the second letter that the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy and is apparently the last of Paul’s letters. Paul seems to be urging Timothy to visit him, which seems already to be expected. Paul encourages Timothy but it seems that he did this because he knew he would soon die. Paul was witnessing the desertion of believers and told Timothy to endure and made comparisons to athletes and soldiers. Paul told timothy to hold fast and preach the good news based on what he had learned from childhood.
Titus
Titus is a letter to Titus written by the apostle Paul, who was spending the winter in Nicopolis and wanted Titus to come and join him. Titus was running in to opposition in the church because of the human nature. Told Titus to be strong and rebuked and exhorted the Cretans whom were the cause of the problem. Paul gave Titus the needed guidelines for the different groups within the church. After these directions Paul told Titus of his plans and then signed the letter.
Philemon
Philemon is a letter to Philemon, Apphia and Archippus written by the apostle Paul. This is the shortest of the epistles and is pretty straightforward. Onesimus was a slave to Philemon who had ran away and made it to Paul where he became a believer. Onesimus was returning to Philemon and his household and was carrying this letter with him. According to Roman culture the sentence for a runaway slave was execution and thus Onesimus was taking a physical risk. Paul asked Philemon to accept Onesimus and treat him like a brother in Christ. These were two big issues because Philemon would first have to show him grace like Christ did us and second he would have to treat Onesimus as an equal brother of Christ. Both were not normal and this plea would eventually lead to the abolition of slavery even though Paul ever asked for Onesimus to be released.
Hebrews
Hebrews is a letter written to the Hebrews and we are not sure who wrote it even though it is speculated to be written by the apostle Paul. The audience was a group of Jews professing to be Christians but that were trying to convert the church back to Judaism. So the writer deals with the Jewish sacrificial system and points out that those are inferior to the sacrifice of Christ. The entire book compares Jesus the messiah to the inferior aspects of Judaism. Jesus is better than the prophets, Moses, Joshua, and the OT high priest. Through a highly debated part the writer talks about the repentance, dead works and the falling away, but the key point is that salvation is not an issue of our faithfulness but of Gods character, which is unchanging. The writer then continues to say that Jesus instituted a better covenant and sacrifice. The writer then concludes that that as a result of what Jesus did there are lifestyle implications: We are to be faithful, and we are to be encouraged by the testimony of those who have gone before us. In chapter 11 the writer defines faith and follows that with a normal conclusion.
James
James is a letter to the Jewish believers written by James the brother of Jesus. The letter addresses several specific issues and thus reads more like a book of wisdom than a letter. The first impression is that the context is the persecution of the church and its believers. But the letter really provides insights on what a Christian live should look like if Christ is really the lord of his life.
1 Peter
1 Peter was a letter to a church that was suffering from persecution by the apostle Peter. Peter answered the questions that someone might have during persecutions. Questions such as; is this the real thing and have I done the right thing. He compared the tribulation to the purifying process that gold goes through and explained that it would have a positive result. He then followed all this by giving all this a practical application of this attitude by talking about personal holiness, relationship issues. Peter’s main concern was the ongoing persecution and so he explained it was better to suffer doing good than it was to suffer for doing evil. He finishes by addressing church leadership and conduct.
2 Peter
2 Peter was a letter to Asia minor written by the apostle Peter shortly before his death. 2 Peter primarily addresses false teachings of Gnosticism. Gnosticism believes that there is a strong distinction between spirit and matter which led to believing that what the body does doesn’t affect ones spirit and thus there was no restriction on fulfilling ones appetite or it would created the need to purify the body. The second danger of Gnosticism is that as long as someone had the right knowledge it didn’t matter what he or she did with the body. Peter explains that the only knowledge that a believer needs is the knowledge of the resurrection. Peter also points out two aspects of a false teacher. First they follow “the corrupt desire of a sinful nature” and second they were arrogant and “despised authority.”
1 John
1 John is written as a letter by the apostle John. John jumps in with both feet. He immediately warns against false teachers just like Peter and Jude. He specifically warns against Cerinthus, who was a heretic teacher in Ephesus. John claims that the only solution is the knowledge of the resurrection and the knowledge the Holy Spirit provides. This knowledge results in the right lifestyle for the believers. John has three points as a defense against false teachings; the resurrection, the work of the Holy Spirit and right living.
2 John
2 John is a letter from John to “the chosen Lady,” a specific church, and he greets her from her “chosen sister,” which is probably the church of Ephesus, and her children. John seems to be responding to news he had received about the continuing faith among believers despite the false teachers. John warns against the false teachers and says that he will expand on that in person when he visits, which he plans to do soon.
3 John
3 John is the third letter from John and is the shortest book of the NT. John deals with three teachers in this book. Gaius whom he praises for his hospitality and Diotrephes whom he doubts for his integrity and spiritual gifting for leadership within the church. Apparently Diotrephes had rejected John’s authority because of this and this had caused tension between the house churches. John finally praises the third Demetrius whom was probably a traveling teacher who carried this letter. John kept this letter short too because he was planning to visit soon and settle the tension that Diotrephes had created in person.
Jude
Jude is a letter written by Jude/Judas the brother of James who was the half brother of Jesus this means that Judas also was a half brother of Jesus. Jude addresses the issue of false teachers and contrasts their teachings with the truth about Jesus. It seems that he was addressing a more organized form of Gnosticism. Judas compared these teachers to some of the false OT teachers and tells us there is nothing new about it and that it is just rebellion against God. Judas focuses on the certainty of Christ’s future return. Because it had been a long time since Christ went to heaven and most of the eyewitnesses and other believers had died he wrote this to encourage the believers not to loose hope.
Revelation
Revelation is a combination of three unique literary forms; apocalypse, prophecy, and letter. This is the last book that John writes. He does this while he is in exile on the island of Patmos for his faith. John has four visions. The first vision is the vision of the resurrected Jesus in which he sees Christ with certain characteristics such as the double-edged sword. The second vision is of the seven churches. These churches received a letter from Jesus in which it first heard what it was doing right and then what it was doing wrong or what could be done better. The third vision is into the spiritual realm. This is the biggest part of the book and consists of a series of visions. We read about God on his throne and the judgment passed out on the earth twice. Then we read about the coming messiah and the spiritual warfare that entails that. This is followed by a third cycle of plagues poured out over the earth. Then Jesus wins, satan is thrown in a well for 1000 years after which he once more gets his try on the earth which fails and then he and the none believers are thrown into the eternal lake of fire. The fourth and last vision of the book talks about a new heaven and earth and a New Jerusalem which contained three things; the presence of God, the three of life and no more curse. In the closing if this book John writes about a warning from Jesus to the reader.
