OLD TESTAMENT DIVISIONS

The books of the Old Testament are divided into four major groups: Law, history, poetry and prophecy.

THE BOOKS OF THE LAW:

There are five books of law. The names of these books are:

Genesis

Exodus

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

These books record the creation of man and the world by God and the early history of man. They tell how God raised up the nation of Israel as a people through which He could reveal Himself to the nations of the world.

These books record the laws of God. The best known parts are the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3-17), the greatest of all commandments (Deuteronomy 6:5), and the second greatest commandment (Leviticus 19:18).

Open your Bible and locate the books of Law in the Old Testament. Locate the three verses mentioned in the preceding paragraph and read them. These are an example of the laws of God recorded in these books.

THE BOOKS OF HISTORY:

There are 12 books of history in the Old Testament. The names of the books of history are:

Joshua

Judges

Ruth

I and II Samuel

I and II Kings

I and II Chronicles

Ezra

Nehemiah

Esther

Locate these books in your Bible. They are found right after the books of law. The books of history cover a thousand year history of God's people, Israel. Naturally they do not tell everything that happened, but they record the major events and show the results of both following and ignoring God's law.