A beginner’s guide to understanding the Bible. This study is intended to show how the Old Testament fits together. For more information please check out my blog. www.thoughtsfromeb.wordpress.com

1. Understanding the Bible
A Beginner’s Guide

2. The Bible is made up of 66 books

3. It covers thousands of years

4. How does it fit together?

5. Before we start
The Bible is the Word of God
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in
righteousness, so that the man of God may be
thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
(2 Timothy 3:16-17)

6. Before we start
We should study it
“Do your best to present yourself to God as
one approved, a workman who does not need
to be ashamed and who correctly handles the
word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

7. Before we start
It shows us salvation
“But as for you, continue in what you have
learned and have become convinced
of, because you know those from whom you
learned it, and how from infancy you have
known the holy Scriptures, which are able to
make you wise for salvation through faith in
Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:14-15)

8. Before we start
It shows us Jesus / he is the key
“You diligently study the Scriptures because
you think that by them you possess eternal
life. These are the Scriptures that testify about
me.” (John 5:39)

9. Before we start
It shows us how to live
“These things happened to them as examples
and were written down as warnings for us, on
whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.”
(1 Corinthians 10:11)

10. It’s divided into Old and New Testaments

11. In the New
Testament, almost
everything takes place
between 30-70 AD

12. In the Old
Testament, over
90% takes place
between
1500-400 BC

13. What is the Old Testament Story?
• Creation – God made everything
• Fall – Humans messed everything up
• Flood – God judged the world but saved a family
• Babel – God separated people into nations
• Patriarchs (fathers) – God called individuals
• Egypt – God’s people spent 400 years in Egypt
• Exodus and Conquest – God rescued his people and
brought them into a land he had promised
• Judges (leaders) – no king but God raised leaders
• United Kingdom – 3 kings led God’s people
• Divided Kingdom – 2 nations, the south bad, the north
even worse
• Exile – after years of sin both nations fell
• Restoration – God in mercy brought his people home

15. Old Testament
It’s arranged so
that the different
styles of writing
are placed
together

16. Old Testament
History
Poetry &
Wisdom
Prophets

17. Different types of writing
(sometimes in the same passage as here)
In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with
six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He
also was descended from Rapha.
When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah, David’s brother, killed
him.
These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of
David and his men.
David sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered
him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.
He said:
“The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation.
He is my stronghold, my refuge and my saviour—
from violent men you save me.
I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.

20. Examples of different types of writing
History Poetry
Then King David said, “Call in Blessed is the man
Bathsheba.” So she came into the who does not walk in the counsel of
king’s presence and stood before the wicked
him.
The king then took an oath: “As or stand in the way of sinners
surely as the LORD lives, who has or sit in the seat of mockers.
delivered me out of every trouble, But his delight is in the law of the
I will surely carry out today what I LORD,
swore to you by the LORD, the and on his law he meditates day and
God of Israel: Solomon your son night.
shall be king after me, and he will
sit on my throne in my place.”
Then Bathsheba bowed low with
her face to the ground
and, kneeling before the
king, said, “May my lord King
David live forever!”

21. History
Then King David said, “Call in • The passage simply tells
Bathsheba.” So she came into
the king’s presence and stood the story of past events
before him.
• The first part of the bible is
The king then took an oath: “As
surely as the LORD lives, who like this from Genesis to
has delivered me out of every Esther
trouble,
I will surely carry out today • It’s almost half of the bible
what I swore to you by the • It tells the story from
LORD, the God of Israel:
Solomon your son shall be king Creation until the people
after me, and he will sit on my of God were brought back
throne in my place.”
Then Bathsheba bowed low into their own land
with her face to the ground • Almost all of it is about the
and, kneeling before the
king, said, “May my lord King Jewish people
David live forever!”

22. How does it all fit
together?

23. It is pretty much in
order although 1&2
Chronicles overlap
other books

24. The beginning of
Genesis (chapters 1-11)
records the events that
have shaped the world
• Creation – God made
everything
• Fall – Humans messed
everything up
• Flood – God judged the
world but saved a
family
• Babel – God separated
people into nations

25. Patriarchs (fathers)
• 75% of Genesis deals with one
family
Abraham
Isaac
Jacob
• Their descendants would become
Israel
• Genesis ends with Jacob’s family
living in Egypt

27. • Exodus tells the story of God rescuing
his people from Egypt and bringing
them into the desert
• Leviticus records God’s laws
• Numbers charts the wanderings in the
desert
• Deuteronomy gives us the words of
Moses as he prepared the people for
the promised land

28. • Joshua records the conquest of
Canaan
• The Judges were seven leaders that
God raised to lead his people often
at time of crisis
• Ruth was a foreigner who married
an Israelite and became part of what
would become the royal family

29. • United Kingdom
Saul
David
Solomon
• Divided Kingdom
Israel – Northern Kingdom
Judah – Southern Kingdom

30. United Kingdom –
a golden age
• Saul – rejected by God
because of
disobedience
• David – a man after
God’s heart. The
founder of the dynasty
• Solomon – known for
his wisdom, a great
builder. Drifted into sin

31. Divided Kingdom –
a long decline
• Israel
19 Kings, all bad
Samaria fell 722 BC
• Judah
19 Kings, 8 good, 11
bad
Jerusalem fell 586 BC

32. Notice the unbroken line
of succession from David

33. • Ezra returned from captivity and
rebuilt the temple
• Nehemiah returned and rebuilt the
walls of Jerusalem
• Esther was a Jewish woman chosen
to marry the Persian King

35. • There are five
books of
wisdom and
poetry in the
middle of the
Bible
• They are
written in the
form of
Hebrew poetry

36. • Job – tells the
story of one
man’s suffering.
It asks a
question that is
as relevant
today as when it
was written; ‘If
God is in charge
why do things go
so wrong’. Most
Christians
believe it is set
at the time of
the Patriarchs

37. • Psalms is a
book consisting
of songs and
prayers . Many
were written
by David

38. • The Book of
Proverbs is a
collection of
wisdom
statements
many were
written by
Solomon

39. • Ecclesiastes
consists of
wisdom
statements
from Solomon.

40. • Song of Songs
is a collection
of love poems
by Solomon

41. • The Prophets wrote mostly
in a poetic form
• They challenged God’s
people
• Many spoke of future
events
• Some spoke of the Messiah

42. • The major prophets
are Isaiah, Jeremiah
(he also wrote
Lamentations), Eze
kiel and Daniel
• They are major
because the books
are bigger

43. • There are twelve minor
prophets
• All of the Prophets
spoke from the end of
the united kingdom
until the restoration

44. • It fits together
• It makes sense