The first book of Kings recounts the lives of the kings of Israel and Judea over a period of 400 years after the death of King David. His son, Solomon, features heavily in these chapters, first to show God's generous blessings to a faithful king and, later, as an example of the consequences of turning away from God. This book also details the split of the northern and southern tribes of Israel, and the subsequent appointment of the prophet Elijah...

The epistle of Hebrews was written by an unknown author to a community of Jewish Christians living in Rome under heavy persecution. This book encourages the church to keep their faith in difficult circumstances and not to return to Judaism and the Mosaic Law. Hebrews extols Jesus as the Son of God and clearly emphasizes that only through Jesus can Christians achieve salvation.

The book of Nehemiah recounts the struggle of the Jewish people's return to Jerusalem after being held in captivity for 70 years. Unfortified and disorganized, the Jews look to Nehemiah, their temporary governor, to help them rebuild their city walls before the surrounding enemies attack. Nehemiah is an important example of the astounding successes that a good leader can achieve if he puts his trust in God.

The book of 1 Timothy was written by the Apostle Paul to a young pastor by the same name, who was based in the church at Ephesus. Paul instructs him on the importance of not being led astray by false teachings and to keep his faith in God. This book contains clear directions on the organization and structure of a church as well as practical advice on how to lead one.

The Prophetical books of the Old Testament are named for the many prophets chosen by God to warn the Israelite people of their waywardness and urge them to repent and stay faithful to Him. The majority of these books were written before the conquest of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, but several of the Minor Prophets detail the return to Jerusalem from their exile to rebuild the city. Along with the prophecies of judgment, this volume also contains...

The genre of Proverbs is mainly "Proverbs" as the name describes, there are also some Parables and Poetry. This book was written mainly by Solomon, the wisest king ever to rule, however some of the later sections are written by Lemuel and Agur. It was written during Solomon's reign 970-930 B.C. He asked God for wisdom to rule God's nation and He granted the request. The main purpose of this book is to teach wisdom to God's people. Proverbs are short...

The genre of Psalms is Songs and Poetry of all kinds. It is written by multiple authors, David wrote 73, Asaph wrote 12, the sons of Korah wrote 9, Solomon wrote 3, Ethan, and Moses each wrote one (Ps. 90), and 51 of the Psalms are anonymous. They were written over the span of approximately 900 years (Beginning at the time of Moses 1440 B.C. and through the captivity in 586 B.C.). The Psalms include praises of joy, laments, blessings, and thanksgivings....

The gospel of Luke was not written by one of Jesus' disciples, but rather a physician by the same name. Due to his profession, Luke has a distinctly human aspect to his writing, which contains greater details of the people whom Jesus interacted with, particularly the sinners. Jesus' entire life is depicted in these passages, and portrays the Messiah not as an untouchable figure of greatness, but as the more attainable and relatable Son of Man.

This book follows the Israelite people on their journey to the Promised Land and depicts their continual disobedience and rebellion towards God, despite the many signs and miracles performed through Moses. To punish them for their waywardness, God instructs the Israelites to wander the desert for forty years, and it is in this time period that Numbers was written. As its name suggests, Numbers also contains a great deal of statistical information...

The story of Esther takes place in Persia after several Jews had been allowed to return home to Jerusalem. A young Jewish girl attains the position of queen of Persia and must save her people from those who wished to destroy them. It is a tale of bravery and faith during dangerous circumstances and above all shows God's miraculous workings in times of hardship.