Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I and II Samuel, I and II Kings, I and II Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah,
Esther Joshua: Joshua is a story of conquest and fulfillment for the people of God. After many years of slavery in Egypt and 40 years in the desert, the Israelites were finally allowed to enter the land promised to their fathers. Where Deuteronomy ends, the book of Joshua begins. The narrative opens with God's command to move forward and pass through the river on dry land. Joshua means " The Lord Saves". Joshua proved to be not only a military strategist in the battles that followed, but also a statesman in the way he governed the tribes. He was God's chosen servant to bring Moses' work to completion and establish Israel in the promised
land. Judges: The book of Judges describes the life of Israel in the promised land from the death of Joshua to the rise of the monarchy. The book portrays the centuries after Joshua as a time of Israelite unfaithfulness to the Lord and of her surrender to the allurements of Canaan. Only by the mercies of God was Israel not overwhelmed and absorbed by the pagan nations around her. Ruth: The book is named after one of its main characters, a young woman of Moab, the great-grandmother of David and an ancestress of Jesus. The book of Ruth reflects a temporary time of peace between Israel and Moab. It gives a series of intimate glimpses into the private lives of the members of an Israelite family. It also presents a delightful account of the remnant of true faith and piety. The author focuses on Ruth's unswerving and selfless devotion to desolate Naomi and on Boaz's kindness. He presents striking examples of lives that embody in their daily affairs the self-giving love that fulfills God's law. Such love also reflects God's love. The book story of Naomi's transformation from despair to happiness through the selfless, God-blessed acts of Ruth and Boaz. I and II Samuel: Continues the history of the Judges, telling the story of Eli and Samuel, also the establishment of the Hebrew monarchy, Saul's reign and the rise and part of the reign of David. I and II Kings: Is the history of the kingdom during Solomon's reign, the building of the temple, the divided kingdom to the
captivity of Judah and the life stories of Elijah and
Elisha. I and II Chronicles: The purpose of the writer of these books seems to have been to set before the Jews a history largely of the kingdom of Judah, its prosperity under God, the sins that led to its overthrow, the captivity and return. The first book gives the history by sacred genealogies from Adam to David, including David's reign. The second continues the history of the kings of Judah without those of
Israel down to the return from captivity. Ezra: Relates the return of the captives under Zerubbabel, the rebuilding of the temple; the second return of captives under Ezra,
and Ezra's reformation. Nehemiah: The main history covers a period of about twelve years and gives and account of the state of Jerusalem at the time and the nature of the Persian government; the rebuilding of the Jerusalem walls under Nehemiah; civil and religious reforms; restoration of the temple service. Esther: The authors central purpose was to record the institution of the annual festival of Purim and to keep alive for later generations the memory of the great deliverance of the Jewish people during the reign of Xerxes. Feasting is another prominent theme in Esther. An outstanding feature of this book ---- is the complete absence of any explicit reference to God, worship, prayer or sacrifice. The author has deliberately refrained from mentioning God to heighten the fact that it is God who controls and directs all the coincidences that make up the plot and issue in deliverance of the Jews. God's sovereign rule is assumed at every
point.
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, Background created by Carroll Page Submitted By: Carroll |
