Historical Books

Message Theme & Verses: Historical Books

Memory Verse: 1 Samuel 7:22 Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

History is writing down a chronology of recorded events. In our Bible we have 12 Historical books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, 1&2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. This historical section comes directly after the Pentateuch and tells the continued story of God’s people for almost 1,000 years through six major periods.

1. Joshua leading the people into the Promised Land of Canaan after Moses’ death

2. The downward spiral of the Judges and the move toward kingship as the people live in Canaan

3. The division of the nation into the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah and life in these kingdoms

4. The downfall and exile of each of these kingdoms

5. Life for God’s people in exile

6. Judah’s return from exile to the Promised Land

While narrative is by far the most predominate type of writing in the historical books, we can also find poetry, genealogies, lists, letters and more. We will get to read about God interacting in the lives of His people both through ordinary means we call God’s providence and through miracles as well. Each book has a different style such as the self-contained stories in Ruth and Esther and the downward spiral of the Judges when the people moved farther away from God. Though each book has its own theme and purpose, we can trace certain themes through all of the Historical Books. We learn about God’s people, living in God’s place, under God’s rule. From Eden to Christ’s return, this is how it is meant to be.

1. God’s Sovereignty – God is in control of all things including nature and the lives of people and nations. Israel is shown to be God’s special people, under God’s authority, care, and protection. Of course, God is in control of all nations, but Israel has the special responsibility to give God their trust, love, and obedience because He has shown His special love to them.

2. God’s Presence – God is with His people and intimate in their lives. God chose Joshua to lead the people after Moses’ death. Then, God raised judges when the people cried out for help. God appointed kings to represent Him and prophets to proclaim His word. Even at times when God seems quiet or far from His people, He has promised to always be with them and is faithful to His word even if He reveals Himself indirectly.

3. God’s Promise – God made a special promise called the Abrahamic Covenant. God promised Abraham many descendants, the Promised Land, and a blessing to Abraham and through Abraham to all the nations. This is the foundation of the Historical Books and we will see the promise continued to Moses, Joshua, David, Ezra, and others.

4. God’s Kingdom – God’s promised Abraham that kings would come from him and God chose to exercise His rule through human kings. God’s kings were to be different from other kings. They should rule by God’s word and let God fight for His people. God made a covenant with David and promised to be a Father to the Davidic kings who would be His sons. The perfect Son of God is Jesus, from the line of David. Jesus reigns as the perfect king and His church proclaims the Kingdom.

5. God’s Covenant – The Mosaic Covenant tells how the people should live as God’s people. This is called keeping the law. When the people keep the law, they are blessed and when they turn from the law, they suffer. In the Historical Books, we see good kings who keep the law and those who do not. The kings represent the faithfulness or sin of the people.

Read 2 Samuel 7 – God’s Covenant with David

Jesus in the Historical Books

Jesus began His ministry by announcing “the Kingdom of God is at hand.” The story of the Bible is the story of a kingdom that as believers, we get to participate in. If we are in Christ, we are sons and daughters of the King, experiencing the kingdom in part now, and in full when Jesus, our King returns. We can see the coming King throughout the Historical Books. Jesus is the greater Joshua who leads His people into rest. He is the greater Judge, the perfect deliverer who saves His imperfect people. Jesus is the greater Boaz who covers His people, provides for them, and redeems them, paying the price to secure our place in God’s kingdom. We will see that Jesus is the perfect boy from Bethlehem, defeating sin and death like David defeated Goliath. The evil kings of Israel and Judah show us the need for a perfect law keeping King, ruling in righteousness according the God’s commands. Jesus is a different kind of King who teaches us to serve other and love our enemies. Jesus brings His people into His kingdom not by through their hard work and self-improvement. His message is to repent and believe the Gospel. We are to turn from our sin and put our faith in King Jesus who is returning to rule and reign.

Questions

1. Why do you think we need history?

2. What is the difference between God’s history and history books in school?

3. Why do you think God took His people from one man to a family, to a nation, to having judges, to having kings, to being exile, and finally being returned to God’s Kingdom? (God has been slowly revealing Himself and His plan for His people throughout history. Each period of history teaches us about God and about ourselves. We get to see shadows of Jesus, the coming King and learn how to live in His kingdom.)

4. How did David respond to God’s covenant with him?

5. Of all the people you know, who do you think would make the best king or queen?

6. What do you think Jesus’ Kingdom will be like? (The Bible says that the Kingdom will be perfect. There will be no death or sickness because Jesus has defeated them. People will love God and each other and will not sin. There will be no hunger because Jesus will provide abundantly for His people. There will be no floods or storm, earthquakes or natural disasters because Jesus is the Lord of nature. Satan and his demons will have been defeated and we will live in peace with God forever.)

7. What do you think is the best part about being in God’s kingdom? (God’s kingdom offers us many good things. The best part though is being with the King Himself! We will get to enjoy being face to face with Jesus, our Creator and Savior!)