Category: Books of the Bible

The books of the Bible

Third John

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 27, 2014

The author of the book of Third John (as well as Second John) is identified only as “the elder,” but is attributed to Jesus‘ disciple John, who also wrote the John, First John, and Revelation.

This is a personal letter and although it has an audience of one (Gaius), the principles John shares are applicable to all who follow Jesus. The letter encourages the followers of Jesus to provide hospitality and support to traveling missionaries.

Little is known about who Gaius was. His name does appear in isolated passages in the New Testament, all likely referring to the same person.

In addition to the positive example seen in the letter’s recipient, Gaius, Demetrius is also highly commended. Diotrephes, however, is set forth as a negative example, which we are not to follow.

Also, in reading this book, look for the occurrences of the word truth – six times in five of its fifteen verses.

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

Tags John

Books of the Bible

Jonah

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 27, 2014

The prophet Jonah is perhaps the most familiar character in the Old Testament. But beyond the bit about being swallowed by a large fish, it’s largely misunderstood.

It is a story of Jonah, a wayward prophet, who in his disobedience is given a wakeup call inside a large fish. Eventually, he reluctantly does what he has been told to do – only to become angry at God’s mercy when the people believe and respond to his message.

The fact that God can accomplish things despite obstinate and uncooperative followers is a comforting conclusion to this engaging book.

Jonah is sometimes called a minor prophet. This doesn’t mean he wasn’t important, but merely that the book named after him is shorter. (Compare this to the major prophets, whose books are much longer.)

Dig into the intriguing lives and ministries of the Bible’s twelve minor prophets in Peter DeHaan’s book Dear Theophilus, Minor Prophets: 40 Prophetic Teachings about Unfaithfulness, Punishment, and Hope.

Tags Jonah, minor prophet

Books of the Bible

Joshua

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 27, 2014

The book of Joshua is one of the historical books in the Old Testament. It covers the latter part of the life of Joshua, the protégé and successor of Moses.

The time frame covered is from the death of Moses to the conquest and allocation of the land God gave his people, the 12 tribes of Israel.

Historically, the book of Joshua occurs immediately after Deuteronomy. The book of Judges closely follows it.

Insight into Joshua’s early life is found in Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Tags historical-books, Joshua

Books of the Bible

Jude

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 27, 2014

The book of Jude was named after it’s author. Jude (Judas), a common name of the day, was most likely a brother of Jesus. (Mark 6:3). It’s written to all followers of Jesus, as opposed to a specific church, as it the case with the other letters (also called epistles) in the Bible.

The book of Jude was written to encourage believers in Jesus to “contend for the faith,” (Jude 1:3). It contains criticism about the character and characteristics of ungodly people who have infiltrated the church.

As such, it offers effective incentive to persevere in following Jesus, not getting side-tracked or distracted.

The concluding section of Jude is the most well-known portion of this short book; it is often given as a blessing (Jude 1:24-25).

Tags Jude

Books of the Bible

Judges

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 27, 2014

The book of Judges is one of the historical books in the Old Testament. On a timeline, it occurs immediately after the book of Joshua. Following it are the events recorded in Samuel and Kings.

Once the people settle in Israel, they are governed by a series of judges, hence the name for this book.

These people are not judges in the sense that we would understand today, but instead, they should be thought of as informal military heroes who were called and empowered by God to rescue his people from the oppression of surrounding nations.

A reoccurring pattern in the book of Judges is that the Israelites are oppressed, they call out to God for deliverance, he raises up a judge to save them, they turn to God for a time, but later fall away. The cycle repeats.

The actions of some of the judges are noteworthy and significant. Other judges are scarcely mentioned, some only garnering the briefest of citations in a single paragraph or verse.

Tags historical-books, Judges

Books of the Bible

Judith

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 27, 2014

The book of Judith is included with the historical books of the Old Testament, but due to apparent historical inconsistencies, it might be more correct to understand it as a work of historical fiction. Nevertheless, Judith stands as an inspiring account of confident faith put into bold action.