A Summary of the books of the Bible.
Genesis
The book of Genesis is mainly narrative material. Some main concepts of this book are the creation week, fall of man, Gods promise, the flood, His covenant and the election of the Jewish people. Adam and Eve gave in to temptation with the result that there came a separation between God and His creation. The human race sins more and more and God decides to destroy his creation, but because he knows that Noah is a righteous man He saves Noah’s his three sons Ham, Shem, Japheth and their wives and two of each animal from the world wide flood. After which God tells Noah that they should scatter all over the world but the people (Noah’s descendants) don’t listen and God creates different languages that set people apart and they scatter all over the world. Then God calls Abram (later called Abraham) and establishes a covenant with him. God renews this covenant with Isaac and Jacob (later called Israel). Israel’s son Josef is sold by his brother into slavery in Egypt and through miraculous events becomes the right hand of Pharaoh. This allows him to save the empire and his family. Israel and his family move to Egypt after being reunited to Josef after 20 years and become a big nation.
Exodus
Exodus has some big arts that are narrative but most of the book is written as law. Some of the main concepts of Exodus are; the salvation of Israel out of Egypt’s captivity, Israel’s journey to mount Sinai, God setting them apart as His people and gives them His law. Exodus starts out Israel in bondage to Egypt when God meets Moses in a burning bush and calls him to be a free His people. Through the process of ten plagues, all of which showed the Egyptians that YHWH was greater than their gods, Israel is set free. Then the Israelites travel to mount Sinai during which God proves to them that He is in control and that they are His special people. God meets the Israelites at mount Sinai and renews His covenant with the Israelites, gives them the ten words or commandments. Then He continues to explain them how to live by them followed by consequences of them be it either blessing for doing so or curse for not following them which we see demonstrated in the instance of the golden calf. Then He orders the build of the tabernacle and gives detailed instructions to the design and architecture. After which the tabernacle gets build according to God’s instructions after which the pillar cloud/fire settled on the tabernacle and the Shekina of God (God’s presence or the glory of God) filled it so that even Moses could not enter.
Leviticus
The book of Leviticus is a book of Law. Some key themes are the holiness of God, the sacrificial system, and the liturgical calendar. The guidelines for priesthood, the consecration of Aaron and is sons, the profane fire of Nadab and Abihu, and then the repetition of the ten commandments are some clear examples of Gods holiness. The sacrificial system had three types of offerings: consecratory, expiatory, and communal. Consecratory offerings were the burnt offering, where everything was burnt, which was the main consecratory offering and provided atonement for a person, the grain offering and the drink offering. Expiatory offerings were called the guild offering or trespass offering and the sin offering. There are three types of communal offerings; the peace offering was to celebrate peace or a good harvest and other such things, the votive offering was offered after a vow or promise was kept, and the freewill offering is kind of like a catchall. God established a liturgical calendar by instating holidays. These celebrations were; Sabbath to remember that God created the earth, the Passover to remember that God delivered his people out of Egypt, Pentecost to be thankful for Gods provision of a harvest, the feast of tabernacles to remind Israel of their time in the dessert. God also gave laws for the jubilee year and the Sabbath year.
Numbers
Numbers is a book of law that has some substantial narrative portions and two censuses of the people of Israel, it could also be called a travelogue since it covers forty years of traveling. Some of the key concepts of Numbers are; cleanliness, faithfulness in regards to marriage and in regards to the Nazirite vow, and the journey of Israel through the dessert for forty years. God orders the Israelites to do a head count which is also used as way to organize Israel it was unique that it also numbered the tribe of Levi because they had no inheritance among the tribes because of their priestly duties. It has been a year since the Israelites have been delivered out of Egypt and at this point God addresses the issue of cleanliness, marital faithfulness, followed by the nazirite vow. God directs the Israelites to move to the promise land but on the way there they complain several times and Moses needs to intercede for them so that God won’t kill them. After the Israelites listen to the fearful spies and doubt God He tells them that they will not enter the promise land after which they sojourn through the dessert for forty years. During these years the repeating cycle is; the Israelites continue to complain after which God punishes them until none of the original Israelites that left Egypt is still alive. Moses also commits a major error when he responds to a complaint in the ‘we’ form making him and God even and because of this sin he will not enter the promise land. At the end of Numbers we find the Israelites again facing the promise land on the other side of the river Jordan. Here God orders another census which proves to the people that God was great because the Israelites had not dwindled in number even though none of the once that left Egypt were still living (other than Moses Joshua and Caleb).
Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy is the last book of five called the Pentateuch (book of law) and is also written in the form of law just like Leviticus. Some of the key themes are obedience brings blessing and disobedience curses, Gods law and the charge to take the promise land. Deuteronomy is pretty much a compilation of three addresses Moses gives the people of Israel. The first address covers the history of the last forty years to remind them of Gods character. The second address is about Gods law, the ten commandments and its specific stipulations. In the third address Moses starts by a covenant renewal reiterating the ten commandments and charging the Israelites to keep to them after that he covers the blessings that follow obedience and curses that result form disobedience which is followed by what we call a perpetual trust which means that God will not only be with this generation but also the future generations. The last section of this address appoints Joshua as his successor after which Moses warns the people what will happen when they turn away from God, sings a song and gives the Israelites a final blessing. Then he climbs mount Nebo where God shows him the promise land that he had so long anticipated. I would like to note that the people of Israel are a completely different people now in the sense that their mindset has changed form slaves to a real nation and God has shown himself true over and over in the dessert. Moses has charged them numerous times to “go and take possession of the land” and you can almost feel the excitement and anticipation of what is about to happen.
