You See Dry Bones

About the Old Testament (OT)

Many people get caught up when trying to read through the Old Testament. While some of us just go plain batty while reading books like Leviticus (a book of instructions) or Numbers (the results of a census with some narrative). Others get completely screwed up because they lack some background information. Sometimes we miss things because we either a) have skipped books, thereby missing important information which is common knowledge to the OT authors later, or b) we have not carefully read or tried to understand the text. This article should serve as an overview of important things to know about the culture and background of some OT books.  These points should help you get a better grasp on the reading of the OT.

Please feel free to ask questions as these points are going to be brief and to the point. Here they are:

• The first five books reveal the history of the world, and the history of God’s covenant with His people. These books are called the Pentateuch (Pent-a-took) which means, “one book in five parts” or the Torah which is best translated as “instructions.” This group contains the laws and instructions for worship of God by His people as well as the introduction into God’s plan to redeem all people through His son, Jesus.
• Joshua is a book of both fulfilled promises (Israel enters the land God promised them) and broken promises (Israel fails to uphold their end of the Covenant). We should read each chapter with the understanding Israel is not always doing what is good and right. Even the hero, Joshua, makes plenty of mistakes.
• Judges is a dark book. It is a book foreshadowing the coming of a king (in this case, David) by presenting the case for such a need. While there are heroes in Judges, we must understand they were sinful men and not all of their actions should be taken as a model for our lives.
• Ruth is a book which shows us compassion, mercy, and grace as demonstrated by both God and the people involved. The book shows us God’s preservation of the family line of David and ultimately of King Jesus.
• 1-2 Samuel gives us an intro to Israel as an established nation under the rule of a king (first Saul, later David). While many great narratives are in these books, we should understand these books show the rebellious nature of man. They reject God by asking for a king. The first king fails to be a good ruler by rejecting God’s commands. By the time David is gearing up to be king, Israel is fracturing into two parties (the house of Israel and the house of Judah). While David’s son, Solomon, will restore these two houses briefly, the kingdom will be split into two sides by the end of his (Solomon) rule.
• 1-2 Kings and 1-2 Chronicles. When reading these books, one tends to get lost as there seem to be dozens of kings. While reading these books, it is important to remember Israel and Judah are two different, neighboring kingdoms. Judah goes through periods of repentance and worship of God, while Israel tends to reject God altogether.
• The Poetry / Writings (Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Job and Lamentations) are all writings which are godly contemplations and songs. Psalms should be thought of as the greatest poetry book or hymnal of all time. Proverbs contains much wisdom but should not be read as simply a “life manual.” We should seek to learn from it, but ultimately we should learn a need for godly wisdom over earthly wisdom. Son of Solomon is a debated book due to its graphic imagery and its intended meaning (see below) while Lamentations is a poetic book pleading for God to make wrong things write and repentance. Job introduces us to God’s sovereignty over all things, even the small details.
• Song of Solomon. Some read this as God’s love for Israel, individuals (I argue the individual interpretation is usually incorrect, or incorrectly understood), or the Church. Others see it as a man’s love for his wife, and vice-versa.  I think you should read it at face value (as two lovers) and then ask God to help you see where it might apply to other situations second.
• Nehemiah. This book tells us about Israel’s return to the land God promised them. The book gives an account of God’s grace and mercy to His people by letting them rebuild their city and His temple. By the end of the book, God’s people have rebelled again which drives Nehemiah to violence. Try not to get caught up in the long lists of people’s names. They may be hard to get through, but it is worth it.
• The Prophets. The rest of the OT is made up of Prophets. Many of the prophets were contemporaries and knew each other. These books are probably the most difficult to understand. Some use imagery which makes little sense to the reader (like Ezekiel and Daniel). Others are hard to understand because we have no grasp on the events the prophet is writing about. I would recommend getting a good OT survey (like this one: Theological Interpretation of the Old Testament: A Book-by-Book Survey) to help you understand the backgrounds. Also, don’t rush through them. Take your time, this is not a race.

I hope this helps. Like I said, all questions are welcome.

-Don-

PS. Due to time constraints, this article has not been proof read. Feel free to comment or email me to let me know of errors. Thanks!