The book of Genesis is a book of beginnings. It covers a vast span of time from the beginning of creation until just a few hundred years before Moses and the Law.

An outline for Genesis follows:

• The creation (Genesis 1-2)

• The fall of mankind (Genesis 3-5)

• The great flood (Genesis 6-10)

• The tower of Babel (Genesis 11.1-9)

• The Patriarchs (Genesis 12-50)

• Abraham

• Isaac

• Jacob

• Joseph

Undoubtedly, the creation story has attracted more concentrated study by both students and non-students of the Bible alike than any other portion of The Book. However, for a discussion of God’s Redemptive Plan it is not at all central to this study. His Redemption Plan did not need to become operative until a problem arose and that didn’t happen until the garden incident involving Eve and the serpent.

We will note two very significant points without becoming entangled in the many views concerning the fall of mankind.

1. First we are told that in the beginning mankind was created in the likeness of God (Genesis 1.26).

2. But after the fall, a genealogy is given for the descendants of Adam in Chapter 5, where it is discovered that Seth was born, not in the likeness of God but strangely in the likeness of his father, Adam (Genesis 5.3).

Therefore, something fundamental occurred with the fall of mankind, something that changed the very nature of Seth and those who came after him. In some way Seth acquired a propensity for disobeying God just as his father had done, and with such a nature it could be only a matter of time before serious problems would develop.

The problem that began in the Garden became increasingly severe until the time of Noah when God declared He would destroy the world by a catastrophic flood. Once again, this subject of the flood is a matter of great scientific debate but of only passing interest to the matter of God’s Redemptive Plan. We simply observe that the God of the Bible seems to have a perspective about disobedience quite from ours, so that He is ready, willing, and able to hold people accountable for it.

Unfortunately, the flood did not solve the problem of disobedience for we find mankind continuing this addictive behavior at the tower of Babel. After the flood, God instructed mankind to "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth" (Genesis 9.1). Yet the basic purpose of this tower was in direct rebellion of that commandment (Genesis 11.4).

At that point, God could have thrown up His hands in despair and forgotten the whole idea of humankind. But surprisingly, we see Him launch a completely new initiative toward the objective of mankind’s redemption. God conceived a brand new chosen nation and Covenant with a man by the name of Abraham (Genesis 17.1-14). This man, who came from a large Gentile city by the name of Ur of the Chaldees, was directed to go to a land that he had never seen. Even though he was 75 years old when he arrived, he was to have children by his wife who was then 65 years old, that genealogy to result eventually in a blessing for all the nations of the earth (Genesis 12.1-3). Abraham lived hundreds of years before God’s Law was proffered through Moses, yet was made "righteous" in God’s sight simply because he "believed" God (Genesis 15.6)!

The remainder of the book of Genesis tells the stories of several of his progenies. They are sorted accounts of people like us who were certainly far from perfect. Even so, by the end of their lives, all of these Patriarchs came to hold that original promise given to Abraham as a treasured thing.

The book of Genesis is not only the beginning of creation but it is also the beginning of a life-terminating "disease". We discover to our chagrin that the God of the Bible is not only a powerful Being who was able to create the universe simply by "speaking" it into existence, but is also a strict and uncompromising God who is ready and able to judge acts of disobedience. We could easily leave this book with a depressing sense of futility were it not for an enigmatic statement He made to the serpent at the time of the temptation regarding his future downfall by Eve’s "Seed" (Genesis 3.15), or the fact that Noah and his family were saved through the flood simply because they had faith to build a boat, or the fact that He seemed to have some kind of Plan in mind when He made those promises to the Patriarchs.

There is one person and one theme that stand head and shoulders above the rest when we read these four books. The man Moses is the central figure and the Law is the main subject.

The book of Exodus takes up the story several hundred years after the book of Genesis ends. Genesis ended with Joseph, his eleven brothers, and his father and mother in the land of Egypt with everything going well. Joseph was the equivalent of the prime minister of Egypt, second in command to Pharaoh himself. "Goshen" in the northern region of Egypt provided a good life for his relatives, but problems developed during the latter period of their sojourn in that country. Some time before Moses was born, a Pharaoh came along who was not willing to recollect those former times, choosing rather to begin a policy of progressive oppression against the Hebrews. The severity of that oppression increased until a policy tantamount to genocide was instituted against those people. We are familiar with the way Moses was saved from the killing of all male Hebrew babies, then being raised by the Pharaoh’s daughter to enjoy all the benefits of royalty. However, when he killed an Egyptian who was beating one of his Hebrew countrymen, his true allegiance became obvious and he was exiled to the neighboring country of Midian. The Exodus out of Egypt took place when Moses was 80 years old after he encountered God at the "burning bush" and returned to deliver his people.

