Lacey Coronado
L24607849
BIBL 104-D30
April 20, 2012
Summary of the books of the Old Testament Books)

Joshua

The genre of Joshua is narrative. The two major themes in Joshua are the possession of the land and the covenant. Key Events: The major events of the book of Joshua are essentially separated into three different parts, including: the conquest of the land, the division of the land, and the farewells. During the “conquest of the land,” God orders Joshua to take possession of the land and warns him to keep faith with the Covenant. After crossing the Jordan by God’s divine intervention, the Israelites begin conquering the land by first taking Jericho, and then Ai. After some mishap with the Gibeonites in the south, the Israelites overtake Hazor in the north with “Yahweh’s” help. The second division of the book of Joshua was “the division of the land.” The division of the land essentially put people in literal possession of the land. The land divisions consisted of land east and west of the Jordan River, and also cities of refuge and the cities of the Levites. Lastly, in Joshua’s “farewells,” Joshua tells the Israelite leaders that they need to remain faithful to the covenant and to Yahweh. He also tells reminds the whole land of Israel of God’s great works. Joshua then performs the last covenant ceremony and sends the people to their land. The book of Joshua emphasized how important it is to be faithful to the covenant. Key characters: God, Joshua, Rahab, Achan, Eleazar, Phinehas, and Caleb.

Leviticus

The genre of Leviticus is law. The major theme in Leviticus is ritual and moral purity. Key Events: The first couple of chapters (1-5) in Leviticus describe the system of sacrifices from the sacrificers’ point of view, including: the burnt offering, the grain offering, the peace offering, and the sin offering. The next two chapters (6-7) also deal with the system of sacrifices, however, it is from the priest’s point of view, including: the trespass or reparation offering, and the instructions about offering. The next part of Leviticus (chapters 7-10) goes through the ordination of priests, including the ordination of Aaron as high priest and the sins of Nadab and Abihu. Next, Moses (thought to be the author of Leviticus) teaches of what is considered to be clean or unclean, including: animals, childbirth, diseases, dwellings, and the body. After the law’s concerning cleanliness, we learn about the instruction given to priest’s regarding the Day of Atonement. The Day of Atonement is a day in which the priest cleanses himself in preparation to “meet with God.” It only happens one day a year in which the priest enters the Holy of Holies and offers a sacrifice on behalf of the nation of Israel. In the last chapters of Leviticus we learn about the Holiness Code, which teaches the laws for holy living, which includes sexual relations, the killing of animals, the seven holy convocations, blasphemy, obedience, disobedience, and the Sabbath Year. Key Characters: Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu Eleazar, and Ithamar.

Daniel

The genre of Daniel is Prophecy and also contains apocalyptic material. The theme of Daniel is the sovereignty of God, redemption, preservation, and restoration. Key Events: The events of this Old Testament book include an introduction, God’s judgment over the gentile nations, and God’s ultimate restoration of Israel (taken from NKJV study bible). In the first few chapters of his self-proclaimed prophecy, Daniel wrote of his personal experiences in captivity under King Nebuchadnezzar’s rule. During this time period of incarceration, Daniel interpreted two of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams which made him the chief of all wise men. In chapters 7-12, Daniel wrote of visions in which he received from God about the “heavenly messenger” (Jesus) and events that may be considered apocalyptic, such as the vision of the four beasts, the vision of the ram and goat, and the end times. . Key Characters: Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Belzhazaar (aka Daniel), and Darius.

Job

The genre of Job is wisdom. The key themes in Job include that of the “righteous sufferer,” including the inborn sinfulness of mankind, the allegation that God is unfair, and the limits in which humans face in understanding God’s word. Key Events: In the first three chapters of this book, God test’s Job by letting Satan attack him. Job loses everything that could mean anything to a man, including all of his possessions, his children, and his health. In chapters 4-37, Job’s friends: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, Zophar the Naamathite, and Elihu the Buzite come to visit him due to his bad luck and converse with him about his shortcomings in life. The last chapters of Job God speaks to him and restores the man that he once was with a family, good health, and plenty of livestock Key Characters: Job, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, Zophar the Naamathite, and Elihu the Buzite.
Judges

The genre of Judges is narrative. The key themes in Judges was to show that unfaithfulness to God leads to inherent consequences and the ultimate need of a leader to God’s righteousness. Key Events: In the first couple of chapters of Judges, we learn that the Israelites have not held up their end of the bargain with God. They have not conquered the promise land, and have chosen to worship other forms/idols other than Yahweh. To rescue the Israelites from their own sin God rises up Judges. Unfortunately, the teachings of the judges only lasted as long as the life of that certain Judge. Some of the key judges include Deborah, Gideon, and Samson. At the end of the book of Judges there is a large civil war which wipes out the tribe of Benjamin down to 600 men. Key Characters: Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Abimelech, Jephthah, Samson, and Delilah.