Religion and Theology

2 Kings The second book of Kings comprises the continuation of the story on the fall of the nations of Israel and Judah.  However, what is worth noting is the reality that it refuses to be judgmental as to declare who was more righteous between Jerobaom II and Solomon, and instead focuses on Gods intention of teaching His people to be independent and later to seek for a higher and eternal goal, which is the Reign of Justice.  Likewise, Elijahs ascension into heaven was also a major point of discussion, wherein Gods promise to the prophets of an eternal life in His existence was fulfilled.  His work then was continued by his companion, Elisha, whos miracles proved to be even greater than those of Elijahs, as evidenced by his raising to life a dead child, negating the effects of poisoned food, and Israels victories in battle without the need for any armed conflicts. 

1 Chronicles Even though the first book of Chronicles forms a list of Davids ancestors from the time of Adam, it did not delve on the kingdom of Israel primarily because during the writing of this book, Israel had alienated itself from the kingdom of David. Basically centered on the same stories discussed in the books of Samuel and Kings, it revolved around the central character of David, especially his plans for building the temple, which is the house of God in Jerusalem.  What is most significant in this book is while they were preoccupied with the temple and the proper way of following the laws of Moses, they were in great anticipation of the coming of the son of David, who is also the Messiah.  In order for this to come into completion, Gods people must always adhere to the laws passed down throughout generationsfrom Adam to Moses to David.

2 Chronicles The second book of Chronicles is a summation of the lives of the kings of Israel, spanning 400 years after King David.  What are significant in this book are the circumstances succeeding the death of King Solomon, wherein his kingdom was divided in to two.  While it is factual that some of the kings in these two kingdoms were righteous, most of them were evil to the sight of the Lord.  They chose not to obey Gods laws, were tyrannical to the people, and had served false gods made out from images both on earth and in the heavens.  Thus God allowed their nations to be overwhelmed by invading forces, causing destruction to these kingdoms.  This book also describes in detail the magnificence of the great temple that King Solomon had built in Jerusalem, including the altar and the Ark of the Covenant where God resides with His people. 

Ezra The book of Ezra is a narration of the beginning of the return of Gods people to Jerusalem after they have been exiled by the Babylonians.  Here, the decree of Cyprus, the conqueror of the Chaldeans, is enacted that allowed for the aforementioned return.  It is worth noting that those who were not exiled were comprised of small farmers, that they lacked the necessary leadership, both political and religious, to rise from their defeat and rebuild the nation to its former glory.  It was in this circumstance that Ezra led a sect of Jews who opted to return to their home land.  He served as a great teacher of the law and taught his people on the proper manner that will be pleasing to God.  It was also during this era that the temple was rebuilt, under the authority and leadership of Zerubabbel and with the assistance of King Darius.       

Nehemiah The book of Nehemiah is a description of the Jews rebuilding of the walls surrounding their city, Jerusalem, under the guidance of Nehemiah.  Even though several of the Jews within the vicinity were against the plan, and had in fact tried to stop the completion of the wall, God had helped them and had completed the task in a short span of 52 days.  What is important in this book is Gods special intention to make the Israelites His chosen people once again, and Nehemiahs and Ezras struggles to make their people return to the ways of the Lord and once more reclaim their place in Gods grand design.  Lastly, this book contains several admonitions made by Nehemiah to several sectors, such as the counselors of the temple, the Tyrians who sold their goods on a Sabbath, and the Jews who inter-married with Ashdodite, Ammonite, and Maobite women.

Esther This book tells of the life of Esther, who, because of the separation of the king of Persia with his queen, subsequently became his wife.  Esthers dilemma began with Haman, who had always plotted for the destruction of the Jews, and who was a chief official in the kings court.  After much persuasion, Esther finally heeded her uncle Mordecais advise to directly inform the king of the Jews predicament. As this was an unacceptable tradition during the era, Esther was in grave danger of losing her life.  However, the king was very much pleased with Esther that not only did he grant her wishes, but also punished Haman with the very punishment that he was planning on the Jews.  What makes this book an exceptional chapter is the fact that not even once did it mention the name of God, that it conveys a tacit message that God is always in control.

