Bible Overview | a New Testament church

September 27, 2020December 17, 2024

Amos: A Shepherd turned Prophet in Israel – Bible Overview

Amos said of himself, “I was no prophet, nor was I a son of a prophet, but I was a sheepbreeder and a tender of sycamore fruit” (7:14). He was from the village of Tekoa (1:1) just south of Jerusalem. Though he was from the southern kingdom, God called him to prophesy to Israel in the north. He began to prophesy two years before an earthquake (also mentioned in Zechariah 14:5), in the reign of Uzziah king of Judah and Jeroboam king of Israel.

September 20, 2020December 17, 2024

Joel: Focused on Zion and Her People – Bible Overview

We know very little about the prophet Joel. He is identified as the son of Pethuel (1:1), but there is no mention of this man elsewhere in Scripture. Joel’s name is from the Hebrew lawy (Yow’el), combining the prefix of both Jehovah and Elohim and simply means “Jehovah is God.”

September 6, 2020December 17, 2024

Hosea: Imparting the Knowledge of God – Bible Overview

Hosea was a contemporary of Isaiah and Micah, prophesying from about 750-725 BC. His messages was primarily for the northern tribes who would be destroyed by the Assyrians in 721 BC. The people of Israel had demonstrated they were beyond turning back to the Lord, they were a nation ready to be eradicated. Though the northern kingdom was his initial audience, he also spent time speaking to Judah.

August 30, 2020December 17, 2024

Daniel: Faithfulness in a Foreign Land – Bible Overview

Daniel is the fourth of the major prophets. He was among those who were carried away to Babylon. Daniel’s name means “God is my judge.” He was an exceptional example of faith throughout his life (1:8; 6:10), and his faithfulness was rewarded with responsibility and authority, despite being an exile in the land of Babylon. He was brought to Babylon to serve in the king’s court (1:3-5, 19) and found himself promoted after interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (2:48). He was also appointed as a governor by Darius after the fall of the Chaldeans (6:2-3).

August 16, 2020December 17, 2024

Ezekiel: A Levite Exiled to Babylon – Bible Overview

Ezekiel is the fourth of the major prophets. He was of the tribe of Levi, and served as a priest among God’s people in the land of the Chaldeans (1:3). Ezekiel was carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar in 597 when King Jehoiachin was taken captive (1:1-2). The LORD refers to the prophet as “son of man” throughout the book of Ezekiel.

July 26, 2020December 16, 2024

Jeremiah & Lamentations: The Weeping Prophet of Israel – Bible Overview

Jeremiah spent over 40 years as a prophet of God. He began in the 13th year of Josiah (1:2) and continued until after Gedaliah was appointed governor over Judah (40:5). His work spanned the reigns of five kings in Judah (Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoichin and Zedekiah). The work of at least five other prophets (Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Joel, Daniel and Ezekiel) intersected the work of Jeremiah.

July 19, 2020December 16, 2024

Isaiah: Prophet of the “Little Bible” – Bible Overview

Isaiah is the first of the four major prophets in the Bible. The timeframe for Isaiah is given in 1:1, “…in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.” He wrote and prophesied from 740-681 BC. The northern tribes were destroyed by Assyria about half way into Isaiah’s tenure.

July 12, 2020December 11, 2024

Song of Solomon: A Biblical Love Story – Bible Overview

“The song of songs, which is Solomon’s.” (Song of Solomon 1:1)

This opening verse confirms the authorship of the book, but also emphasizes the greatness of this song. It is not a song among songs, but “the song of songs.” It is deemed to be the greatest of Solomon’s songs.

July 5, 2020December 11, 2024

Ecclesiastes: Solomon discusses Life Under the Sun – Bible Overview

The title Ecclesiastes comes from the Greek translation of the opening line, “The words of the preacher…” The word preacher is qoheleth in Hebrew or ekklesiates in Greek. The Hebrew term appears in the feminine form, which shows “…that divine Wisdom herself speaks through the inspired king Solomon” (Fausset’s Bible Dictionary). It is fitting the word appears 7 times, inferring the perfection of wisdom.

June 28, 2020December 11, 2024

Proverbs: The Wisdom of Solomon – Bible Overview

After Solomon rose to the throne, the LORD appeared to him in a dream saying, “Ask! What shall I give you?” Solomon responded, “…give to your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil” (1 Kings 3:5, 9). It took a measure of wisdom to ask this rather than for longevity, wealth, power, etc… The LORD honoured Solomon’s request and blessed him with great wealth, honour and longevity. The book of Proverbs records some of Solomon’s wisdom.