Old Testament Survey
Evelyn
The word Bible comes from the Greek word Biblos, which means “book.” In a sense, the Bible is one unified Book. God speaks with one voice throughout His Book, calling us to accept His offer of eternal life and follow His commands. But the Bible is also made up of individual books—thirty-nine in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New Testament. These books were written under God’s inspiration by many different authors over a period of many centuries. The thirty-nine individual Old Testament also contains many different types of literature: law, history, poetry, prophecy, and wisdom writings.
From Genesis to Deuteronomy, these books are known as the Books of the Law.
Genesis, the first book in the Bible, is an overview on the creation of man, animals, and the physical universe and establishment of the covenant relationship between God and His people. The word Genesis means “creation, origin, source, or the coming into being of something.” Thus, Genesis is the Bible’s book of beginnings. As the first book …show more content…
The Book of Exodus illustrates how the Lord delivers His people from enslavement by the Egyptians. The dominant personality of the Book of Exodus is Moses. He called Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. He was responsible for leading them in their quest for the Promised Land—the territory of the Canaanites that God had promised to Abraham and his descendants many centuries before. With his brother Aaron as his helper, Moses confronted the pharaoh of Egypt and insisted that he let the Hebrew people go. God worked many miracles on behalf of His people to win their freedom. Moses continues his leadership of the Hebrew people up through the Book of Deuteronomy. His important role in God’s plan for His people makes him one of the central figures of biblical