The book of Exodus is much more than just the story of the outgoing of the Twelve Tribes of Israel from Egypt; it is also the story of the giving of the Law in the wilderness at Mt. Sinai. The Law written on tables of stone, along with some 603 other statutes and commandments, became the first recorded judicial system set forth from God Himself. Although many of the provisions of the Law were peculiar to the Hebrews and to the Land they were to inherit in that ancient time, the Ten Commandments have come to us in our time as an absolute judicial standard for living, and are woven into the fabric of American law..

This notable book gives a detailed account of the building of a "Tabernacle" in the wilderness. Some suppose that this structure was simply the Hebrews’ equivalent of a religious "building" where they could meet, something like a synagogue or church, but such a concept is far from reality. The Tabernacle was God’s idea, and its purpose was not for general congregational meetings; it was rather a place where God Himself would dwell and where He could be approached only according to a strict set of rules and regulations.

The following outline may be useful in the study of this book:

• A brief review of a 350 year period of time beginning with the Hebrews’ move to Egypt and ending with the birth of Moses (Exodus 1)

• The birth of Moses, upbringing, then exile into Midian (Exodus 2)

• Moses’ commissioning by God at the "burning bush" and return with Aaron to confront Egypt’s Pharaoh (Exodus 3-6)

• The plagues that befall Egypt when Pharaoh refuses to free the Hebrews (Exodus 7-11)

• The institution of the Passover followed by the final plague forcing Egypt to release the Hebrews (Exodus 12-13)

• The miraculous crossing of the Red Sea and trek to Mount Sinai (Exodus 14-18)

• The giving of the Law at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19-24)

• The specifications for the wilderness Tabernacle and organization of the Priesthood (Exodus 25-31)

• The transgression of the "golden calf" (Exodus 32)

• The Covenant renewed, Tabernacle completed, Priesthood appointed, and coming of the Shekinah Glory of God to fill the Tabernacle (Exodus 33-40)

The book of Leviticus prescribes the way that Israel was to approach and maintain a right relationship with this holy God. He spelled out the rules and regulations governing their meeting with Him and there was to be no deviation from them. His standards regarding the Law were no less strict and unyielding than His treatment of Adam and Eve following their acts of disobedience.

• The "ground of fellowship" was to be based on a system of animal and grain sacrifices to be performed continually and repeatedly.

• A "priesthood" was created from the Tribe of Levi to administer this sacrificial system. The "High Priesthood" began with Aaron, Moses’ brother, and was then passed on to his successors thereafter.

• The "walk of fellowship" involved numerous rules and regulations designed to make Israel a unique separated nation, and a "lighthouse" to the surrounding decadent Gentile societies. These decrees covered all aspects of life ranging from dietary restrictions, to designated days and seasons for special worship, to the scheduling of farm activities, in the Promised Land.

To be sure, the Law was prescribed clearly and precisely at Mt. Sinai before they made what should have been their final trek to the promised Land. After spending about a year at Sinai, they pulled up stakes and headed for the southern border of Canaan, arriving at a place called Kadesh during the spring of the year.

The book of Numbers begins with a census taken just before leaving Sinai. However, the initial joy of a new freedom, a new Law, and the promise of a new Land ended on a sour note for this book records that the Hebrews subsequently decided not to enter the Land after all. They were instructed to send 12 of their leaders to reconnoiter the place, but then became fearful that they could not defeat the militarized inhabitants of Canaan with their fortified cities. This terrible decision cost them a total of 40 years in the wilderness of Sinai, where all of the Hebrew men 20 years and older, numbered at that first census, died. They suffered through that long period of attrition in a hostile environment, then a second census was recorded in Numbers shortly before they made their successful attempt to enter the Land, so the name "Numbers" is very apropos.

