Each of these five books has been outlined below. A brief reading will reveal that they pretty much cover the spectrum of problems, circumstances, and feelings of humankind for all ages. Moreover, a closer reading will uncover the fact that the Psalms and Song of Songs in particular, contain profound prophetic insights into the coming of Messiah and even the Church.

Here is the story of a man who faced a series of trials undoubtedly more agonizing than anything we shall ever confront. Beyond that, he had done nothing to deserve them. We are given some lessons in this book that we will do well to heed.

• We come to realize that tribulations are not always the result of sin, for Job was a righteous man.

• We see that God is under no obligation to explain to us everything that is happening in our lives.

• It is made clear that Satan, who is out to get us, really does not have free rein to do his will after all. Satan was required to obtain permission each time he attacked Job and the degree of the attack was always circumscribed by God.

• We should learn to be careful about judging other people, for Job’s "friends" (who needs enemies?) were all quick to render opinions, but were all incorrect and were in the end themselves reprimanded by God.

• We come to realize that our Creator does care and will work through times of difficulty to bless us just as He blessed Job in the end.

The book is outlined as follows:

• The prologue involving God, Satan, and Job’s testing (Job 1-2)

• The dialogues between Job and his friends (Job 3-37)

• Job’s opening lamentation (Job 3)

• The first triad (Job 4-14)

• Eliphaz versus Job (Job 4-7)

• Bildad versus Job (Job 8-10)

• Zophar versus Job (Job 11-14)

• The second triad (Job 15-21)

• Eliphaz versus (Job 15-17)

• Bildad versus Job (Job 18-19)

• Zophar versus Job (Job 20-21)

• The third triad (Job 22-37)

• Eliphaz versus Job (Job 22-24)

• Bildad versus Job (Job 25-31)

• Elihu speaks (Job 32-37)

• God’s closing intervention (Job 38-41)

• Job’s repentance and restoration (Job 42)

The Psalms were used in ancient times as lyrics for hymns, as they are today in many synagogues and churches. David, the king who best represented the "heart" of Israel, wrote about half of the Psalms, and it is from his contributions to the book that we gain a better understanding of the meaning of true faith through his prayers of sorrow, praise, and joy.

The Psalter is highly organized into five sections as follows.

• The "Genesis" Psalms (Psalms 1-41).

• The "Exodus" Psalms (Psalms 42-72).

• The "Leviticus" Psalms (Psalms 73-89).

• The "Numbers" Psalms (Psalms 90-106).

• The "Deuteronomy" Psalms (Psalms 107-150).

Moreover it has been observed by some that certain sections seem to be organized in a way that correlates with particular periods in Israel’s history.

Solomon compiled the Proverbs as an instruction book for practical living. There are few if any circumstances we might ever encounter that are not addressed in this book. They seem to fall into the following two main categories:

• Sonnets extolling wisdom (Proverbs 1-9)

• Maxims enjoining prudence (Proverbs 10-31)

Solomon, who wrote this book near the end of his life, probably wished that he had better applied the principles of Proverbs to his own life so that this autobiographical summary could have been avoided. He is compelled to review all that he has accomplished and to assess its eternal value. From the world’s perspective Solomon had achieved immeasurable success. His wisdom was unequaled, he was the richest man in the world, he ruled a nation that had extended its boundaries as far as Egypt to the South and present-day Iraq to the East, his military strength was so impressive that surrounding nations paid him tribute, he enjoyed almost unlimited power within his own country, and to top it off, he had 700 wives along with 300 concubines!

With these awesome achievements, he evaluated the results in the following way:

As we review the outline of this book, could there be more solemn counsel to us concerning the futility of a life lived for self with no thought of God?

• Introduction (Ecclesiastes 1)

• The quest for fulfillment by personal experiment (Ecclesiastes 1-2)

• The quest for fulfillment by general observation (Ecclesiastes 3-5)

• The quest for fulfillment by practical morality (Ecclesiastes 6-8)

• The quest for fulfillment reviewed and concluded (Ecclesiastes 9-12)

Solomon was certainly a profound man to have written these final three books of the Writings. Each book sets down spiritual truths so vital to a fulfilled life and yet, as in this present book, so mysterious in its meaning. This book is a love story composed according to the best of Hebrew poetry. Some see it to be nothing more than a story of earthly love, while others detect that it portrays in earthly terms a subliminal picture of the spiritual "marriage" spoken of in the New Testament between Jesus Christ and His Bride, the Church. Its full meaning would surely require a greater depth of study than is possible in this summary.

The book may be organized as a drama according to the following outline:

• Prologue: The marriage banquet (Song of Songs 1)

• Act I: Recollections of Shulamith’s betrothal to her Shepherd/Lover, followed by a long separation (Song of Songs 2)

• Act II: Shulamith’s Shepherd/Lover presents himself as the mighty King after a troubled night, taking Shulamith with Him (Song of Songs 3-4)

• Act III: Shulamith’s Lover/King, having again departed, returns following a second troubled night, and takes Shulamith with Him (Song of Songs 5-6)

• Act IV: The Bridegroom/King takes Shulamith back to visit her country home (Song of Songs 7-8)

• Epilogue: A summary of intentions and agreements between the King, queen Shulamith, and their tenants who will have stewardship of their land holdings (Song of Songs 8)

REDEMPTIVE PLAN