BASIC BIBLE STUDIES
# 002
 
Getting Acquainted with the Bible
(Part 2)
 
"Why do I need to spend time getting acquainted with the overall make-up of the Bible?  Why can't I just 'jump in' to what I want to know and need to do to be a better husband or wife or parent?  How does the Bible relate to my work situation?  How can I make the right kind of friends?  What is the right thing for me to do in a particular situation?  How can I do the right thing when I want to do the wrong thing?  Is there even any such thing as a 'right thing'?  What does the Bible say about gambling, the 'left-behind' phenomenon, fasting, or modern-day miracles?  Does the Bible say anything about abortion, modern medical advances, space exploration, or current political affairs?  These are the kinds of things I am interested in."
 
To attempt to answer such questions without an overall view of the Bible and its various parts is like trying to learn how to do algebra or geometry or trigonometry before learning how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide.  One cannot become a good automobile mechanic if he does not know the various parts of an automobile and how they all fit together.  One cannot be a good doctor until she has first learned about the various parts of the human body and how they relate to and affect each other.  Just so, one will never be able to study the Bible very effectively and properly apply it to life until he or she has taken the time to get acquainted with the Bible as a whole.
 
In our previous study we learned that the Bible is actually a library of 66 books, with 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament.  We also discovered that the 39 books of the Old Testament form four major groups (Law, History, Wisdom Literature, and Prophecy), and that the 27 books of the New Testament form four major groups (The Life of Christ, Church History, Instruction to Christians, and Prophecy).
 
As we continue to get acquainted with the Bible we learn that it covers 15 distinct periods of God's dealings with mankind.  Every book of both the Old and New Testaments fits into one of these 15 historical periods.  These 15 periods are as follows (Note: Scripture references in bold type provide the continuing storyline of the Bible, while scripture references in plain type cover supplementary matters pertaining to that period):
 
1. The Creation and Early Civilization (Genesis 1-5)
 
2. Noah and the Flood (Genesis 6-11)
 
3. Lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and probably Job (Genesis 12-50, Job)
 
4. Moses leads the Israelites (descendants of Jacob) out of Egypt and through the Wilderness             (Exodus through Deuteronomy)
 
5. Joshua leads the Israelites into the Land of Canaan (Joshua)
 
6. Israelites ruled by Judges (Judges, Ruth, I Samuel 1-8)
 
7. Israelites ruled by Saul, David, and Solomon (I Samuel 8 through II Samuel 24; I Kings 1-11; 
        I Chronicles 1 through II Chronicles 9) 
(Note: The books of Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon belong to this period)
 
8. Israelites divide into two kingdoms (I Kings 12 through II Kings 25; II Chronicles 10-36)
        * Israel (10 tribes) with capital at Samaria
        * Judah (2 tribes) with capital at Jerusalem
(Note: The two great oral prophets--Elijah and Elisha-- lived during this time.  The following books of the literary prophets [in the probable order in which they prophesied] belong to this period: Obadiah, Joel, Jonah [prophesied to Nineveh in Assyria], Hosea, Amos, Micah, Isaiah, Zephaniah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Jeremiah, and Lamentations [written by Jeremiah])  
 
9. Israelites in Captivity
        * Israel into Assyrian Captivity in 721 B.C.
        * Judah into Babylonian Captivity in 588 B.C. (Daniel and Ezekiel)
(Note: Daniel seems to have preceded Ezekiel into Babylon)
 
10. Israelites (Judah) return to Canaan/Palestine beginning in c. 536 B.C. (Ezra, Nehemiah,                          and Esther)
(Note: The following books of the literary prophets belong to this period: Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi)
 
11. The 430 years between the Old and New Testaments
 
12. The Life of Christ (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)
 
13. Beginning and Growth of the Early Church (Acts of the Apostles)
 
14. Instructions to Christians (individually and congregationally) (Romans  through Jude)
(Note: Several of these books [actually letters to individual Christians and congregations] were written during the beginning and growth of the early church as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles)
 
15. The Ultimate Victory of the People of God (Revelation)
 
With this framework of Bible events in mind, one is prepared to engage in a very sensible and rewarding study of God's word.
 
If this essay has blessed you, feel free to forward it to others who may benefit from it.
 
Hugh Fulford   
 

 

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