Old Testament Essay Example

Sections of the Old Testament

The Old Testament and the New Testament are the two main divisions of the Christian bible. The word testament also means covenant. Accordingly, the old covenant describes the relationship of man to God by the law. The new covenant, on the other hand, represents the relationship between man and God by grace. The old covenant is also called the Hebrew Bible (Ryken, 2015). There are four main sections of the old covenant namely; the law, history, poetry, and prophets. This paper describes the various parts of the Old Testament.

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The law

The law books are also called the Torah. This section of the Bible consists of the legal writings and stories of the people of God starting from the creation until the time they approach the Promised Land of Canaan. The books in this category include; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The overarching theme in the Torah is the partial fulfillment of God's promises. At the close of the Torah, the children of Israel are headed towards being a great nation; they are on the verge of claiming the land of Canaan; and they have God's commandments to regulate their relationship (Gill, 2018).

The History Books

The second major section of the Bible includes the historical texts. The books include; Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther. The historical books provide an overview of the life of the Israelites from the time they possessed the Promised Land to the period of exile in Babylon. The books also narrate the life the children of God under the rulership of kings. For instance, the book of Samuel records the story of the emergence of kingship in Israel and how the children of God attempt to reform from their sinful deeds (1 Samuel 9:16). The book of Nehemiah, as an example, details the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem when the children of Israel return from captivity (Gill, 2018).

The Poetry

This section contains the books of job, psalms, proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and job are referred to as wisdom literature because they offer practical insights on issues such as the problem of evil, God's justice and the dignity of humanity. The Song of Solomon is a poetic book that depicts the physical love between man and woman (Song of Solomon 1:9). Majorly consisting of praise, petitions, and prayers, the book of Psalms is attributed to King David and contains the highest number of chapters in the bible (Ryken, 2015).

The Prophets

The section of the prophets is further divided into the major and the Minor Prophets. The distinction is by length; that is, minor prophetic books are short whereas the major ones are long. The Major Prophets include Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel. The Minor Prophets include Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Three main themes occur in the prophetic books. The first is the theme of sin and its consequences. The second is the reality of God's judgment, and the third is the promise of God's restoration (Ryken, 2015).

Conclusion

In summary, the Old Testament reveals the dealings of God with the children of Israel from a legal perspective. The historical books account for the life of the Israelites outlining their successes and failures in the presence of God. The poetic books offer wisdom for a practical living whereas the prophets describe the judgment of God against sin and the offer of restoration upon repentance.

References

Gill, N. (2018, June 22). The main divisions of the bible. Retrieved October 10, 2018, from Thoughtco: https://www.thoughtco.com/main-divisions-of-the-bible-117380

Ryken, L. (2015, November 9). What every book of the old testament is about. Retrieved October 10, 2018, from Crossway: https://www.crossway.org/articles/what-every-book-of-the-old-testament-is-about/