Joshua
The book of Joshua is mainly narrative material. The main concepts include the conquest, division and the settlement of Israel in the promise land. After the battle of Jericho and the battle of Ai the people of Gibeon tricked the Israelites in a coalition. The surrounding states attacked the Gibeonites and the Israelites counterattacked the enemy, captured and killed the five kings defeating the southern alliance made against them and then continued to attack and take their cities; Makkena, Libnah, Lachish, Gezer, Eglon, Hebron, and Debir, this gave the Israelites control over the entire Negev as far as Kadesh Barnea. Now the north formed an alliance against the Israelites, but he Israelites were able to attack the Canaanites first and scored a decisive victory after which they pursued them as far as the Sidon area burning Harzor (just like they did with Jericho and Ai). At this point the conquest has taken about five years and Israel now has control of the land that God had promised to Abraham. Then the land is divided between the tribes except for the tribes of Gad, and Reuben, and the half tribe of Manasseh because they had already chosen to keep the land that they conquered when they had war in the book of Numbers. At the end of the book Joshua says his farewell in the form of two speeches, one for the leaders and one for all the people. He pointed out that God is the one who had done all this work and he made clear that there was more work to do he also reminded them to keep the covenant and use the book of Moses as a guide.
Judges
The book of Judges is mainly written in narrative, both topical and chronological. The recurring themes are apostasy (evil in the sight of the Lord), oppression, repentance, and deliverance. The book is divided into three parts; introduction or prologue, the main body of text, and the epilogue (this is not a conclusion but like some examples of the moral corruption of this period). The first part gives us a historical overview of where the Israelites are at this point in time. The conquest has happened and God rebukes Israel for its unfaithfulness to Gods covenant. The main part of the book covers the stories of twelve judges whom are divided as six major judges; Othniel, Ethud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephtah, and Samson, and six minor judges; Shamgur, Tola, Jair, Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon. Every story in the book of Judges starts out with the Israelites doing evil in the sight of the Lord, this usually meant idolatry and breaking the commandments and the laws. Allowing the Canaanites to live among them and having covenants with them (such as intermarrying) involved tolerating and eventually adapting their faith and walking away from God. Each time that God sends a judge the people would repent from their ways, be delivered, and return to God only for the lifetime of that judge and then it would all go south again. It is also good to know that judges usually served a smaller area so that some lived at the same time this is what makes it chronologically a bit confusing at times.
Ruth
The book of Ruth is mainly narrative material. Some of the key themes are acceptance of others, faithfulness to the covenant and Gods sovereignty. Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law wants to move back to her hometown Bethlehem because both her sons and her husband are dead. Orpah, Ruth’s sister-in-law, decides to stay behind while Ruth goes with Naomi. Ruth tells Naomi in a speech in that she claims Naomi’s God as her God. Ruth gleans the field of Boaz who welcomes her and makes sure there is enough for her to glean. At the advise of Naomi Ruth tells Boaz that he was her kinsman redeemer to which he replies that he is second to someone else but that he will resolve the issue. The following day Boaz takes care of the legal transactions. Boaz and Ruth married and had a son who would be the grandfather of king David and the ancestor of Jesus Christ the redeemer of mankind.
1 Samuel
The book of 1 Samuel is mainly narrative material. The key theme is Israel’s change from a theocracy to a monarchy, starting with the last judge (Samuel) to the first king (Saul) and the anointing of the second king (David). Because Samuels sons aren’t able to lead the people they ask for a king to give them stability, bring them back and keep them right with God, even though Samuel tries to discourage the people. God gives them what they ask for in Saul, who is tall and, handsome and seems to do a good job in the beginning but he fails to honor God. Saul becomes a tragic figure with a life full of jealousy, fear, and an seeming failing mental health. Samuel anoints David to be the next king, a king after Gods heart instead of after Israel’s wants. David plays soothing music for Saul and slays Goliath the giant. Saul spends most of the remainder of his life chasing after David who keeps gaining popularity among the people. Saul’s son, Jonathan is an intimate friend of David and saves his live from one of his fathers plots to kill David. At the end of 1 Samuel both Saul and Jonathan are killed and the stage is set for David to be the next king.
2 Samuel
The book of 2 Samuel is mainly narrative material. The key them is David as a king after Gods heart and as the forerunner to Jesus Christ. After the death of Saul and Jonathan, David is king of Judah but the northern part of Israel is claimed by one of Saul’s sons and one of Saul’s generals. Seven years later David is asked to be the king of the northern parts as well which he celebrates by bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. David is a great king and loves God but he also makes mistakes but we can see a big difference between him and Saul in the way he responds when his sin is pointed out. David had slept with his neighbor’s house and then tried to pass the buck which didn’t work so he had the neighbor killed after which he married his neighbor’s wife. As a result of this sin he loses the illicit son, his daughter gets raped by Amnon (her half brother) and his son Amnon is killed by his son Absalom (the girls full-brother). Absalom is a long estranged son of David that plots and executes a coup after which David flees. When David faced his son in battle on of David’s generals killed Absalom and David went back to Jerusalem as king but dissention between Judah and the northern states increased. Then there was another revolt this time from the tribe of Benjamin and in the process of taking care of this revolt there was some dissention between two generals in David’s army.
1 Kings
The book of kings is mainly narrative material. The key concept of Kings is that the people of the covenant failed despite of Gods faithfulness. 1 Kings picked up where 2 Samuel left off. The first part of 1 Kings covers the reign of Salomon and shows she prosperity of the kingdom and how a king with a divided heart left a divided kingdom. After Salomon’s death the northern kingdom (Israel) separated it self from what is now called the kingdom of Judah. From here on the narrative is difficult to follow because the writer switches back and forth between the north and the south. The book of 1 Kings follows the first nine rulers of Israel (the north) and the first four kings of the south (Judah). The kings that are given more attention are the ones that either showed uprightness or the ones that show why the kingdom eventually collapsed. 1 Kings ends with Jehosaphat as the ruler for Judah, and Ahaziah as the ruler for Israel. During this time God spoke through prophets such as Elijah, Micaiah and others.
2 Kings
The book of 2 Kings is mainly narrative material. The key concept of Kings is that the people of the covenant failed despite of Gods faithfulness. 2 Kings picks up where 1 Kings left off. Just like in 1 Kings the narrative is hard to follow because the writer witches back and forth between the northern and the southern kingdoms. There were twenty kings in northern kingdom and all of them were bad. There were twenty kings in the southern kingdom of which only eight were considered good. From chapter 17 on we only read about the kingdom of Judah because the kingdom of Israel was captured by the Babylonians. Through out the book of Kings God uses prophets to communicate to his people such as Elisha, Jonah and others. It is amazing to see that even though the people rejected God He never rejected them.
