A. Overview and Summary. B. Chapter 1. C. Chapter 2. The chapter continues to describe Gomer’s unfaithfulness as an analogy of Israel’s unfaithfulness to the Lord. But the chapter ends with a promise of restoration: “And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’; …
Monthly Archives: November 2025
93653.7 Joel
A. Summary and Overview. B. Chapter 1. The setting depicts a vast plague of locusts, which destroys everything, stripping fields of grain, gardens and even the bark off of trees. The locusts are likened metaphorically to a vast army that will eventually destroy the land. This occurred during the Assyrian conquest of Israel, which began …
93653.8 Amos
A. Summary and Overview. B. Chapters 1 and 2. Amos pronounces judgement on Israel’s neighbors: Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab and Judah before addressing Israel. All these countries form a circle around Israel, which highlights that Amos’s message is predominately for Israel. C. Chapter 3. Amos declares his role as a prophet of God: …
93653.9 Obadiah
A. Overview and Summary. Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament, consisting of 21 verses. We know nothing of Obadiah, the prophet. He wrote shortly after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC. It is a condemnation of Edom, located in present day Jordan. The Edomites are descendants of Esau …
93652.5 Esther
Overview and Summary. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah tell of the return of some of the exiled Jews to Jerusalem. But most remained in what had become the kingdom of Persia after the fall of Babylon. The story of Esther takes place during what is believed to be the reign of King Ahasuerus, or …
93652.0 2 Samuel
A. Theme and Background. B. Chapters one through four. C. Chapter Five. David is anointed King over Israel thereby consolidating the united kingdom. David seizes Jerusalem and becomes greater and greater because the Lord was with him (vs. 5:10). Hiram, King of Tyre, sends building material and craftsmen who build David a house. After inquiring …
93652.1 1 Kings
A. Theme and Background. B. Chapters One and Two record the death of King David and the coronation of King Solomon. 1. Chapter One. 2. Chapter Two. C. Chapter Three. D. Chapter Four lists Solomon’s officers and gives details of his wealth and the extent of his kingdom. “Judah and Israel were as many as …
93652.2 2 Kings
A. Background and Theme. Second Kings continues the narrative of the kings of Israel and Judah and ends with the overthrow of Israel and Judah and deportation to Assyria and Babylon. Both kingdoms rebelled against God and turned to false gods and idols, incurring God’s righteous wrath. B. Chapter one describes how the son of …
93652.3 1 & 2 Chronicles
Overview and Summary. The two books were originally one book in the Jewish Scriptures but it is one consistent narrative. It contains much of the same content as the books of Samuel and Kings which precede it in our modern Bibles. In the Jewish Scripture, it is the last book as it summarizes all the …
93652.4 Ezra and Nehemiah
A. Overview. In our modern bibles, these two books are separate. But originally, they were one book entitled Ezra in the Hebrew bible written by one author. For this reason, we will summarize the two books together here. The books cover the history of God’s people from the fall of Babylon in 586 BC to …