Here is a brief organization of the book of Numbers:

• The first generation who died in the wilderness (Numbers 1-14)

• Their numbering (Numbers 1-4)

• Their instructing (Numbers 5-9)

• Their journeying to the Promised Land (Numbers 10-12)

• Their refusal to enter the Promised Land (Numbers 13-14)

• The years of wandering in unbelief (Numbers 15-20)

• Years in the wilderness (Numbers 15-20)

• From the wilderness around the Dead Sea to Moab (Numbers 21-25)

• The second generation who would enter the Promised Land (Numbers 26-36)

• Their numbering (Numbers 26)

• Their instructing (Numbers 27-36)

 

The book of Deuteronomy means "second Law" but is really not a second law at all; it is simply a reiteration of the Law given at Sinai 40 years earlier by Moses. Moses with the rest of Israel had fallen victim to their years of rebellion and had sinned against God. He looked retrospectively back over the past wilderness sojourn, warning the new second generation not to repeat those same mistakes. He also looked prospectively forward to the time when that second generation would occupy the promise although he himself was not allowed to enjoy its fruits.

Here is one way to outline the contents of this book:

• Looking backward to Sinai and the wilderness wandering (Deuteronomy 1-11)

• A review of the way since Sinai (Deuteronomy 1-3)

• A review of the Law since Sinai (Deuteronomy 4-11)

• Looking forward to the Land (Deuteronomy 12-34)

• Final rules, warnings, and prophecies to Israel before entering the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 12-30)

• Moses’ final words, then his death on Mount Nebo (Deuteronomy 31-34)

These four books of the Law are mostly historical in nature, covering an epochal period in Israel’s past. Together they describe that period when the Hebrews were delivered from Egypt, given a Covenant of Law and a physical inheritance, albeit conditional upon their willingness and dedication to obey its precepts.

The next set of books in the Old Testament will provide an objective measure of Israel’s "track record" of obedience. It is important for us to now review this issue because Moses said their tenure in the Land would depend on their obedience (Deuteronomy 28.58-68).

The books shown above all pertain to the subject of Israel in the promised Land; they describe that historical period when the Hebrews occupied their physical inheritance in fulfillment of God’s promises to them in the old Covenant of Law. This period of nearly 1000 years began on a high note with the conquest of the Land under the leadership of Joshua, then languished during the continual apostasy of the Judges for several hundred years, then rose to new heights under kings David and Solomon, then more or less erratically declined during a chaotic period followed a civil war between the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Old Testament Israel finally came to a dismal end when the Northern part of that divided kingdom was destroyed by the Assyrian empire and later the Southern part by the Babylonian empire.

Let’s now take a closer look at the periods described in each one of these books.

The book of Joshua is a book of conquest and victory. Just as the Hebrews did it all wrong 40 years before when they sent 12 spies into the Land then refused to enter, they did it almost all right under Joshua. The second time they sent only two spies into the Land at Jericho, not to decide whether but rather how best to make their initial invasion of the Land.

Jericho was no match for their new steadfastness for they were depending on God for the victory and He went before them to defeat Jericho quickly. They moved into the hill country, bringing a small fortified outpost named Ai under siege. It was also destroyed by a clever military stratagem. After a momentary bobble in their dealings with the city of Gibeon that stood at the doorway to the city states in the Southern portion of Canaan, those fortified cities lay exposed to Israel’s onslaught. They razed or conquered them then moved to the North where the largest city in Canaan was located. Hazor had a population of a least 40,000 people within its city walls proper. It lay on the international trade route connecting nations to the North and South of Canaan, and became the last major bastion of Gentile strength within the Land. Joshua defeated the armies protecting that city by a clever military ploy, bringing the Land under the general occupation, although not complete possession, of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

The final chapters of the book deal with the specific allocations of the region among the Twelve Tribes, identification of certain cities for the Levites, and finally Joshua’s farewell address then death.

The book is conveniently divided as follows:

• Entering the Land (Joshua 1-5)

• Joshua’s charge (Joshua 1)

• Jericho spied out (Joshua 2)

• Crossing the Jordan River and setting up a beachhead (Joshua 3-5)

• Overcoming the Land (Joshua 6-12)

• The fall of Jericho (Joshua 6)

• The sin of Achan and fall of Ai (Joshua 7-8)

• The ruse of Gibeon (Joshua 9)

• The defeat of the Southern kings (Joshua 10)

• The defeat of Hazor and the armies of the North (Joshua 11)

• Summary of conquests by Moses and Joshua (Joshua 12)

• Allocations of the region among the Twelve Tribes (Joshua 13-21)

• Tribal regions divided (Joshua 13-19)

• Cities of refuge (Joshua 20)

• Cities of the Levites (Joshua 21)

• The issue of the "Altar of Witness" (Joshua 22)

• Joshua’s farewell address, covenant at Shechem, and death (Joshua 23-24)

The Land was carved up into Tribal regions after it appeared that cleaning-up operations would present no great difficulty. However, the Twelve Tribes became their own worst enemy as they began to fraternize with the Gentile inhabitants of the Land and then adopt their gods into pantheons for worship. This apostasy is documented in the book of Judges as it describes a period of about 360 years of repeated violations of the first and second Commandments of the Decalogue.

