Tied Together: A One-Year Journey Through the Bible | Day 61 | March 13, 2026

 

Introduction to the Historical Books

With the Books of the Law complete, the Old Testament moves into its next major section: the Historical Books. This collection includes Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther—twelve books that continue Israel's story from where Deuteronomy left off.

It's worth noting that the Books of the Law also contain history—creation, the patriarchs, the exodus, and the wilderness wanderings are all historical accounts. But those five books are set apart because of their unique purpose: establishing God's covenant with His chosen people. The Historical Books pick up that story and carry it forward through approximately 800 to 1,000 years of Israel's national life.

When you finish reading this section, you will have completed the narrative history of Israel as recorded in the Old Testament. That might seem surprising, given that another twenty books remain. But the Bible is not arranged in chronological order. The books that appear after the Historical Books—the Wisdom Literature and the Prophets—were actually written during the time period these historical accounts cover. The Psalms and Proverbs come largely from the era of David and Solomon. The prophetic books record messages delivered while Israel was divided, conquered, exiled, and eventually restored. So as you read the Historical Books, you're moving through the timeline that gives context to nearly everything else in the Old Testament.

Here's an overview of what these twelve books contain:

The section opens with Joshua leading the Israelites across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land—the territory God pledged to Abraham centuries earlier. The people finally possess what their parents forfeited through unbelief.

But possession doesn't guarantee faithfulness. The book of Judges reveals a troubling pattern that will repeat throughout Israel's history: the people sin, God allows consequences, the people cry out in repentance, God raises up a deliverer, and then the cycle begins again. Judges like Deborah, Gideon, and Samson led Israel through these turbulent years. The book of Ruth, set during this same period, offers a quieter story of loyalty and redemption—and introduces a family line that will eventually produce King David.

The people grow tired of the judges and demand an earthly king, wanting to be like the surrounding nations. God grants their request, and Saul becomes Israel's first king. The books of Samuel trace Saul's rise and fall, then follow David's remarkable journey from shepherd boy to Israel's greatest king. Despite his serious failures, David is called a man after God's own heart, and God makes a covenant with him that will have eternal significance.

David's son Solomon inherits the throne and builds a magnificent temple in Jerusalem—a permanent dwelling place for God's presence among His people. But Solomon's later years are marked by compromise, and when he dies, his son Rehoboam's pride tears the nation apart. Ten tribes form the Northern Kingdom (called Israel), while two tribes form the Southern Kingdom (called Judah).

The books of Kings and Chronicles record the roughly four hundred years of divided monarchy that follow. Thirty-nine kings rule over these two kingdoms, and the record is largely tragic. Only eight are considered good, and all of them come from the Southern Kingdom. The Northern Kingdom falls first, conquered by Assyria, its people scattered and lost to history. The Southern Kingdom survives longer but eventually falls to Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar. Jerusalem is destroyed, the temple reduced to rubble, and the people carried into exile.

Yet even in exile, God remains faithful to His promises. After seventy years, Babylon falls to Persia, and King Cyrus decrees that the Jews may return home. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah describe the waves of returning exiles who rebuild Jerusalem's walls and construct a second temple. Esther, set during this same period, tells the story of a Jewish woman in Persia whose courage saves her people from destruction.

These books are written in narrative form, making them more accessible than the laws and genealogies of earlier sections. You'll encounter plot, character, conflict, and resolution. Some stories appear more than once, told from different perspectives—much like the Gospels in the New Testament offer complementary accounts of Jesus' life.

Reading these accounts matters for several reasons. The New Testament contains nearly a thousand quotations and allusions to the Old Testament, and roughly ten percent of the Gospels directly reference these earlier writings. Understanding this history illuminates what the New Testament authors are saying. Archaeological and historical discoveries continue to confirm details recorded in these books, strengthening confidence in Scripture's reliability.

But the most important reason to study this history is what it reveals about God's character. Through centuries of rebellion, judgment, repentance, and restoration, one truth remains constant: God desires to save His people. He has had a plan since the beginning—a plan that threads through every king and prophet, every exile and return, until it reaches its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. These Historical Books show you the story that makes the gospel make sense.

Scripture:

Psalms 145:8