The Old Testament: Law, Prophets, and Writings

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Jesus recognized a threefold division of the Hebrew Scriptures: "the law of Moses, and ... the prophets, and ... the psalms" (Luke 24:44). Josephus, the first-century Jewish historian, counted twenty-two sacred books (the same content as our thirty-nine), and wrote that no one had dared to add, remove, or alter them [16]. Moses himself had issued the charge: "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it" (Deuteronomy 4:2).

The Law (Torah)

The five books of Moses contain an extraordinary moral and social vision for the ancient world. They teach one God and condemn idols. They command a weekly day of rest for everyone, including servants and animals. They protect strangers: "Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Exodus 23:9). And they sum up human duty to others in a sentence Jesus later quoted: "thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Leviticus 19:18).

The Prophets

The prophets combine moral courage with predictive power. They rebuked kings, defended the poor, and foretold both judgment and restoration. Their accurate foresight (Chapter 3) and their uncompromising ethics, often at the cost of their own lives, set them apart from the court prophets of surrounding nations.

The Writings

The Psalms teach prayer and praise across every human emotion. Proverbs gives practical wisdom ("The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge," Proverbs 1:7). Job wrestles with suffering. Ecclesiastes exposes the emptiness of life without God. The Song of Solomon celebrates marital love. Together they speak to the whole person in a way few ancient collections do.

An Old Testament Still Read

Paul affirms the Old Testament's continuing value: "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope" (Romans 15:4). The Jewish people's preservation of these books through exile, dispersion, and persecution is itself part of the story of the Bible's survival.

CHAPTER 9