The Hebrew Tribes would begin to worship Gentile gods in a region of the Land. Soon after, they would suffer oppression and humiliation at the hands of Gentile warlords, whereupon they would cry out to God appealing for His intervention. God would respond by raising up a "Judge" who would overcome their enemies. This time might be characterized by four words: sin, suffering, supplication, and salvation. This time of "circular" apostasy continued through six major threats over the centuries.

A Biblical phrase used repeatedly in the book of Judges succinctly summarizes their "spiritual harlotry" with the false gods of the Canaanites.

Indeed, this period in the life of Israel has much to compare with our own 20^th Century, particularly within the Western world. Still, just as there are bright spots today where certain people are living upright lives and striving to obey God, so it was in that period of the Judges.

These times of repeated apostasy may be summarized as follows:

• Prologue citing Israel’s unfaithfulness (Judges 1-2)

• Apostasy and oppressions from external enemies (Judges 3-11, 13-16)

• Oppression by the king of Mesopotamia and deliverance by Othniel

• Oppression by the king of Moab and deliverance by Ehud and Shamagar

• Oppression by the king of Canaan and deliverance by Deborah and Barak

• Oppression by the Midianites and deliverance by Gideon

• Oppression by the Philistines/Amorites and deliverance by Jephthah

• Oppression by the Philistines and deliverance by Samson

• Apostasy and disputes among the Tribes (Judges 12, 17-21)

• Civil war between Ephraim and the Hebrews to the East of the Jordan River (Judges 12)

• Idolatry and lawlessness by the Danites (Judges 17-18)

• Civil war between Benjamin and the remaining Tribes (Judges 19-21)

 

The book of Ruth describes a few of those people who lived upright lives amid apostasy and strife during the times of the Judges. The setting of the book is Bethlehem in the Southern part of the Land, occupied by the Tribe of Judah. The principal characters are Boaz, a wealthy farmer, Ruth, a woman from the nation of Moab to the East, and widowed Naomi, her mother-in-law. The book describes nothing of the turmoil and upheaval going on round about; instead it focuses on a true love that developed between Boaz and Ruth with the encouragement of Naomi. In some respects it is a strange story because it involves a relationship that developed between a Hebrew man and a Gentile woman from a nation that had been cursed under the Law, so that its citizens were prohibited from ever becoming associated with the congregation of the Lord (Deuteronomy 23.3-4). Yet, Boaz graciously accepted Ruth, not on the basis of the Law, but on the basis of his love for her. Naomi clearly had the right to appeal to Boaz’s protection under the Law, but she also freely spoke in behalf of Ruth, appealing to Boaz’s sense of compassion to include her within that sphere of protection as her "kinsman redeemer" (Leviticus 25.25; Deuteronomy 25.5-10). This little book becomes a gem of virtue and dedication amid a time of perversion, apostasy, and disgrace in Israel’s history. Boaz’ willingness to take this step gave Ruth full rights under God’s Covenant with Israel. This is certified by the fact that both king David and Jesus Christ were descendants of Boaz and Ruth (Ruth 4.21-22).

This short book is quickly outlined as follows:

• Ruth’s noble choice (Ruth 1)

• Ruth’s lowly service (Ruth 2)

• Ruth’s tender appeal (Ruth 3)

• Ruth’s eternal reward (Ruth 4)

The books of Samuel document the conclusion of Israel's Tribal period and the beginning of Israel’s kingdom. Unfortunately, it did not occur at the bequest of, or even in the will of, God. It occurred because Israel had tired of being a Tribal nation; they wanted the prestige and power of the Gentile nations around them who all had kings. Samuel, the last of the Judges, was adamantly against the notion but was nevertheless prompted by God to anoint Saul as the first king of Israel. Saul was an impressive man, tall and handsome, with the look of a take-charge person. However, cracks soon appeared in his moral and spiritual "armor" after he became king. It appeared that the people had desired a good thing at the beginning of Saul’s reign, for he was able to lead Israel victoriously against her enemies. Unfortunately, a serious character flaw later developed.

