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The Book of Nehemiah tells the story of the people of Judah, back in Jerusalem after their exile in Babylon. Their governor Nehemiah led them in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and instituting social and religious reforms, and the priest Ezra stood and read from Scripture while the people listened. The Word of God mattered to the people of Israe...
Read MoreThe Book of Ezra is named after the main character in this volume, a man who was a scribe and a priest. Overall, the book argues for national purity and exclusiveness, with a denunciation of marriages between Israelites and other tribes, a perspective that is at odds with the more inclusive message of the Book of Ruth. Ezra says that “the Lord stir...
Read MoreNeither of the books of Chronicles appears frequently in sermons and Bible studies, largely because the books repeat stories found elsewhere. Much of the material in 2 Chronicles is a repetition of the stories told in 1 and 2 Kings, with a concentration on the southern kingdom of Judah. But they have a unique and important perspective. God “had co...
Read MoreThe first and second books of Chronicles were originally one, and they form the last book in the Jewish Bible. The material in 1 Chronicles includes stories from Genesis through 2 Samuel, and the first nine chapters offer the most extended genealogy in the whole Bible. Genealogy is a way to establish a connection with the past, which was as import...
Read MoreThe name Elijah means “My God is YHWH” (the personal name of God in Judaism is YHWH), while the name Elisha means “My God is salvation.” Both men are prophets in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and their stories are told in the first and second books of Kings. At the beginning of 2 Kings, Elijah condemned King Ahaziah of Israel for turning to a f...
Read MoreAs the first Book of Kings begins, Solomon becomes ruler of the united kingdom after the reign of his father David. He builds a temple, a palace, and other royal buildings. After Solomon’s death, the kingdom divides into Israel in the north and Judah in the south. In time, Ahab becomes king of the northern kingdom, marries a Phoenician princess na...
Read MoreDavid is the key character in 2 Samuel, since the narrative covers events that happen after the death of the prophet Samuel. The book begins with news of King Saul’s death, after which the people of the southern kingdom of Judah named David as king. “Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me,” said God to David (2 Sam 7:16)....
Read MoreThe Book of Samuel was originally a single book, but was eventually divided into 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel. The book is named after Samuel, a judge and a prophet who anointed Saul and David as the first two kings of Israel. In chapter 17, King Saul had the Israelite army at his disposal, but he seemed powerless in the face of a giant named Goliath and...
Read MoreIn the Christian Old Testament, the Book of Ruth follows the Book of Judges, probably based on its opening line, “In the days when the judges ruled …” (Ruth 1:1). In the Jewish scriptures, the book is found in the final section called Writings. In this time of judges, there was a famine in the land, so a man of Bethlehem went to the land of Moab,...
Read MoreThe second of the Historical Books, called Judges, is named after the main characters of the book. But unlike our judges today, their work was not primarily legal. Instead, they were leaders of the tribes of Israel, and they often led the military in heroic ways. Their leadership offered stability to the tribes of Israel before the monarchy was est...
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