1 Chronicles
The book of 1 Chronicles is mainly written as a narrative. Some of the key themes of Chronicles are genealogy and the history of the kings of Judah. Chronicles ignores the kingdom of Israel and only focuses on the southern kingdom of Judah. As kings approaches the history from a prophetic point of view so Chronicles have a priestly view on the events. The first part of 1 Chronicles covers the genealogy from Adam through the Babylonian exile with the account of those who returned. The second part covers the kingship of king David. 1 Chronicles focuses on David returning the Arc of the Covenant to Jerusalem, his military advantages, and the preparations for the building of the temple.
2 Chronicles
The book of 2 Chronicles is mainly written as a narrative. Some of the key themes of Chronicles are the building of the temple, Salomon’s wealth and wisdom. Chronicles ignores the kingdom of Israel and only focuses on the southern kingdom of Judah. It treats the history of the northern kingdom as incidental in the storyline of the southern kingdom. The first half of 2 Chronicles covers how amazing Salomon was as king. His building the temple, his wealth and his wisdom are shared in detail while nothing is mentioned of his shortcomings. Salomon’s reign ends abruptly and is followed by the stories of the remaining twenty kings of Judah all the way up to the Babylonian captivity of Judah. The book ends with mentioning the release of Judah and the return of its people.
Ezra
The book of Ezra is largely narrative material. The main theme of Ezra is the return of people from the exile to Jerusalem. In the first few chapters Ezra writes about the return home from Jews that were in exile, about 1772 males returned. Then Ezra talks about the rebuilt of the temple and of Jerusalem. Of course they face some opposition and deal with all that through an exchange of letters with the Babylonian king who settles the issue and the rebuilt continues. Ezra arrives into this scene in chapter seven and carries with him a letter from the king, and gifts for the temple. Ezra addresses the issue of intermarriage with pagans. After which the people profess to this sin. This is followed with a case-by-case study of each marriage to solve the issue. The real issue is not the marriages but the acceptance of the pagan religions into these marriages.
Nehemiah
The book of Nehemiah is mainly written in narrative but it also contains poetry and genealogy. The main theme of Nehemiah is the rebuilt of the city walls of Jerusalem. After Nehemiah receives news that the city of Jerusalem is still not rebuild the king (whom he serves) notices this and asks what is wrong and what he can do about it. The king sends Nehemiah as ambassador to Jerusalem for a twelve-year term to finish the rebuilt. After Nehemiah arrives he first surveys the wall and what needs to be done and then presents himself and the proposed plan to the people. He supported his solution by showing what God had done up to this point. Through the problems that they had to face Nehemiah never lost sight of the plan and the rebuilt of the walls was completed in 52 days.
Esther
The book of Ester is mainly narrative material. Some of the key themes are dependency on God, and the survival of the Jewish people in hostile territory. Ester is orphaned and adopted by her uncle Mordecai who works for the Persian king. The king finds Ester in his search for a wife and he marries her. Haman is one of the kings advisors and he is angry with Mordecai, So after finding out that he is a Jew Haman decides to plot the killing of all the Jews. Mordecai finds out about this plan and tells Esther that she can choose to take part in Gods deliverance of her people or stand on the sidelines, this really shows the level of dependency on God. Ester approaches the king and outwits Haman and is used by God to safe her people.
Job
Job is usually labeled as a ‘wisdom book’ this means that it is largely written in poetry but it also has big portions that are narrative. The main theme is that not everything that happens in life is fair or that it happens because it is God’s will. It pretty much deals with the question of ages of why bad things happen to good people. The book is mainly a conversation (or several) between Job and his friends, Bildad, Zophar, Eliphaz, Elihu. (Job’s wife also does some complaining). Job’s friends mainly give wrong advice in their attempt to comfort him through human wisdom. Elihu is the last to try and comfort Job and in his speech he is the closest to answering Jobs question but it is God who speaks at the end to set things strait. God asks them questions to show that human wisdom I nothing compared to god’s wisdom. Job realizes his presumptions and repents and God vindicates him before his friends.
Psalms
The book of psalms is mainly written as poetry. It is a collection of prayers and songs that directed to God or is about God. Lament and praise are the two main types of psalms. A lament psalm expresses an emotion of sorrow or grief and often contain a promise. There are two types of psalms that are a lot like a lament psalm and they are son of trust or a song of confession. A praise psalm is usually positive and talks about Gods power and goodness. Royal psalms are a subcategory of praise psalms and usually talk about God as king. The book of Psalms can also be used as a guide to worship much like our modern day hymnbooks.
Proverbs
The book of proverbs is a book of wisdom, this means that it like the psalms is written in poetry. Some key concepts are the fear of the Lord, righteousness and wisdom. The book of Proverbs is a compilation of wisdom proverbs of Solomon or collected by Solomon. The word Hebrew word for wisdom usually denotes skill of craftsmanship so you could say that these proverbs teach you the skill of living. The first principle the book of Proverbs teaches is that the fear, or reverence of the Lord is the foundation of life. The second principle it teaches is the nature of humankind, especially things like folly, laziness, etc.
Ecclesiastes
The book of Ecclesiastes is another book of wisdom and is thus mainly written in poetry. The main theme is that God is needed for a meaningful life. Ecclesiastes is thought to be written by an older Solomon. He is looking back on his life and learning from all his mistakes that had led him away from God. Salomon comes to the conclusion that life without God is futile and vanity. He advises us to remember God through out our live so that we wouldn’t have any regrets like Solomon has now. Even though the beginning of the book seems very negative like there is no purpose to life he tie it all together in the end by the fact that God is just and will eventually judge everything and set things right.
Song of Solomon
The book Song of Solomon is also a book of wisdom and it too is mainly written in poetry. The main theme is love. It is questioned whether this is Gods love for us, praise for ‘true love’, or the development of love in a young marriage relationship. Either way it is the book that many Christians would like to skip over because of its ‘R’ rating. I personally believe that it is a great example and lesson for marriage.
Isaiah
The book of Isaiah is a prophetic book and it written mainly in poetry but it also has substantial narrative material. Some of the key themes are judgment and restoration. Isaiah told the kingdom of Judah that they should repent otherwise their faith would be worse than that of Israel. Isaiah also gave them a hope of restoration and in doing so he gave several messianic prophesies. He predicted the virgin birth, his death and suffering, and the one that Jesus proclaimed to have fulfilled part of that day. Despite Isaiah’s message of Gods displeasure with Judah, he laid the foundation for the hope of a messiah.