Saul was a very self-willed man with little desire to submit himself to the will of God. This underlying attitude became evident when he foolishly usurped the role of the priesthood. He offered a sacrifice unlawfully when Samuel was late in arriving for the occasion. His rash acts continued until he became insanely jealous of David who enjoyed the adulation of the people after his victory over the giant, Goliath. Saul obsessively chased David all over the countryside for several years in an attempt to kill him, then met his own demise at the hands of the Philistines. The untimely death of Saul and the accompanying defeat of the Israelites in the valley of Jezreel, brought the nation to a low point where it very survival hung in the balances.

At the very moment when disaster seemed inevitable, the book of II Samuel takes us to the next phase of Israel’s struggle in the Land. David, who had been anointed years earlier by Samuel as Israel’s future king, became the acting king. He was not accepted by all the Tribes to the North for more than seven years, but he was a man after God’s own heart. David was a man of great courage with a sense of purpose and vision, but most of all, a man who always evidenced an attitude of submission toward God. On those occasions when his aggressiveness and thoughtlessness outpaced the will of God, he would later unfailingly repent of those transgressions. Some of his grievous sins, like the ones involving Uriah and Bathsheba, surely plagued him for the rest of his life. Nonetheless, David became God’s "standard" against which all of the kings who would come after he were measured.

Both of these books are summarized in the following composite outline:

• Samuel: The last of the Judges (I Samuel 1-7)

• His birth and youth (I Samuel 1-2)

• His call and office (I Samuel 3)

• His times and acts (I Samuel 4-7)

• Saul: The first of the kings (I Samuel 7-15)

• His appointment as king (I Samuel 8-10)

• His promising beginning (I Samuel 11-12)

• His later folly, sin, and rejection by God (I Samuel 13-15)

• David: The anointed successor (I Samuel 16-31)

• His anointing by Samuel (I Samuel 16)

• His service before Saul (I Samuel 16-20)

• His years as a fugitive (I Samuel 21-30)

• David’s triumphs (II Samuel 1-10)

• King over Judah only, at Hebron (II Samuel 1-4)

• King over all of Israel at Jerusalem (II Samuel 5-10)

• David’s troubles (II Samuel 11-24)

• David’s troubles in his family (II Samuel 11-19)

• David’s troubles in the nation (II Samuel 20-24)

 

A clear division between Samuel and the Kings is merited. It might seem initially that the reigns of David and Solomon should be combined into one book since they governed during a time when the kingdom was united and when the rulers received the blessings of God. However, a closer inspection of these two men will reveal an important distinction with respect to God’s Redemptive Plan. God’s Covenant of an everlasting kingdom to be set up with one of his descendants, was made with David alone, not with Solomon (II Samuel 7.1-29).

It is possible that David thought Solomon would completely fulfill that blessing, but such would not be the case. Solomon started with God’s blessing and the charge to build the Temple in Jerusalem, but it ended in I Kings with Solomon turning his heart from God. Excessive taxation levied by Solomon as Israel reached the zenith of her worldly glory also planted the seeds of her future downfall. Immediately after his death, the Tribes to the North demanded relief. His son, Rehoboam, apparently insulated from his subjects, rejected the counsel of the elders to lighten the yoke of taxation. Instead, he took the advice of certain young men to figuratively chastise the people with "scourges". The result was a division of the kingdom and the beginning of a civil war that portended the eventual annihilation of Old Testament Israel!

It is difficult to encapsulate the records of the books of the Kings into a short space for to do so forces the disregard of many important historical events in this nearly 400 year time period. However, we make this compromise because the focus is on God’s Redemptive Plan, not His Historical Plan.

The history of Israel in the book of I Kings following the reign of Solomon, might be termed the beginning of Israel’s "chaotic kingdom". For roughly the first 50 years, there was an on-going civil war between the kingdom of Judah to the South and the kingdom of Israel to the North. Actually Judah consisted of the Tribes of Judah, Simeon, and part of Benjamin, while Israel consisted of the remaining Ten Tribes. During this 50 year time of "disruption", the Northern kingdom witnessed six kings while the Southern had three.

