Status Updates From Exploring the Old Testament...

Zechariah: Looking Ahead
Malachi: the Gathering Gloom
Appendix: the Jewish Religious Calendar
Chapter Notes

Ezekiel: the Exile Prophet
Daniel: the Prophet Greatly Beloved
Haggai: First Things First

Zephaniah: the Royal Prophet
Habakkuk: the Prophet with a Problem
Obadiah: the Prophet of Edom’s Doom

Micah: a Tale of Two Cities
Nahum: a Prophet of Nineveh’s Doom
Jeremiah: the Weeping Prophet
Lamentations: the Story of a Prodigal City

Amos: the Country Cousin
Hosea: the Prophet of the Broken Heart & Broken Home

The Prophets: Men Sent From God
Joel: the Prophet of the Plague
Jonah: the Unwilling Prophet
Isaiah: the Evangelical Prophet

started reading Part 2 Old Testament Poetry and Prophecy

Hebrew Poetry: Music of the Heart
Job: The Problem of Suffering
The Psalms: Hymns of the Hebrews
Proverbs: A Book of Rules
Ecclesiastes: A Book of Regrets
Song of Solomon: A Book of Romance

Ezra: The Godly Scribe
Nehemiah: God’s Statesman
Esther: God’s Providence

completed reading Part 1: Old Testament History

1 Samuel : Israel Comes of Age
2 Samuel : King David
The Powers That Are Ordained of God
1 & 2 Kings: Israel Faces the Sunset
1 & 2 Chronicles: Second Thoughts (last book of Old Testament according to the Hebrew Canon and leads into the genealogy of Matthew 1 in NT)

Ruth - a Virtuous Woman

Judges - The Folly of Forsaking God

Chapter 7 Joshua
From Victory Unto Victory

I. Claiming the land (faith believes the Bible, counts the cost, makes a move, strengthens its stand, pays the price); II. Conquering the land (facing major foes: Jericho, facing minor foes: Ai, facing moderate and multiplied foes) & III. Colonizing the land

Chapter 6 - Deuteronomy The Book of Remembrance

"Beware lest ye forget" or "Thou shalt remember"; begins with the historical, moves on to judicial, points to the prophetical & ends with the bio; the history of Israel - backward look (chap 1-3), the holiness of Israel - inward look (chap 4-11), the heritage of Israel- forward look (chap 12-30), the hero of Israel -upward look (chap 31-34), last book of the Pentateuch

Chapter 5 - Numbers: The Book of Pilgrimage

covers a period of 38 years in which the Israelites were in the wilderness brought upon by Israel's disobedience; first the people were counted, secondly a nation of 2-3 million people were camped in an orderly camp (by divine decree) spread out around the tabernacle, then thirdly they were cleansed & finally consecrated; a gap of 37.5 years occurs between chapters 19 & 20

Chapter 3 Exodus: The Way Out

an enslaved people are saved
a saved people are separated
a separated people are sanctified

Chapter 2 Genesis The Book of Beginnings
(begins with creation & ends with a coffin)

creation, curse, catastrophe, the coalition, the progenitor: Abraham, the pilgrim: Isaac, the propagator: Jacob, the provider: Joseph

"'So Joseph died.' That is the Holy Spirit's final comment in the book on the nature & tragedy of human sin, the final exposure of the Devil's lie: 'Thou shalt not surely die.'" -pg 36

Chapter 1 The Divine Library: The Old Testament

nine distinctive groups of persons: Patriarchs (Genesis), Protectors (Exodus), Priests (Leviticus), Pilgrims (Numbers), People (Deuteronomy), Patriots (Joshua, Judges, Ruth), Princes (Samuel, Kings, Chronicles), Poets (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon & Ecclesiastes, Prophets (Isaiah to Malachi)

Part 1 Old Testament History

Introduction

Of the many rules of Bible interpretation, microscopic approach (structural analysis) is the breaking down of a passage to its basic components vs. the telescopic approach (Bible survey) which examines larger portions to see how they relate to one another; this book uses the Bible survey method of interpretation in examining the books of the Old Testament.