Bible Basics

Old Testament History

Old Testament History

             Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings 1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Esther These books chronologically goes from the leadership of Joshua through the Babylonian Exile

What’s in there?

       The Crossing of the Jordan Samson & Delilah Israel’s first King, Saul King David King Solomon The building of the Temple The return from Exile

Joshua

 Joshua is named for Moses’ successor  He leads Israel into the promised land after God performs a miracle in the crossing of the Jordan River; this is a major turning point in Israel’s history  This book also contains the account of the battle of Jericho, in which Israel triumphs over this Canaanite city. It is still a city on the West Bank of Palestine

Judges

 Following Joshua’s leadership, Judges recounts the time period when Israel had no central leader  Each Judge emerged as a leader in different crises  Samson is probably the best known of the Judges

Ruth

 Ruth has the account of the great grandmother of King David.

 She is a daughter-in-law of Naomi who is a Moabite (significant because Moab was one of the constant enemies of Israel)

1

st

and 2

nd

Samuel

 Samuel is a prophet who is set apart by God at an early age     He anointed Saul as the first King of Israel Later, he picked David to be Saul’s successor 1 Samuel accounts Samuel’s life, Saul’s reign, and David’s appointment as King 2 Samuel accounts David’s reign and life

1

st

and 2

nd

Kings

 1 st and 2 nd Kings chronicle the reigns of the Kings of Israel from Solomon to Josiah   Solomon was the son of David who built the temple and wrote much of Proverbs, Song of Solomon, and Ecclesiastes Throughout the course of Israel’s history, the kings acted wickedly or righteously and were punished or restored based on this behavior

1

st

and 2

nd

Chronicles

 Chronicles are a “recap” of Old Testament history…the start from Adam to David, and the reign of Saul to the Babylonian Exile  It is traditionally thought that Ezra wrote these books, although we are not certain  The Chronicles serve as a supplement to the previous books of 1 st & 2 nd Samuel, and 1 st and 2 nd Kings.

Ezra

 Ezra recounts the events that led up to the return from Babylonian Exile  Ezra also sees the rebuilding of the Temple

Nehemiah

 Nehemiah, like Ezra, tells of the transition from Babylonian exile to the rebuilding of the temple  He is a “cupbearer” to a Persian King, Artaxerxes  He is allowed to return to Jerusalem, and joins with Ezra in rebuilding the temple

Esther

 Esther contains the account of the queen of Persia who is an Israelite  She is in the court of Xerxes, a Persian King during the time after the Babylonian Exile  She is placed in this position of influence because the King is replacing his queen  She plays an instrumental role in protecting the Persian Jews from extermination

What else can we say about Old Testament History?

   The promised land and David are important shadows of the eternal King, Jesus and our eternal “promised land”.

Understanding Israel’s history helps us to understand how Israel’s longing for a deliverer would lead to their reaction to Jesus The fall of Israel to it’s enemies and it’s deliverance from them is important in our understanding of God’s eternal love and chastisement of His people

1. Othniel (3:7-11)

a. brother of Caleb b. defeated the Arameans; the spirit of the Lord was on him

2. Ehud (3:12-30)

a. left-handed b. killed Eglon, king of Moab, by trickery

3. Shamgar (3:31, 5:6)

a. fought against the Philistines

4. Deborah (4-5)

a. woman tribal leader, both military and legal b. campaigned against Sisera, Canaanite general under Jabin, the King of Hazor c. Barak was military leader under Deborah d. Jael, a Kenite woman, killed Sisera as he fled

5. Gideon (6-8)

a. came from a family of Baal worshippers b. afraid to trust God, portrayed as an arrogant coward c. God gave him a plan to defeat the Midianites d. ended up worshipping Baal

6. Abimelech (9)

a. not a judge, attempted to make himself king but failed

7. Minor Judges: Tola and Jair (10:1-5) 8. Jephthah (10:6-12:7)

a.

illegitimate child and an outcast b. fought against the Ammonites c. made a rash vow that led to the sacrifice of his only child

9. Minor Judges: Ibzan, Elon, Abdon (12:8-15) 10. Samson (13-16)

a. born to a barren woman by promise b. was a Nazarite, but broke his vows c. was a womanizer and a drunk d. God helped him bring relief from the Philistines e. his fatal attraction to Delilah