Poetry
There are 150 of these with themes of praise, thanksgiving, repentance, lament, complaint, and of the promised Messiah.
What are Psalms?
This book was written after the Babylonians conquered Judah. It is a collection of five poems grieving the destruction of Jerusalem and God's judgement on His sinful people. It includes prayers for mercy and restoration and expresses hope in the Lord's love and faithfulness to those who wait for him.
What is Lamentations?
This prophet was a shepherd who brought a message of judgement on Israel. He had a vision of a plumb line that showed how the people had strayed from God's straight path and how their sins and rebellion had made them crooked and far away from God.
Who is Amos?
This prophet warned the people of Judah to "Return to the Lord your God". He prophesied that Judah would be taken over by an enemy army just like the millions of locusts that had recently swarmed their land, eating up all the crops and destroying everything in their path.
Who is Joel?
This Macedonian king defeated the Persian empire and conquered Jerusalem. He introduced Greek customs and language to the area and gave a common language to the world. Many Old Testament books were translated into Greek and preserved for future generations. Later, Paul's letter to churches were written in Greek.
Who was Alexander the Great?
This man questioned God's fairness in the face of suffering. When God responded to him, this man covered his mouth and listened.
Who is Job?
This prophet lived in exile in Babylon where God preserved him and blessed him. God enabled him to interpret dreams for kings. God gave him a vision about four empires that would oppress God's people and another about God's kingdom that would rule over all and last forever. He faithfully trusted that God was in control and was working out His good purposes.
Who is Daniel?
This prophet's wife broke his heart when she ran away for the love of other men, but he was a faithful husband who redeemed her and took her back as his wife. He brought a message from God to the people of Israel showing how they were like his unfaithful wife and how God was like a faithful husband and would bless those who repent and turn back to him.
Who is Hosea?
This prophet brought a message of judgement and justice on the people of Edom who were enemies of Judah and had treated God's people badly.
Who is Obadiah?
At the time the Old Testament ended, this empire had conquered the Assyrians and Babylonians and ruled over the territory of Israel. Cyrus the Great, ruler of this empire allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple where they were allowed to continue their worship of God.
What is the Persian Empire?
This man wrote Psalm 90 which was probably written earlier than any other.
Who is Moses?
This Prophet proclaimed God's message of judgement upon Judah as well as God's promise to send a Messiah to save his people. In a vision, an angel touched his unclean lips with a coal before the Lord asked "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" This prophet responded, "Here I am! Send me!"
Who is Isaiah?
This prophet warned Judah and Israel that they were covenant breakers. He warned that they would suffer for being sinful and rebellious, but also brought a message of hope that their punishment wouldn't last forever. He described God as a compassionate shepherd who would remove their sins and expects his people to "do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God!"
Who is Micah?
From his "watchtower", this prophet questioned why God allowed the people of Judah to be so wicked. God replied that the Babylonians were coming to punish Judah, but he didn't understand how God could use even more wicked people to bring punishment. He feared God's coming judgement, but patiently trusted God and rejoiced because the Lord was his strength.
Who is Habakkuk?
The Romans appointed this man as King of Judah. He tried to win favor with the Jews by restoring and expanding their temple, but they didn't like him because he was crafty and cruel. It was during this man's reign that Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
Who is Herod the Great?
In this book, the "Preacher" writes about how life is only meaningful with God at the center and encourages God's people to trust that God is good and just even when times are hard and to be thankful in every season of life.
What is Ecclesiastes?
This prophet was taken captive from Jerusalem and forced to live in exile in Babylon. He delivered God's message of judgement through signs such as lying on his side for 430 days and shaving his hair and dividing it into three piles. He had one vision when the Lord told him to eat a scroll and another when he saw dry bones come to life.
Who is Ezekiel?
This prophet prophesied to Judah before the exile and during the reign of King Josiah. He warned that the "day of the Lord" was near and judgement was coming. He also brought the Lord's message commanding repentance and promising restoration.
Who is Zephaniah?
This prophet was God's messenger a hundred years after the temple had been rebuilt and God's people were once again unfaithful. He brought an important message that God would send the prophet Elijah to prepare the people for the great day of the Lord when the wicked would be punished, the righteous rewarded, and relationships restored.
Who is Malachi?
This empire came across the Mediterranean Sea and conquered Jerusalem and killed the priests in the temple. They built nearly 53,000 miles of roads across their empire from Scotland to the Middle East. In God's good timing, people were able to use these roads to spread the good news about Jesus.
What is the Roman Empire?
King Solomon spoke 3,000 proverbs and 800 are included in the book of Proverbs which was compiled over 275 years from the time of Solomon to the time of this king. If fact, this king helped to collect some of King Solomon's wise sayings.
Who is King Hezekiah?
This prophet was from a family of priests. God sent him to Jerusalem to deliver a message to Judah warning of coming judgement. He used object lessons as symbols to get his message across. Some of those objects included a tipping pot of boiling water, a linen belt, a potter and clay, and a smashed jar.
Who is Jeremiah?
These two prophets prophesied to God's people in Jerusalem after they had returned from exile. Both encouraged the people to finish rebuilding the temple. One promised that it would be filled with greater glory than the former temple. The other prophesied about the coming of a great king who would arrive humbly riding on a donkey and would rule over all the earth.
Who are Haggai and Zechariah?
These two prophets prophesied God's destruction of Ninevah at different times. One brought a warning that led Ninevah to repent and it made him angry when God showed mercy and spared them for a time. The other used word pictures to tell of God's final judgement on Ninevah for their wickedness and sin.
Who are Jonah & Nahum?
This priestly family led a Jewish revolt against the Greek ruler Antiochus IV after he tried to stop the Jews from worshiping the one true God and commanded that they worship the Greek god, Zeus. He even set up a statue of Zeus in the temple in Jerusalem and sacrificed a pig there. This family became the new rulers and Israel and freedom for 100 years.
Who are the Maccabees?