Jeremiah
The book of Jeremiah is a prophetic and is thus mainly written in poetry but it also contains some large sections of narrative. Some of the main themes ate repentance, restoration, and exile. Jeremiah was an interesting person who embodied some of his prophesies by acting them out. He lived in Jerusalem and proclaimed that Judah would be led into captivity just like the north. He also proclaimed that God could choose to fulfill the judgment or have mercy and would choose based on the personal lives of the people, yet Jeremiah had no problem saying it was to late to repent. He suggested Judah to surrender tot Babylon because it would make the unavoidable easier. Jeremiah is often considered the weeping or a pessimistic prophet because of his proclamations and his complaining that the people did not receive them. Jeremiah also prophesied things about the coming Messiah such as that he would be from the line of David, and also coined the words ‘new testament’ even though it was hinted at in Exodus.
Lamentations
The book of lamentations is mainly written in song. The key theme is the sorrow over the destruction of Jerusalem. Lamentations is divided in 5 songs that are written in the form of a lament, hence the name. Jeremiah writes as if he can see his beloved city crumble. He has a great love for Jerusalem but understands that real love speaks the truth even when it is hard to say. Jeremiah’s heart is broken because of this sorrow but he also states that Jerusalem will be destroyed because of the sins of its inhabitants. He ends with a prayer that asks God to restore Himself to us, so that we may return to Him..
Ezekiel
The book of Ezekiel is written in narrative and poetry. The main theme in Ezekiel is the destruction and the restoration of Jerusalem. Ezekiel was an interesting prophet. Some of his Prophesies were object lessons (like Jeremiah did) to show people what was about to happen. Ezekiel also told parables, stories that compared the subject to something more common and easy to understand so that people could understand. Ezekiel also had visions of which some gave him insight into the spiritual realm. Some of these visions, the most notable ones gave Ezekiel insight into the future. It is amazing to see the detail some of these visions had. Ezekiel was a normal prophet in the sense that he announced judgment as God’s representative.
Daniel
The book of Daniel is mainly written in narrative but also has some portions that are poetry. The main theme of Daniel is that God is in control of history and future. Daniel is a young man when he is led into captivity by Babylon where he will be trained as an advisor to the king. The book of Daniel tells the story of Daniels life in Babylon. How he was faithful to God, and how God saves him and his friends from evil. The book also shows us how God influenced this Babylonian nation and how He is in control over what has happened or what will happen. The book also contains a few prophecies that proclaim things concerning the end of times.
Hosea
The book of Hosea is mainly poetry because it is a book of prophecy. The main concept of Hosea is Gods never ending love for His people. God called Hosea to marry a harlot named Gomer. They had three children whose names all bore prophetic significance. Gomer runs away and God calls Hosea to buy her back. Then the last part of the Book of Hosea is written in the style of prophetic law because it resembles a divorce. God uses Hosea’s life to show how much He loves Israel and how Israel keeps leaving Him and cheating on Him. In Hosea’s final address he proclaims the separation but also calls for repentance and promises that if Israel returns that God would forgive them and heal their land.
Joel
The book of Joel is a prophetic book and is thus mainly written in poetry. Some key themes are the call to repent, the condemnation for apostasy and Gods judgment on the day of the Lord. After a plague of locust ruins the harvest Joel says that this was just a foretaste of what is to come if the people do not repent. He compares the invasion of the insects with an invasion of army troops. His main message is for people to repent so that God may change his mind. He talks about the day of the Lord as the day of Gods judgment. When he does this he mentions Gods final judgment when He will reign the earth. This is one of the few prophecies that have not yet been come to fruition. Joel also prophesies about God poring out his Spirit over all the people which we experienced from the day of Pentecost on.
Amos
The book of Amos is a prophetic book and is thus mainly written as poetry. The key theme of Amos is the day of the Lord, which is a day of judgment or a day of celebration and blessing. Amos was a shepherd who was called to proclaim judgment on the shepherd of the people (the king). In the beginning of the book Amos condemns the seven nations of the region. And the book focuses on the condemnation of the kingdom of Israel. Israel is being condemned because of the worship of other gods beside YHWH. It is also being condemned because of the social injustice that was happening, The day of the Lord is the day when this judgment would come to pass. The day of the Lord could also mean a time of blessing but that was not the case in this case.
Obadiah
The book of Obadiah is a prophetic book and it is thus written poetry. The main theme is that you should not rejoice in the suffering of others because God might turn the tides on you. The second main theme is the day of the Lord; which means doom for Edom and rejoicing for Judah. All we really know of the book is that Obadiah is the writer, but we are not sure which one or what time. Edom rejoiced in the suffering of Edom and because of this pride and because of their false security God will bring them down in the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord will also be a day of rejoicing for Judah.
Jonah
The book of Jonah is mainly composed of narrative material. The main theme is that god can judge a nation but also as mercy for the innocent. Jonah the prophet it called by God to go to Nineveh with a call for repentance and a message of mercy. Jonah doesn’t listen and flees to Tarshish but God intervenes on the way their by way of a great storm. As a last hope Jonah is thrown overboard where God has provided a great fish to swallow him up and after three days, during which Jonah repents the fish spits him out. God calls him again and this time he listens. After delivering the message Jonah waits the destruction of Nineveh but the people repent and God has mercy on Nineveh. As Jonah waits God teaches him a lesson showing him that just like Jonah would save a tree to provide him shade God saves those he loves.
Micah
Micah is a prophetic book and is written in poetry. The main themes of Micah are the greatness of God, social injustice and the Messiah. Micah lived in the same time as Isaiah and preached similar messages. Micah’s messages said that the worshipping of other gods led to social injustice. Micah proclaimed the time of exile but also promised that God would restore the nation. Micah understood that God would use the Messiah to restore the nation. Micah proclaimed the birth of Christ, and that His origins would be of the old, ancient times (or eternity). Through out the book Micah also talks about attributes of God and shows his audience the greatness of God. Micah is also mentioned in the book of Jeremiah.
Nahum
The book of Nahum is a prophetic book that is written in poetry. The key theme is the prophecy of the destruction of Assyria and Nineveh (its capital). Like Jonah, Nahum had an international message also fro the Assyrians. Even though they repented with Jonah there would be no chance for that this time. Assyria and Nineveh would be destroyed. For the Jews this could be taken as an advice not to make an allegiance with the Assyrians because they wouldn’t last. Assyria was destroyed fifty ear after Nahum’s proclamation.
