Tools: Study Part 2

When studying the bible, it is helpful to understand there are different types of books. The Old Testament consists of:

Law: This includes the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. The purpose of law is to express God’s sovereign will concerning government, priestly duties, social responsibilities, etc. for the Jewish people.

History: Accounts of the history of the Jews are found in many books in the Bible but Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Acts are predominately history.

Wisdom: These are books that teach the meaning of life and how to live. Some of the language is poetic and some uses pictures of real life objects to bring an understanding of something spiritual. Examples of these books are Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes.

Poetry: These include books of songs and sayings that may include a similar style of writing as the wisdom books but were more rhythmic (in Hebrew). Examples are Song of Solomon, Lamentations and Psalms. These books provide great insight into the character of God.

Biography: These books provide a look at specific people and their role at the given time in the history of the Jews, such as Ruth, Esther, and Jonah.

Prophecy: These books begin with Isaiah and end with Malachi. They include predictions of events that happened in Jewish history, the coming of Jesus, and future events including God’s plan for Israel.

The New Testament books include:

Biography: The four Gospels provide the account of Jesus’ birth, ministry and teaching, death and resurrection.

Letters to the churches and individuals: These books involves clarification of prior teaching, rebuke, explanation, correction of false teaching and a deeper dive into the teachings of Jesus.

Prophecy: The book of Revelation is the one prophetic book in the New Testament that speaks to God’s Day of Judgement and Jesus’ return. Some of the imagery it uses can also be found in Daniel, Ezekiel, and Isaiah in the Old Testament.

Next week, we will review our suggested simple method to reading scripture in way that provide knowledge, understanding and application to our lives.