This was followed by another 39 years that might be termed one of "accommodation" between the two kingdoms. Weary of civil war and fearful of a resurgent Egyptian interest in the Land, both kingdoms entered into several self-serving cooperative efforts against common external threats. I Kings ends with the story of wicked king Ahab, his queen Jezebel, and the exploits of the prophet Elijah.

A simple recounting of the historical events of that period does not capture the gravity of this division when viewed from a Covenantal perspective. Jeroboam, the Northern leader who masterminded the division, actually set the stage for the termination of the Covenant for those Northern Tribes. The schism effected was not only a social, economic, and political separation, but also a religious one. The people of the Northern kingdom were directed to build alternate places of worship, organize a separate "priesthood", and even set up another feast date for worship of their own choosing. In a final act of blasphemy, he directed the making of two golden calves similar to the ones that were made in the wilderness rebellion shortly after the Hebrews’ exodus out of Egypt (I Kings 12.25-33). The Lord had warned earlier that He would abide only at a location of His choosing and Jerusalem was designated as that location (Deuteronomy 12.10-14). Consequently, the net result of the division and Jeroboam’s actions were to cut off the Northern kingdom from the God who had given them the Promised Land in the first place.

If our interest were purely historical, there would be no reason to separate the book of I Kings from II Kings. However, from the point of view of God’s Redemptive Plan, this division was marked by two important features.

First of all Jehu, a son of Judah’s king Jehoshaphat, perpetrated a coup near the beginning of II Kings that was potentially threatening to the fulfillment of the promises given earlier to Abraham and David. Those promises pertained to a coming Messiah through the genealogies of those two men. Unfortunately, the coup resulted in the murder of both the kings of Israel and Judah, thereby jeopardizing the continuation of that Messianic line. As we will discover later, this action required God’s direct intervention to preserve that line.

A second legitimate reason for the division between the books is that all of the "writing" prophets lived and prophesied during the period of II Kings, and it was during this second period that the fate of both the kingdoms became sealed and their judgements became irrevocable.

II Kings can also be divided into two parts. The first was a period of "decline" that began with the coup orchestrated by Jehu. The second followed the destruction of the Northern kingdom by the Assyrians and resulted in a prolonged time of "isolation" for the Southern kingdom before their eventual destruction by the Babylonians.

I Kings and II Kings are grouped together in the following outline:

• The glorious forty year reign of king Solomon (I Kings 1-11)

• Solomon’s accession and early acts (I Kings 1-4)

• The building of Solomon’s Temple and palace (I Kings 5-8)

• Solomon’s meridian fame and glory (I Kings 9-10)

• Solomon’s apostasy and death (I Kings 11)

• The chaotic period of the divided kingdoms (I Kings 12- II Kings 25)

• A period of "Disruption" (I Kings 12-16)

• a period of "Accommodation" with warnings by the prophets Elijah and Elisha (I Kings 17- II Kings 8)

• A period of "Decline" with warnings by the prophets Isaiah, Obadiah, Joel, Micah, Jonah, Amos, and Hosea (II Kings 9- 16)

• The destruction of the Northern Kingdom by the Assyrians (II Kings 17)

• A period of "Isolation" for the Southern Kingdom with warnings by the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel (II Kings 18-23)

• The destruction of the Southern Kingdom by the Babylonians (II Kings 24-25)

 

II Kings leaves us with a sense of sadness as we muse over the glorious beginning of God’s Chosen People but then see their ignoble end. However, if we were left with this, our perspective would be only secular and historical, so these next two books now provide us with a fuller perspective of God’s Redemptive Plan.

Oddly, the first nine chapters of I Chronicles is devoted to seemingly endless lists of genealogies going all the way back to Adam. It is not until we read to the end of II Chronicles that we discover that both the books were written after the Babylonian Exile, not before (II Chronicles 22-23). The Exile brought about the termination of God’s Covenant with national Israel. However, the genealogies written retrospectively demonstrate that God’s eternal plan for Israel was not terminated but only held in abeyance for that period of the Exile.

A quick scan through the remainder of the Chronicles seems to record a simple repeat of the books of the Kings, but a closer reading will highlight some interesting distinctions.

• I Chronicles treats only the reign of David while II Chronicles begins with Solomon continuing to the end of the kingdom of Judah. This division places David as the centerpiece of the kingdom, thus everything pertaining to its rise and fall is referenced to David.

