The Old Testament Story, Book by Book

Tim Davis

It’s easy to get lost in the Old Testament.

There are 39 books. Multiple genres. Over 600 laws. And don’t forget the sacrificial system. So how do we navigate these books?

Knowing the Old Testament story is a good place to begin.

Below is my best attempt to summarize the Old Testament’s story book by book.

Now you might be wondering why I chose the books that I did. I intentionally selected those books that advance the Old Testament’s chronological storyline. Certain books—such as the prophets from Isaiah to Malachi—are situated around the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles discussed at the end of 2 Kings. Other books—such as the Psalms and wisdom literature—are important reflections on following the God who reveals himself in the storyline. Ruth is situated during the time of the judges. And 1 and 2 Chronicles recaps a lot of the information found in the books of Samuel and Kings but from a post-exile perspective.

I will, therefore, focus on the books of Genesis to Nehemiah since they tell the chronological storyline of the Old Testament.

So here it goes, the Old Testament storyline book by book. If it helps, open to your Bible’s table of contents and track along with me.

And did I mention, I summarize each book in one sentence.

GENESIS

Genesis is a book about beginnings that takes the reader from the beginning of the cosmos and human sin to the beginning of God’s chosen people and their time in Egypt.

This leads to Exodus.

EXODUS

The book of Exodus picks up in Egypt and moves in 3 stages: God saves the people of Israel, marries the people of Israel, and moves in with the people of Israel.

This leads to Leviticus.

LEVITICUS

Leviticus is situated at Mount Sinai and teaches that God makes a way for humans to experience his presence through the sacrificial system, the priesthood, and laws pertaining to purity and holiness.

This leads to Numbers.

NUMBERS

In the book of Numbers, Moses and the rest of Sinai generation travel from Mount Sinai to the plains of Moab, but due to their disobedience along the way, they are barred from entering the promised land.

This leads to Deuteronomy.

DEUTERONOMY

It’s in Deuteronomy that Moses dies, but not before he reiterates the law to the next generation as they prepare to enter the promised land.

This leads to Joshua.

JOSHUA

The book of Joshua is broken into two key parts: Israel enters the promised land and then they divide the land between the various tribes.

This leads to Judges.

JUDGES

The book of Judges moves in three stages: it reviews Israel’s failure to drive out the Canaanites from the land, it recounts the judge’s leadership in the land, and it describes Israel’s failure to follow God in the land.

This leads to the books of first and second Samuel.

SAMUEL

The books of Samuel take us from Israel’s tribal days under judges to an established monarchy by following three key characters: the prophet Samuel, King Saul, and King David.

This leads to the books of first and second Kings.

KINGS

The books of Kings begins with King Solomon asking for wisdom and building the temple in Jerusalem, but ends with Babylon destroying the temple and exiling Israel from Jerusalem due to Israel’s folly.

This leads to the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.

EZRA/NEHEMIAH

In Ezra and Nehemiah, Ezra attempts to reinstate right worship of YHWH among the Israelites as three key events take place: many Israelites return to the land, the temple is rebuilt, and the city walls are built.

CONCLUSION

The books of Ezra/Nehemiah draw the Old Testament’s chronological storyline to a close. And it’s a conclusion that lingers with anticipation: is God, now, going to establish his Kingdom? Many prophetic books pick up on this question, and they leave us longing for something more.

But for now, this is the Old Testament’s chronological storyline, book by book. Hopefully this mini “cheat sheet” equips you to approach the Old Testament more wisely and joyfully.