Welcome to this week’s blog. For the next few weeks, I will continue to focus on my favorite book, the Bible.
I will lay out the Old Testament (the Bible, Part 1) and the New Testament (the Bible, Part 2), identify the purpose of each book, the author of each book, the date written, key verses and key people involved to help give you a better understanding of the Bible before you dive into it on your own.
Let’s pick up where we left off last week in the Old Testament. When you open your Bible, you will find 39 books in the Old Testament, starting with Genesis (50 chapters) and ending with Malachi (4 chapters). The New Testament has 27 books, starting with Matthew (28 chapters) and ending with Revelation (22 chapters).
The authors and compilers of the next five books of the Old Testament are Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel and Amos.
26th Book – Ezekiel: Chapters (1-48)
Purpose: To announce God’s judgment on Israel and other nations, and to foretell the eventual salvation of God’s people.
Author: Ezekiel, son of Buzi, a Zadokite priest
Date Written: ~571 B.C. (Before Christ)
Key Verse: ‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.’ – Ezekiel 36:24-26 (NIV).
Key People: Ezekiel, Israel’s leaders, Ezekiel’s wife, Nebuchadnezzar, ‘the prince’
27th Book – Daniel: Chapters (1-12)
Purpose: To give an historical account of the faithful Jews who lived in captivity, and to show how God is in control of heaven and earth, directing the forces of nature, the destiny of nations, and the care of His people.
Author: Daniel
Date Written: ~536 B.C. (Before Christ), recording events that occurred from about 605-535 B.C.
Key Verse: He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. – Daniel 2:22 (NIV).
Key People: Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Belshazzar, Darius
28th Book – Hosea: Chapters (1-14)
Purpose: To illustrate God’s love for His sinful people.
Author: Hosea, son of Beeri (Hosea means salvation)
Date Written: ~ 715 B.C. (Before Christ), recording events from about 753-715 B.C.
Key Verse: The LORD said to me, ‘Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.’ – Hosea 3:1 (NIV).
Key People: Hosea, Gomer, their children
29th Book – Joel: Chapters (1-3)
Purpose: To warn Judah of God’s impeding judgment because of its sins, and to urge the people to turn back to God.
Author: Joel, son of Pethuel
Date Written: ~ 835-796 B.C. (Before Christ), during the time Joel may have been prophesied.
Key Verse: ‘Even now,’ declares the LORD, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.’ Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. – Joel 2:12-13 (NIV).
Key People: Joel, the people of Judah
30th Book – Amos: Chapters (1-9)
Purpose: To pronounce God’s judgment upon Israel, the northern kingdom, for its complacency, idolatry, and oppression of the poor.
Author: Amos
Date Written: ~ 760-750 B.C. (Before Christ) during the reigns of Jeroboam II of Israel and Uzziah (Azariah) of Judah.
Key Verse: But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! – Amos 5:24 (NIV).
Key People: Amos, Amaziah, Jeroboam II
Let’s recap. This week we covered the next five books (26-30) of the Old Testament (Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel and Amos). Next week I will pick up with Obadiah (31) in the Old Testament with the same format.
I am hoping you find this format an easy, quick overview of each chapter as we make our way through the Old Testament (the Bible, Part 1).
Once we have covered the Old Testament, we will then move into the New Testament (the Bible, Part 2) in the next several weeks.
Blessings until next week,
Debra Pauli Unstoppable Believer
Scripture Quoted From: New International Version Bible (NIV)