The Bible is not only the bestselling book in history, but it is the most important book ever written. It is inspired by God and each book was written by a real person in a real historical setting. Understanding the Bible can have amazing influence on our lives, decisions, and future. Our hope is that these book overviews will inspire you to read each book of the Bible with fresh eyes and an open heart.
We extend a special thanks to the group of people who labored and used their gifts to develop this resource. The writing team, led by Zach Harney, included Nita Shattuck, Larry Shattuck, Megan Ryan, Russ Weiss, Jillian Medina, Nate Harney, Dennis Mc Fadden, Roy Piña, Keith Kreuger, Kaylee Deal, Sherry Harney, and Kevin Harney. Our prayer is that it will be a blessing to you and encourage your reading and study of the Bible, God’s Word.
Genesis
Exodus
The book of Exodus is the story of God delivering His people from oppression.
Leviticus
Leviticus presents a powerful message about worship: Who we worship, how we worship, and the way our lives should be transformed by our worship.
Numbers
The book of Numbers is all about a journey that went very wrong. The people of Israel had been delivered from Egypt by God’s mighty hand, and they were ready to enter the Promised Land.
Deuteronomy
The book of Deuteronomy is sometimes called the second giving of the law. This book is a series of speeches that were inspired by God and given by Moses to the people of Israel right before they were going to enter the Promised Land.
Joshua
The book of Joshua gives the historical account of Israel’s entry into the Promised Land. Following the Israelite exodus from Egypt, Joshua became Moses’ successor to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land.
Judges
The book of Judges outlines the cycle of sin, suffering, and redemption of God’s people.
Ruth
The book of Ruth tells the story of Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, during a difficult time. There is a famine in Jerusalem and their family decides to move to the region of Moab.
1 Samuel
The book begins with Samuel’s mother, Hannah, vowing that if Yahweh gives her a son, she will dedicate him back to the Lord. God grants Hannah’s prayer, and she keeps her promise.
2 Samuel
This book is a continuation of 1 Samuel, and in the original Hebrew, it was one book. It was separated as part of the Septuagint when it was translated into Greek and has been that way since.
1 Kings
1 Kings is a continuation of the book of 2 Samuel. It begins with the genealogy of the kings of Judah and the ten northern tribes that will take on the name Israel.
2 Kings
2 Kings is a continuation of 1 Kings. 2 Kings documents the dividing of the kingdom, the destruction of Israel, and the captivity of Judah, leaving only a remnant of David’s kingdom as had been prophesied.
1 Chronicles
The books of 1 and 2 Chronicles are a survey of the time period of the united and divided kingdoms in the history of Israel. The book of 1 Chronicles begins with a series of genealogies (chapters 1-9) that lead up to the time in which David was king of a united Jewish people.
2 Chronicles
The books of 1 and 2 Chronicles are a survey of the time period of the united and divided kingdoms in the history of Israel.
Ezra
After their exile in Babylon, the people of Israel needed both a physical rebuilding of Jerusalem and a spiritual rebuilding of themselves as a people who followed God unwaveringly.
Nehemiah
Upon hearing the report of his repatriated countrymen languishing within the city of Jerusalem and the city’s wall of which was still in a state of disrepair, Nehemiah is determined to come to the aid of his people.
Esther
In this book, the Persian King, Ahasuerus, was looking for a new queen to replace the recently displaced Queen Vashti. Through an extensive search throughout the land, he found a young and beautiful Jewish woman named Esther.
Job
Job is a man who lives a blameless life and who seeks to honor God in everything he does. Satan insists that Job only follows God because God protects him, and Satan asks for permission to test Job.
Psalms
What if someone asked you to write down the words to your family’s favorite songs, including the songs that are sung on special occasions? You would have your own family songbook that would cover a huge range of topics.
Proverbs
Almost every society shares its values by using folk stories and phrases to teach lessons about behavioral norms.
Ecclesiastes
The eternal question for all ages and all people could be summed up simply as, “What is the meaning of life?” The book of Ecclesiastes tackles this question head on.
Song of Songs
Song of Songs is the love story between a young shepherdess/vineyard worker and King Solomon, the third king of Israel. It tells of their courtship and marriage, and it describes the passion and joy felt by both men and women.
Isaiah
Isaiah’s sweeping vision is a fitting entry to the loving sovereignty of God in the affairs of the crown jewel of His creation – people.
Jeremiah
Jeremiah’s prophecy is summed up in this key theme – a strong call to repentance and obedience. The time of Jeremiah’s prophesying was a turbulent one in the Middle East with Assyria, Egypt, and Babylon all struggling for regional domination with Judah caught in the crossfire.
Lamentations
Sometimes called the “funeral dirge” of the Old Testament, this book, authored by the prophet, Jeremiah, laments the sad consequences of the tribe of Judah’s disobedience.
Ezekiel
A younger contemporary of Jeremiah, Ezekiel was similarly called to a ministry of prophetic judgment to the tribe of Judah while its people were exiled in Babylon. While Jeremiah was a prophet of “tears,” Ezekiel was a man of “visions.”
Daniel
The book of Daniel is neatly divided into two distinctly different segments. Chapters one through six are a narrative from Daniel’s early days in exile. Chapters seven through twelve are Daniel’s prophecies for the end of time.
Hosea
In this book, the prophet Hosea brings a message of judgment and a plea for repentance to both the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
Joel
In this book, the prophet Joel brings both a reminder of past judgment, as well as a prophecy of the future day of the Lord. Joel most likely prophesied to the people of Judah in the years after their return from Babylon.