Habakkuk
The book of Habakkuk is a book of prophecy and is mainly written in poetry. Some key themes are the judgment and trust. Habakkuk is a conversation between the prophet and God. He asks God why evil prevails to which God replies that judgment is to come. Then Habakkuk asks why a nation more evil is to be the judgment, to which God replies that their consequences will come to and that He has the overall picture in mind. Habakkuk realizes that Gods wisdom is deeper than his own and prays a prayer of surrender to God. Even though he doesn’t understand why God does what He does he chooses to rely on Him.
Zephaniah
The book of Zephaniah is a prophetic book and is mainly written in poetry. The key theme of the book is the judgment and a little bit of hope. Zephaniah predicts the judgment of the southern kingdom and its surrounding areas. This happened less than fifty years later with the Babylonian expansion. Zephaniah finishes with the prophesying of the restoration of Israel (as a whole) build upon its true worshippers. It seems like this prophecy is still to come to fulfillment.
Haggai
The book of Haggai is mainly written as a narrative. The key theme is the rebuild of the temple. Haggai had only one thing on his mind. He delivered four messages in four months and they were all about the rebuild of the temple. The work had laid still for fifteen years and now the work was stating again.
Zechariah
The book of Zechariah is mainly written in narrative but has substantial portions of poetry. The key themes are return to God, end of time, and messianic prophecy. Zechariah calls the people back to god and to worship him with true worship. Then he has eight visions that are somewhat hard to follow but seem to be an apocalyptic preview. Zechariah then continues to explain the true purpose for fasting after the people ask him if they need to continue to fast. He also gives some messianic prophecies. He said that the messiah would come riding on a donkey, and how he would be sold for 30 silver coins, and that he would be killed. He will be a fountain that washes sin a way and once he will be restored he will reign as a restored king from Zion and be king to all the nations.
Malachi
The book of Malachi is written in poetry. The key theme is true worship. Malachi proclaimed that even though the Jews were going through the motions they didn’t really worship. They had done a good job avoiding idolatry and went trough the motions but they didn’t worship with their hearts. Malachi called them to come and bring their best and first fruits. He also gave them hope that God would poor out his blessings over them, and heal them. Malachi finishes with the promise that before the messenger would come God would send Elijah
Matthew
The book of Mathew is written in sayings and narrative. Matthew is written for a Jewish audience. Many times in the book of Matthew we see the words; “Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet ……” This shows that Jesus is the fulfillment of the hopes of Judaism. Matthew is not written in a chronological nor biographical order for that very reason. Matthew starts out by showing them that Jesus is indeed the son of David. Then the book talks about how to live as believers and about the kingdom of God. Jesus used parables to illustrate this. We also read about the objections Jesus had to deal with. The last section is written in chronological order in a biographical style and it talks about Jesus last few days, his death and resurrection and the church’s commission.
Mark
The book of Mark is also written in sayings and narratives. This book is to be believed to be the first of the four gospels and the basis for Matthew and Luke. Mark was written for the gentile and Roman audience. Mark strikes me as having ADHD because it is written at a fast pace with a lot of action and vivid illustrations. He uses the word immediately a lot to transition between scenes. Mark seems to have three parts to it Starting with Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, followed with his ministry in Judea. The third and final part is the passion of Christ. He has been referring to this through out the entirety of the book and this truly is the climax of Mark.
Luke
The book is written in sayings and narratives. Luke writes in an orderly and comprehensive way, thus providing us with a chronological biography of Jesus’ life. Luke describes Jesus not only as the Jewish messiah but also as the savior of the world. For this very reason Luke doesn’t write about strictly Jewish material. Luke does however write about Jesus’ Jewish heritage and shows that Jesus is the fulfillment of the OT expectation about salvation. Luke has more emphasis on prayer and Jesus prayer life than the other Gospels, it also mentions praise and thanksgiving a lot. Luke really writes to prove to everyone that Jesus is the savior of the world by showing that he came not only for the Jews but for the gentiles also.
John
The book of John is written in sayings and narratives just like the other gospels. When John was written he had probably already access to the other three gospels but he does not follow any of their order. John differs from the others in a few ways. John has more lengthy discourses instead of the parables. John uses the miracles as signs. And the “I am” sayings are unique to the gospel of John. Beside these differences the ministry of Christ is the same in all four gospels. John divides his book up into two sections: Jesus’ public ministry and his private ministry to the disciples. I usually advise people to start with this gospel (when they start reading the bible for the first time) because it seems to be to me the gospel of love.
A note about the gospels: The gospels were written when the first apostles died. Until then the Christians had been remembering Christ orally through pericopes (stories and sayings). When the apostles realized that it might be a while before Jesus returned they chose to write things down. This is why it is hard give the gospels a typical literary label. Other than stories and sayings about Jesus they also include teachings of Jesus, which include parables. Parables are stories that illustrate a point through a type of riddle. There are four types of parables; similitude, metaphor, truth parable, and epigram. Because of this difference it is important to do good exegesis to prevent misinterpretations.
Acts
The book of Acts is written as a historical narrative. Luke wrote this book to Theophilus as the sequel to his gospel. Acts starts where the gospel ended; the ascension of Christ. The first part of Acts covers the ministry of Peter, which starts the day of Pentecost. This includes the dispersion of the church after Stephen’s death. The second part of Acts starts with the conversion of Saul and then follows Paul on his missionary journeys. At some point these journeys are written in first tense (we) and other times in the third tense (they). This is because Luke did travel with Paul on occasions. Acts ends abruptly with Paul in jail in Rome. It is thought to end this way because both Luke and Acts would be written as a brief for Paul’s defense before Caesar. But even if that is so Acts gives us the history and foundation of the early church.
Roman
The book of Romans is written as a letter by the apostle Paul to the Christians in Rome. When Paul wrote this letter to the Romans he had not yet been there and thus did not address any specific local issues. This allows Paul to write in a logical and orderly theological manner explaining foundational truths and sound doctrine. Acts is divided in three major sections. The first part address and explains why the claims about Jesus are so important, this section can be viewed as Paul’s gospel message. The second part addresses the questions that are raised by these claims and provides answers to these issues. The third part ties it all together by providing an application for all these principles in ones life. The book then closes with a personal greeting to Paul’s personal friends and family.
