Tasha Hires

BIBL 104

June 24, 2012

Summary of the books of the Old Testament

Numbers

The Genre's of this book are made up of Law and History due to the sins of disobedience and "god" worshiping. Along Israel's journey they were led away to wandered for 40 years in the wilderness before coming into the promised land. In the first 25 chapters of Numbers we see the experiences of the first generation of the Israelites in the wilderness along with the census of the men for battle. The remaining chapters of Numbers describes the experiences of the second generation. Obedience and rebellion followed by repentance and blessing, are themed throughout the entire book. The experiences Moses encountered in this book included his own siblings turning on him and anger starting to control many of his actions, and even due to his own disobedience Moses was unable to walk into the Promise Land. Numbers describes the walk of the Israelites as well as filling the gap between the Israelites receiving the law and getting them ready to enter the Promise Land .

Ruth

In this short narrative story, Ruth, a Moabite widow, willingly leaves her homeland to care for her mother-in-law, Naomi, who is also a widow. Being a Moabite, Ruth was not a part of God’s chosen people, Israel, but she chose to follow God anyway. God rewarded her for her faithfulness and her kindness to her mother-in-law. First, He provided for Ruth’s physical needs. As Ruth went out to get food, she came upon a field, where the owner allowed her to gather as much leftover grain as she needed. But God’s provision did not stop at Ruth’s immediate physical needs. The owner of the field, Boaz, also happened to be a relative of Naomi. Boaz took a sincere interest in Ruth, and eventually they were married. God continued to show His faithful love to Ruth and Boaz by honoring them through their descendants: King David and, hundreds of years later, Jesus Christ. This story’s intention is to show that God rewards those who trust in Him.

Ecclesiastes

The genre of the book of Ecclesiastes is made up of wisdom. The author of Ecclesiastes puts his powers of wisdom to work to examine the human experience and assess the human situation. In this book, the “Teacher” recorded his own experiences with disappointment as he tried to find peace apart from God first by saying, “Everything is meaningless.” As we all should know, life is meaningless apart from God. He uses a series of examples: wealth, wisdom, popularity, pleasure, and shows how each of them ultimately ends in disappointment if it becomes the sole reason for one’s existence. After pondering this dilemma for several chapters, the author finally comes to this conclusion: “Fear God and obey His commands, for this is the duty of every person” (12:13). It appears that the Teacher abandoned any hope in worldly pursuits and decided that glorifying God provides the only lasting meaning in life.

Joel

The book of Joel is of the genre of prophecies, in which to warn people of God’s impending judgment unless they turned from their sins. Joel’s prophecies are focused on the “day of the Lord,” where God will show an impressive display of power and call all to account for their rebellion and sin. For those who have forsaken God, it will be a terrible day of judgment. Joel used a plaque of locusts to illustrate the coming of this terrible judgment, and he urged God’s people to listen, asking how much better to repent and live! But Joel’s prophecies contain messages of hope as well as warning. If the people would respond to his warning, God would be merciful. God’s desire was to bless His people, not to destroy them. That was the reason for the locusts, to cause people to turn away from sin while there was still time.

Jonah

The book of Jonah is a narrative story which tells about how Jonah refused to follow the Lord. Jonah was a prophet born in Israel and called by God to preach to the people of Nineveh, the capitol city of Assyria. Not only was Assyria the most powerful empire of that day, it was also ruthlessly violent with its conquered enemies. Israel was soon to enter Assyria’s path of destruction. Jonah relates how he first tried to flee his calling and travel by ship to another country. But God sent a storm to change his plans, Jonah was thrown overboard, and a giant fish swallowed him and saved him from drowning. The fish then spewed Jonah onto the shore, and Jonah went to Assyria. To Jonah’s dismay, the king and citizens of Nineveh heard his message and repented, and so God spared them from their promised destruction. In anger, Jonah went outside the city, still hoping it would be destroyed. God rebuked Jonah, however, and expressed his concern that all people, Jews and Gentiles alike, come to know Him. The purpose of this narrative is to show that God wants all people to come to know Him.