Amos
In this book, the prophet Amos brings a message of judgment, primarily on the Northern Kingdom of Israel, due to their sinful behavior.
Obadiah
The prophet Obadiah brings judgment on the people of Edom. The descendants of Esau, or the Edomites, did not stand with their brothers when the Babylonians came to conquer Jerusalem.
Jonah
God orders Jonah to go to Nineveh, one of the biggest and most prosperous cities in the Assyrian Empire, to tell them to repent of their evil actions. Jonah is frightened about going to a pagan nation and telling them to change their way of life.
Micah
The prophet Micah brings a harsh message of judgment to the people of Judah and Israel. Micah talks specifically about the fall of Israel to the Assyrians and the eventual fall of the Southern Kingdom at the hands of the Babylonians.
Nahum
In this book, the prophet Nahum brings a harsh message of judgment on the Assyrian people of Nineveh. Unlike Jonah, Nahum did not actually go to Nineveh to give this pronouncement.
Habakkuk
Habakkuk is a unique prophetical book of only three chapters which gives us an “inside” view into a conversation between God and Habakkuk, His prophet. Habakkuk lived in a time when the people of God did not live as the Lord desired.
Zephaniah
The book of Zephaniah is a prophetic book, classified as one of the twelve Minor Prophets.
Haggai
God speaks through the prophet Haggai and commands the Israelites to rebuild the house of the Lord – the temple in Jerusalem.
Zechariah
There are three distinct sections written in first-person narrative form. In chapters one through six, Zechariah describes his night visions, which contain vivid imagery that held various meanings for the nation of Israel.
Malachi
In this last book of the Old Testament, a final prophet emerges to confront the people of Israel on God’s behalf. Heeding the call of Haggai and Zechariah, God’s people completed the rebuilding of the temple but without the result that they were anticipating.
Matthew
Mark
The Gospel of Mark focuses on Jesus as an adult, and describes the life, work, and teachings of Jesus in a concise manner.
Luke
The Gospel of Luke is the third of four books in the Bible that record the life of Jesus.
John
The Gospel of John is the fourth of four books in the Bible that record the life of Jesus.
Acts
The book of Acts unfolds in three epic movements of God. Each one tells part of the story of the early Christian Church.
Romans
The book of Romans is a letter written by the apostle Paul, and it is the largest of Paul’s epistles (letters). It was originally sent to Christians in Rome.
1 Corinthians
The book of 1 Corinthians is a letter written by Paul to the church in Corinth. After spending a year and a half in Corinth, a central and diverse Roman city, and establishing a church among the lowborn and elite alike, Paul left Corinth for Ephesus.
2 Corinthians
Second Corinthians is the fourth letter sent by the apostle Paul to the church in Corinth. Paul planted the church in Corinth (Acts 18) and spent a year and a half serving the new believers there.
Galatians
The book of Galatians is a letter sent by the apostle Paul to a group of churches in the southern part of the region called Galatia (modern-day Turkey).
Ephesians
The book of Ephesians is a letter sent by the apostle Paul to the church in Ephesus. Ephesus was a bustling trading post and port town in modern-day Turkey.
Philippians
The book of Philippians is a letter sent by the apostle Paul to the church in Philippi, which was in eastern Macedonia (modern-day Greece).
Colossians
The book of Colossians is a letter sent by the apostle Paul to the church in Colossae, in the Roman Province of Asia (modern-day Turkey), just inland from Ephesus.
1 Thessalonians
Near the end of Paul’s second missionary journey, he and his companions visited the bustling capital of Macedonia, a port city called Thessalonica (modern-day Greece).
2 Thessalonians
Near the end of Paul’s second missionary journey, he and his companions visited the bustling capital of Macedonia, a port city called Thessalonica (modern-day Greece).
1 Timothy
By this point in the history of the early Christian church, Paul was a seasoned apostle providing leadership for churches throughout the world. Timothy, his young co-worker, had been sent to minister to the vastly expanding church in Ephesus.
2 Timothy
By the point in church history when 2 Timothy was written, Paul was a seasoned apostle providing leadership for churches throughout the known world. Timothy, his young co-worker, had been sent to minister to the vastly expanding church in Ephesus.
Titus
Titus was a pastor who traveled with the apostle Paul on several church planting trips. Titus helped Paul plant the church on the island of Crete in the Mediterranean.
Philemon
In this brief, one chapter letter, Paul writes a heartfelt appeal to Philemon to have mercy on Onesimus. One of Philemon’s slaves, Onesimus, ran away, but later became a Christian after hearing the apostle Paul preach the gospel.
Hebrews
Hebrews was a general letter designed for distribution throughout the regions where Christians would be found. The persecution of Christians by the Romans was increasing, and many believers were living in fear for their lives and for the lives of their loved ones.
James
The book of James was directed to Jewish Christians, but it spread to the Gentile communities outside of Palestine.
1 Peter
The readers of 1 Peter (scattered Gentiles) are strongly encouraged to hold on and take heart in a time where there is increased persecution of Christians.
2 Peter
Second Peter is a very short book with an important message. The primary purpose of this writing was to stop people from claiming to be Christians while sabotaging Christian ethics and doctrine.
1, 2, & 3 John
First, Second, and Third John are letters written to a growing group of Christian believers to warn them about false teachers and to assure them of their salvation in Jesus Christ.
Jude
Jude writes this general letter to believers who are being misled by certain individuals intent on perverting the gospel of Christ.
Revelation
Imagine a time in history when it is illegal to worship Jesus. Imagine a nation where the top political leader declares, “I am GOD!” Imagine a time when followers of Jesus are persecuted and churches are threatened.