1 Corinthians
The book of first Corinthians is written by the apostle Paul as a letter to the church in Corinth. In this letter (probably the second of four) Paul address a number of issues that the church was dealing with. Paul is dealing with some misunderstood directions, which he had given them in a previous letter, There are seven issues which Paul addresses: Church division or a sectarian spirit; the Christians were in debate over the preference of religious leaders. Tolerating immorality; which manifested itself in three ways: incest, lawsuits, sexual immorality. Marriage and divorce; the church had asked him a question that he was now answering. Rights and responsibilities; especially about the use of our freedom in Christ in this case specifically about the eating of food offered to idols. Worship; is also an question that Paul answers in three parts: The role of women in worship, the proper way to celebrate the Lord’s Supper and the place and use of spiritual gifts. The resurrection of the body is the third question that Paul answers. Paul finishes by addressing what money was being collected for the relief of the Christians in Jerusalem.
2 Corinthians
The book of second Corinthians is written by the apostle Paul as a letter to the church in Corinth. This is the fourth letter to Corinth and is the most autobiographical of all Paul’s letters. In this letter Paul expresses joy about the good reports that he had received about the church but he also addresses some issues that were still at hand. 2 Corinthians can be divided in six parts. First Paul explains his change of plans after which he writes about the restoration of a repentant sinner in the church. Then Paul explains the new covenant this is written in more of an emotional rather than rational manner. Paul follows this by addressing the issue of the offering for the believers in Judea. Then Paul becomes very forthright and defends himself regarding his authority and he calls the self appointed leaders that appointed him of satan. This is also where we read about what Paul has endured in the name of Christ.
Galatians
Galatians is written by the apostle Paul as a letter to the church in Galatia. The purpose of the letter is to address the issue of circumcision and Jewish rituals for the Gentile believers. The letter to the Galatians consist of three parts: First Paul writes about his ministry and mentions some private meetings with the apostles who agreed with him that the message of the gospel is that salvation comes from faith in Christ not by following the OT law. Second Paul writes that there is no reason to be bound by the OT law and that the rituals and laws don’t bring salvation but that the gentiles were free from that obligation. The third part that Paul writes about is that believing in Christ does have lifestyle implications. He explains that the consequences of believing in Christ do result in doing or not doing certain things not out of obligation or as a means to earn your justification but as a result of your personal relationship with Christ.
Ephesians
Ephesians is written by the apostle Paul to the church in Ephesus. Paul wrote this letter to encourage the church whose pastor was imprisoned for his faith. Paul starts with praising God after which he reminds the church of their history and how they are now a new creation and heirs of Christ. This first part can be seen as a believer’s position and the next part can be seen as the believer’s practice. In the next part Paul gives instructions on how to have a holy lifestyle and how it should be set apart by their mindset. In the last part Paul addresses personal relationships in which he emphasized the spiritual relationship. He illustrated this by providing us with the example of our spiritual armor.
Philippians
Philippians is written to the church in Philippi by the apostle Paul. Paul start out by thanking them for their support and love shown through and presented by Epaphroditus. He encouraged them to continue to grow in love and faith. He exhorted them to show the same humility as Christ had shown them. Paul then told them that if anyone could be confident in being Jew he was it but he told them that it would count for nothing if he didn’t know Christ. He then explained that it was a lifelong project to become more Christ like and that their lifestyle thus should reflect that growth.
Colossians
Colossians is a letter to the church in Colosse written by the apostle Paul. Paul focuses on the nature of Jesus as the Messiah and focuses on the hope we have in Him. He contrasted this hope to the “new gospels” which were false gospels. There are three key features of these “new gospels” that Paul addresses. First it is the false view of Jesus as not divine, which Paul explained as a messiah who couldn’t provide a hope. Second Paul addresses the dependency of philosophy or human logic, which was based on false presumptions and really wasn’t wisdom at all. Third Paul addressed the biggest issue in this letter. The fact that our actions are a result of Christ’s work within us and not the means to our salvation. According to Paul the antidote to these issues was a correct understanding of Jesus and an understanding of how that implicated our lifestyle.
1 Thessalonians
1 Thessalonians is a letter to the church in Thessalonica and is written by the apostle Paul. Paul encourages the church and commends them for standing steadfast despite the tribulations. He also wanted to correct an error in their doctrine and wove through this letter three points of focus; faith, hope ad love. The church was strong on faith and their love was solid but needed some work. It was their hope what had taken a beating under all the persecution and Paul wanted to reestablish their hope in Christ. Paul finishes by addressing two other issues; first he addresses several areas of their lifestyle. Second he addressed the questions of what happens to “those that fall asleep”. Because some of the believers had died in the persecution he wanted to explain how the resurrection will work.
2 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians is the second letter Paul writes to the church of Thessalonica. Paul wrote this letter to straighten out some misunderstandings about the day of the Lord that was troubling their faith. He was proud of their growth in faith and love but they were still struggling with their hope. Paul clarified their understanding of the day of the Lord, which had not yet come and it would be very clear when it arrived. He also explained that there were certain things that needed to happen before that day would arrive. He finished by giving some prayer requests and telling them to work at their jobs and not sit around waiting for the day of the Lord. Finally Paul signed this letter by his own writing which seems to be done to avoid forgeries.
1 Timothy
1 Timothy was a letter to Timothy written by the apostle Paul. After greeting Timothy Paul first warns against false teachers and suggests that that is the foundation to all other problems. Paul encourages Timothy and tells him not to give up after which he talks to him about managing the churches. He mentions that a church unite in prayer would not be divided, he then continues and talks about the place of women in the context of church management. Paul tells timothy to appoint qualified leaders to help him manage the church. Paul then tells Timothy to be encouraged and not to give up, this he followed up by giving Timothy some guidelines concerning relationships. Paul didn’t want Timothy to fail his responsibilities and this letter was to help him until Paul returned to Ephesus.
2 Timothy
2 Timothy we the second letter that the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy and is apparently the last of Paul’s letters. Paul seems to be urging Timothy to visit him, which seems already to be expected. Paul encourages Timothy but it seems that he did this because he knew he would soon die. Paul was witnessing the desertion of believers and told Timothy to endure and made comparisons to athletes and soldiers. Paul told timothy to hold fast and preach the good news based on what he had learned from childhood.
