Looking at the Structure of the Old Testament

Session 2 Notes

In this session, we will consider the overall structure of the Bible. Imagine a closet, what do we need to begin to hang clothes in it? … a closet, a rack or system to hang clothes on, hangers, clothes … In this session, we will begin putting together a system or structure on which we can begin to hang more detail.


The Bible is a biblos, a single book. It has two Testaments, better called covenants or agreements between God and His people. Those two parts of the Bible are inseparably related: the New Testament is in the Old concealed, and the Old is in the New revealed.

Down through the centuries the Bible has been subdivided into sections and has had several different arrangements of its books. The Hebrew Bible came to have a threefold division (Law, Prophets, and Writings), so categorized according to the official position of the writer. (Jesus makes reference to the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings in Luke 24:44.) However, beginning with the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew Scripture in the third century BC also known as LXX) and continuing in the Latin and modern English translations, the Old Testament has been given a fourfold topical structure. The New Testament was also given a fourfold topical arrangement of Gospels, Acts, Epistles, and Revelation.

When viewed carefully, those sections of the Bible are obviously not arbitrarily put together. Instead, they form a meaningful and purposeful whole, as they convey the progressive unfolding of the theme of the Bible in the person of Christ. The law gives the foundation for Christ, history shows the preparation for Him. In poetry there is an aspiration for Christ and in prophecy an expectation of Him. The Gospels of the New Testament record the historical manifestation of Christ, the Acts relate the propagation of Christ, the Epistles give the interpretation of Him, and in Revelation is found the consummation of all things in Christ.

Our Familiar Division of the Books of the Bible (which came from the Septuagint).

Old Testament:

The Law (Torah)
The first five books of the Bible which were written by Moses.

Historical


Wisdom


Prophets (Major and Minor)
The length of the book determines whether a prophet is major or minor.



New Testament:

Gospels

Acts (History)


Epistles
They are divided by Pauline Epistles and General Epistles. These epistles (letters) were written to churches or individuals.

Revelation (Prophecy)


Focusing on the Old Testament

In the Old Testament, the books of the law lay the foundation for Christ in that they reveal how God chose (Genesis), redeemed (Exodus), sanctified (Leviticus), guided (Numbers), and instructed (Deuteronomy) the Hebrew nation, through whom He was to bless all nations (Gen. 2:1–3). The historical books illustrate how the nation was being prepared to carry out its redemptive mission. In order for the chosen nation to be fully prepared for the task, it had to conquer its land (Joshua-Ruth), to be established under its first king, Saul (1 Samuel), and later to expand its empire under David and Solomon (2 Samuel–1 Kings 10). After Solomon’s reign, the kingdom was divided (1 Kings 11ff.) and later deported to Assyria (721 b.c.) and Babylonia (586 b.c., 2 Kings). However, redemptive hopes were not lost, for God protected and preserved His people (Esther) so He could cause them to return (Ezra) and their holy city to be rebuilt (Nehemiah).

In the law the foundation is laid for Christ; in the historical books the nation takes root in preparation for Christ; in the poetical books the people look up in aspiration for Christ; in the prophetical books they look forward in expectation of Christ. The law views the moral life of Israel, history records their national life, poetry reveals their spiritual life, and prophecy depicts their prophetical or Messianic life and expectations.