Old Testament Narratives

by | Feb 4, 2019 | Open Your Bible, Study

Over 40% of the Old Testament is made up of narrative – Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Job, Ezra, Nehemiah, Jeremiah, A Crooked Line Straight to Jesus Week-2 Old Testament Narratives 14 Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Esther, Jonah and Haggai are written entirely or partially in a narrative style. Old Testament narratives are written as history and should be read and understood as historical accounts. They are not allegories or moral stories. In fact, it is very important that readers avoid assuming that the stories told in these narratives are meant to serve as moral examples – often it is just the opposite. Old Testament Narratives can and should be understood on three levels.

Redemptive History – the universal story of God, His people and His plan of salvation.

National History – the story of Israel, God’s chosen people who would bring forth the Messiah.

Individual Histories – the parts that make up the whole; specific stories about specific characters.

Apocalyptic Literature

Apocalyptic Literature focuses on the coming final judgment and salvation of the world at the end of history as we know it. It is both some of the most fascinating and the most confusing literature of the Bible. Extra care is needed when studying the Apocalyptic books...

Epistles

The Epistles make up over two-thirds of the entire New Testament (21 of the 27 books) and were written by Paul, James, Peter, John, and Jude, with the majority being Paul’s. The value of the Epistles to the church cannot be overestimated. These books unpack and...

Gospels

Four Books. That is all the information we have about the life of Jesus. Four books, 89 chapters, just under 65,000 words in the original language - that’s it. Yet these four books have done more to change the world than all other books combined. These four books tell...

Prophets

A Prophet is someone who speaks the words of God for the people. In this sense, the words and activities of prophets are a far broader presence in the Bible than what is recorded in Prophetic literature. The words of prophets such as Melchizedek, Moses, Samuel,...

Wisdom Literature

The term “Wisdom Literature” acts as a large umbrella covering a wide scope of writings found in the Bible. It includes prayers, songs, proverbs, stories, romance, philosophy and lament. Some of these works deal with great universal questions of meaning and purpose...

Bible Overview

The Bible is not one book, it is a collection of 66 books (63 if you consider that Samuel, Kings and Chronicles are not split in the Hebrew Bible). Sixty-six books written over the course of about 1500 years that tell one story – the story of God’s rescue of His...