Titus
Titus is a letter to Titus written by the apostle Paul, who was spending the winter in Nicopolis and wanted Titus to come and join him. Titus was running in to opposition in the church because of the human nature. Told Titus to be strong and rebuked and exhorted the Cretans whom were the cause of the problem. Paul gave Titus the needed guidelines for the different groups within the church. After these directions Paul told Titus of his plans and then signed the letter.
Philemon
Philemon is a letter to Philemon, Apphia and Archippus written by the apostle Paul. This is the shortest of the epistles and is pretty straightforward. Onesimus was a slave to Philemon who had ran away and made it to Paul where he became a believer. Onesimus was returning to Philemon and his household and was carrying this letter with him. According to Roman culture the sentence for a runaway slave was execution and thus Onesimus was taking a physical risk. Paul asked Philemon to accept Onesimus and treat him like a brother in Christ. These were two big issues because Philemon would first have to show him grace like Christ did us and second he would have to treat Onesimus as an equal brother of Christ. Both were not normal and this plea would eventually lead to the abolition of slavery even though Paul ever asked for Onesimus to be released.
Hebrews
Hebrews is a letter written to the Hebrews and we are not sure who wrote it even though it is speculated to be written by the apostle Paul. The audience was a group of Jews professing to be Christians but that were trying to convert the church back to Judaism. So the writer deals with the Jewish sacrificial system and points out that those are inferior to the sacrifice of Christ. The entire book compares Jesus the messiah to the inferior aspects of Judaism. Jesus is better than the prophets, Moses, Joshua, and the OT high priest. Through a highly debated part the writer talks about the repentance, dead works and the falling away, but the key point is that salvation is not an issue of our faithfulness but of Gods character, which is unchanging. The writer then continues to say that Jesus instituted a better covenant and sacrifice. The writer then concludes that that as a result of what Jesus did there are lifestyle implications: We are to be faithful, and we are to be encouraged by the testimony of those who have gone before us. In chapter 11 the writer defines faith and follows that with a normal conclusion.
James
James is a letter to the Jewish believers written by James the brother of Jesus. The letter addresses several specific issues and thus reads more like a book of wisdom than a letter. The first impression is that the context is the persecution of the church and its believers. But the letter really provides insights on what a Christian live should look like if Christ is really the lord of his life.
1 Peter
1 Peter was a letter to a church that was suffering from persecution by the apostle Peter. Peter answered the questions that someone might have during persecutions. Questions such as; is this the real thing and have I done the right thing. He compared the tribulation to the purifying process that gold goes through and explained that it would have a positive result. He then followed all this by giving all this a practical application of this attitude by talking about personal holiness, relationship issues. Peter’s main concern was the ongoing persecution and so he explained it was better to suffer doing good than it was to suffer for doing evil. He finishes by addressing church leadership and conduct.
2 Peter
2 Peter was a letter to Asia minor written by the apostle Peter shortly before his death. 2 Peter primarily addresses false teachings of Gnosticism. Gnosticism believes that there is a strong distinction between spirit and matter which led to believing that what the body does doesn’t affect ones spirit and thus there was no restriction on fulfilling ones appetite or it would created the need to purify the body. The second danger of Gnosticism is that as long as someone had the right knowledge it didn’t matter what he or she did with the body. Peter explains that the only knowledge that a believer needs is the knowledge of the resurrection. Peter also points out two aspects of a false teacher. First they follow “the corrupt desire of a sinful nature” and second they were arrogant and “despised authority.”
1 John
1 John is written as a letter by the apostle John. John jumps in with both feet. He immediately warns against false teachers just like Peter and Jude. He specifically warns against Cerinthus, who was a heretic teacher in Ephesus. John claims that the only solution is the knowledge of the resurrection and the knowledge the Holy Spirit provides. This knowledge results in the right lifestyle for the believers. John has three points as a defense against false teachings; the resurrection, the work of the Holy Spirit and right living.
2 John
2 John is a letter from John to “the chosen Lady,” a specific church, and he greets her from her “chosen sister,” which is probably the church of Ephesus, and her children. John seems to be responding to news he had received about the continuing faith among believers despite the false teachers. John warns against the false teachers and says that he will expand on that in person when he visits, which he plans to do soon.
3 John
3 John is the third letter from John and is the shortest book of the NT. John deals with three teachers in this book. Gaius whom he praises for his hospitality and Diotrephes whom he doubts for his integrity and spiritual gifting for leadership within the church. Apparently Diotrephes had rejected John’s authority because of this and this had caused tension between the house churches. John finally praises the third Demetrius whom was probably a traveling teacher who carried this letter. John kept this letter short too because he was planning to visit soon and settle the tension that Diotrephes had created in person.
Jude
Jude is a letter written by Jude/Judas the brother of James who was the half brother of Jesus this means that Judas also was a half brother of Jesus. Jude addresses the issue of false teachers and contrasts their teachings with the truth about Jesus. It seems that he was addressing a more organized form of Gnosticism. Judas compared these teachers to some of the false OT teachers and tells us there is nothing new about it and that it is just rebellion against God. Judas focuses on the certainty of Christ’s future return. Because it had been a long time since Christ went to heaven and most of the eyewitnesses and other believers had died he wrote this to encourage the believers not to loose hope.
Revelation
Revelation is a combination of three unique literary forms; apocalypse, prophecy, and letter. This is the last book that John writes. He does this while he is in exile on the island of Patmos for his faith. John has four visions. The first vision is the vision of the resurrected Jesus in which he sees Christ with certain characteristics such as the double-edged sword. The second vision is of the seven churches. These churches received a letter from Jesus in which it first heard what it was doing right and then what it was doing wrong or what could be done better. The third vision is into the spiritual realm. This is the biggest part of the book and consists of a series of visions. We read about God on his throne and the judgment passed out on the earth twice. Then we read about the coming messiah and the spiritual warfare that entails that. This is followed by a third cycle of plagues poured out over the earth. Then Jesus wins, satan is thrown in a well for 1000 years after which he once more gets his try on the earth which fails and then he and the none believers are thrown into the eternal lake of fire. The fourth and last vision of the book talks about a new heaven and earth and a New Jerusalem which contained three things; the presence of God, the three of life and no more curse. In the closing if this book John writes about a warning from Jesus to the reader.
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