The book of Judith is a tale of the beautiful and pious women Judith (which means Jewess) who daringly and single-handedly delivers the Jewish people from their enemies, using her beauty and charm, all the while remaining pure and chaste.

Judith is an Apocrypha book and not included in all versions of the Bible.

The New Jerusalem Bible, Revised Standard Version (RSV), New American Bible (NABRE), Wycliffe Bible (WYC), Common English Bible (CEB), Good News Translation (GNT), and Douay-Rheims (DRA) all include Judith.

Interestingly, the original Authorized King James Version (KJV) contains Judith, but the text was removed almost two centuries later. The Septuagint, an ancient Greek translation of the Jewish scriptures, which was widely used in Jesus’s day, also includes the book of Judith.

For more information, see why “Christians Should Consider the Entire Bible.”

Save

Tags Apocrypha, historical-books, Judith

Books of the Bible

First and Second Kings

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 27, 2014

The books of First and Second Kings are two of the historical books in the Old Testament. Originally they were a single book (and still are in the Hebrew Bible). Historically, the book of First Kings picks up where Second Samuel ends. The book of Second Chronicles is a parallel account of First and Second Kings, with a focus on the nation of Judah.

First Kings begins with the reign of king Solomon, David’s son and successor (First Kings 1 through 11). Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, succeeds his father as king, but following the bad advice of his peers, the nation is ultimately split in two.

The larger part (10 tribes) picks their own king and continues to be known as Israel. The smaller part (the tribes of Judah and Benjamin) are ruled by Rehoboam and his heirs (who are king David’s descendents); it is called Judah.

After this division, the nation of Israel is ruled by evil kings and the people, for the most part, turn their back on God. As a result of their turning from God, the nation of Israel is eventually conquered and it’s people dispersed.

The nation of Judah is ruled exclusively by descendants of king David, some of who are good and godly rulers, other are not. Later on, they are likewise conquered and all but the poorest people are deported to Babylon.

Most of the prophets lived during the timeframe covered in First and Second Kings. Their ministries and messages give additional insight into the reoccurring propensity of the nations of Israel and Judah to turn their backs on God.

Tags historical-books, Kings

Books of the Bible

Lamentations

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 27, 2014

The book of Lamentations is a series of five poems or laments, formatted not unlike a funeral dirge.

They are generally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah and focus on the sorry state of Jerusalem, it’s people, and God‘s pending judgment.

Each of the books five chapters corresponds to one of the five poems.

Tags Lamentations, major prophet

Books of the Bible

Leviticus

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 27, 2014

The book of Leviticus is a record with little narrative, containing the rules and regulations given by God, through Moses, to his chosen people.

The prevailing theme and sentiment of Leviticus are succinctly summed up in Leviticus 19:2, “Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.”

The authorship of Leviticus is attributed to Moses.

Tags books of Moses, Leviticus

Books of the Bible

Luke

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 27, 2014

The book of Luke, named after its author, is one of the four Gospels, biographies that focus on the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. There are many parallel passages in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

Luke was a medical doctor and the only non-Jewish writer in the New Testament. As such, his words are that of an outsider and may more readily connect with those on the outside, looking in.

The book of Luke contains details and information not included by Matthew, Mark, and John (the other three biographies of Jesus) serving to nicely round out and fill in our understanding of Jesus.

A favorite Gospel among many Christians, Luke writes with straight-forward, yet compelling language. He also includes the familiar and oft-read Christmas account of the birth of Jesus, in chapter 2.

The book of Luke is actually part one of a two-book combination. Acts, also written by Luke, is part two, picking up the story with the early church.

Both Luke and Acts are written to Theophilus who may have commissioned the work.

There are many parallel passages in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but not too many with the Gospel of John.

Read more about the book of Luke in That You May Know: A 40-Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Tags Gospel, Luke