The Old Testament(the first part of the two major parts of the Bible) gives an account of God's interaction with the Israelite people through their history giving a picture of God's character and the nature of humanity. It's easy for Christians to ignore the Old Testament but is the bed-rock on which the New Testament stands and its pages speak of the coming of the Messiah, Jesus and thus understanding it's huge value is crucial in a ministry context.
The Old Testaments contains 39 books and it is often divided into the categories of law, history, poetry(or wisdom books) and prophecy. Within these categories, the Old Testament gives an account of creation, and then follows the story of God's interaction with the Israelite people, through their slavery in Egypt, conquest of the promised land, strengthening kingdom, and finally its division and the people's exile.
An approximate timeline of the Old Testament is shown below:
Estimated dates
Events
1900-1700 BC
Patriarchs
1700-1300 BC
Slavery in Egypt
1300-1200 BC
Exodus and conquest
1200-922 BC
United Kingdom of Israel
922-722 BC
Divided kingdom; Northern Kingdom exiled in 722 BC
922-586 BC
Divided kingdom; Southern Kingdom exiled in 587 BC
550 BC onwards
Return to Israel of Jews
Although all of these books were written before the birth of Jesus Christ they still show a picture of the same God that the New Testament does. the Old Testament reveals a loving and holy God full of forgiveness and grace.
Books of the Old Testament
The Old Testament is divided into 40 books in English. These books are not all written in the same style, but are different types of genres. Loosely, the genres are sometimes categorized as
Law
History
Poetry and Wisdom
Major Prophets
Minor Prophets
Torah - Books of the Law
The Torah consists of the first five books of the Bible. The first book, Genesis, tells about the creation of the universe and God choosing a person(Abraham) to be the father of his people. The next four books(Exodus to Deuteronomy) describe God saving his people from slavery in Egypt and giving them the law by which they were to live, including the Ten Commandments.
Historical Books of the Old Testament and Poetical Books of the Old Testament
The historical and poetical books of the Old Testament range from the historical such as Joshua, the Samuels, Chronicles, and Kings to poetry such as the Psalms and wisdom books such as Job, Ecclesiastes, and Proverbs. These books describe the nature and wisdom of God and God's involvement in history.
Prophetic Books of the Old Testament
The Prophets take up a large body of space in Old Testament. They include the major prophets(e.g. the Book of Isaiah and the Book of Jeremiah) and the minor prophets(e.g. Hosea, Joel, and Jonah). The prophets were divinely appointed spokesmen for God and they preached about the corruption of Israel, God's judgement and His future restoration. One vital cornerstone that has bearing for us today is the prophetic announcements of the coming of the Messiah(e.g. as mentioned in Isaiah 53).
Old Testament History
The Old Testament tells the story of God interacting with his people. It is history. It records stories about real people with real experiences and real emotions, living in a real society. However, it is not exhaustive - it doesn't record all that happened. The purpose of this history is to explain to people God's overall plan for his creation through describing the role of Israel and individual people within that plan.
Commentary