• It is noticed that these records omit almost all of the seamy sides of the reigns of the kings, emphasizing the good things. Moreover, the northern kingdom of Israel is omitted except where it impacts directly on the activities of the southern kingdom of Judah.

• A great deal of attention is given to the building and later worship in the Temple. In fact, the Temple is one of the main themes of these two books.

• There is a prophetic undercurrent running through the books not seen in the books of the Kings, for it is discovered at the end that what appeared to be just the rise and fall of another secular nation turned out to be part of a detailed countdown by God governed by the provisions of the Law (II Chronicles 36.21).

These differences and more provide ample justification for separating the topics into the individual books as shown, and also stand out in the following outline of these two books:

• Israel’s main genealogies (I Chronicles 1-9)

• David’s reign at Jerusalem (I Chronicles 10-29)

• Solomon’s forty year glorious reign (II Chronicles 1-9)

• The Southern Kingdom of Judah’s history to the exile (II Chronicles 10-36)

These three books are historical in nature and all describe events that took place after the Babylonian Exile. Taken together they complete the entire historical portion of the Old Testament.

The first two of the books explain how the Jews returned to the Land, the restoration of the Temple, the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem that had been destroyed at the beginning of the Exile, and various problems caused by their enemies as they struggled toward those goals.

The book of Ezra actually identifies two such returns that occurred about 80 years apart. The initial one was under the leadership of Zerubbabel and the second led by Ezra. Of course, the region of the Land to the north that had been the former kingdom of Israel had been resettled nearly 200 years earlier by a mixture of Gentiles and Jews at the time of the Assyrian invasion. Therefore, the return described here was restricted to that southern portion that had been the kingdom of Judah.

The book of Nehemiah identifies a third return led by Nehemiah about 13 years after the return under Ezra. Its purpose was to rebuild the city walls and renovate other parts of the city.

These three returns appear as follows in these two books.

• The return under Zerubbabel (Ezra 1-6)

• The end of the Babylonian captivity (Ezra 1)

• The captives who returned to Jerusalem by order of king Cyrus of the Medo-Persians (Ezra 2)

• The rebuilding of the Temple and resuming of worship at Jerusalem amid problems (Ezra 3-6)

• The return under Ezra (Ezra 7-10)

• The return of Ezra by order of king Artaxerxes of the Medo-Persians (Ezra 7-8)

• Admonitions and corrections by Ezra to restore true worship at Jerusalem (Ezra 9-10)

• The return under Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1-13)

• The reconstruction of the wall (Nehemiah 1-6)

• Nehemiah’s appeal to God for the returned exiles (Nehemiah 1)

• The return of Nehemiah by order of king Artaxerxes of the Medo-Persians (Nehemiah 2)

• The rebuilding of the wall amid resistance (Nehemiah 3-6)

• The re-instruction of the people (Nehemiah 7-13)

• Re-registration of the remnant (Nehemiah 7)

• Re-inculcation of the Law (Nehemiah 8)

• Re-consecration of the people (Nehemiah 9-10)

• Re-population of the city (Nehemiah 11)

• Re-dedication of the walls (Nehemiah 12)

• Re-extirpation of abuses (Nehemiah 13)

 

This Post-Exilic book involves a different group of Jews from those discussed in the first two books. These are the Jews who chose not to return to their Promised Land after the Exile but to remain voluntarily in the lands of the Gentiles during the period of the Medo-Persian Empire. In this respect, their motives and dedication to God’s Covenant might be questioned. Perhaps this is why the name of "God" is never mentioned in this book. Nevertheless, the story pertains to an incident where their survival was in jeopardy and where they were preserved by God’s providential care.

The account of the crisis in this book is outlined as follows:

• The crisis anticipated (Esther 1-5)

• Queen Vashti deposed (Esther 1)

• Esther becomes queen (Esther 2)

• Haman plots a massacre of the Jews (Esther 3)

• Mordecai, Esther’s elder cousin, pleads her help (Esther 4)

• Esther’s contrived appeal to king Ahasuerus (Esther 5)

• The crisis overruled (Esther 6-10)

• Mordecai is honored by king Ahasuerus (Esther 6)

• Haman is executed by king Ahasuerus (Esther 7)

• The Jews are avenged (Esther 8)

• Purim is instituted (Esther 9)

• Mordecai is made premier (Esther 10)

REDEMPTIVE PLAN