Job The book of Job is an extensive poem that depicts the life of Job, who was a wealthy man in the town of Uz.  Here, the central theme revolved around mankinds loyalty to God that it should always hold steadfastly in the face of tribulations.  The afflictions suffered by Job, both in physical and material aspects, as Gods way of testing his love for his creator, failed Satan in his argument that Job will curse God once he losses all his possessions and his loved ones.  Eventually Job complains but never losses his faith, particularly after a wise man named Elihu explained to him the truth surrounding his tribulations.  This marked the end of the tests that God gave him, and had restored him to his full health and surpassed his former wealth, most certainly as an assurance that He watches over us, especially in our times of great sufferings. 

Psalms The book of Psalms is a collection of 150 songs that were used in the temple of Jerusalem, where tradition holds that they were written by David himself.  These psalms offer a wide variety of purpose and subjects, mostly dependent on the necessity being perceived by the author during its completion.  As such, there are songs of praises for God, such as what can be found in Psalms 103 and 150 prayers of lamentation, as found in Psalm 74 ones that hold assurances that God will deliver us from our troubles, such as the ones found in Psalms 40 and 41 Psalms that discuss the history of Gods chosen people, as found in Psalms 74 and 78 Davids confession of his sins in Psalm 51 and a Psalm that prophetically expresses the sufferings of Jesus written before his birth , as evidenced by the one found in Psalm 22.

Proverbs The Book of Proverbs is a compilation of sayings, prayers, advises, and poems that are all aimed towards wisdom.  Its main message revolves around the truth that wisdom should be centered on God and the responsibility of living in accordance with Gods will that is inherent in having wisdom in ones possession.  Notably, the Book of Proverbs begins with chapters that detail Solomons advices to his son.  Here, he offers his explication between wise and foolish behavior, wherein he characterizes good people as those who respect God, while evil men are those who act in total contradiction, and hence will be eventually punished for their foolishness. Likewise, other proverbs are also offered, such as the 375 proverbs that are listed in chapters 10-22, where wisdom on varying aspects of life was discussed, such as the purity of tongue, Yahwehs displeasure of unjust scales, and the foolishness of a lazy man, among many others. 

Ecclesiastes Because this book was written under a pseudonym, the real author has been a source of argument among many followers of both Judaism and Christianity.  For one, it has been extensively believed that Solomon wrote this book, primarily based on the vastness of the knowledge exhibited in its writings.  Ecclesiastes is a collection of introspections mainly concerning with questioning the true purpose of life.  Thus, the writer argued that he did not know the purpose of his own life, and had discovered that in reality happiness achieved nothing.  He had likewise questioned the relevance of money and the essence of working for a living.  The entirety of this books essence may be summed up in chapter 3, which stated, God made everything fitting in its time but He also set eternity in our hearts, though we are not able to embrace the work of God from the beginning to the end. 

Song of Solomon The Book of Song of Solomon and The Song of Songs are one.  It is an entire collection of beautiful love songs born out of love for one another.  Written from a third-person perspective, it expresses the excitement, fervor, and the love that is felt between couples.  However, there is an underlying theme of Gods love for Israel, as was suggested in the idea of the Messiah being the king and the husband of His chosen people.  Thus its reference to the glorious past of Israel as points of comparison, which otherwise would have seemed detached when viewed from a lovers viewpoint, are in reality references between them and Yahweh.  This was especially true with the story line presented in the Songs, wherein the king courted the woman, asked her to marry him, and after her initial rejection became more determined in wining her affection, and eventually married.       
Isaiah The Book of Isaiah is a collection of poems written by Isaiah, who is a renowned prophet of Yahweh.  Here several themes were presented, such as worries of days of sufferings, as Judah had been caught in the middle of two stronger kingdoms, Assyria and Egypt a call to persevere in the faith, especially those who had lost hope and Gods promise that from the descendants of David will come the Messiah, which is Christ.  Likewise, Isaiah prophesied on several important events, such as of a child becoming king (Isaiah 96) His rule will be just (Isaiah 32) the child will become Gods servant (Isaiah 42) the people will rebuke him, will die so that our sins will be forgiven, and will rise from the dead (Isaiah 53) and more importantly, that God Himself will arrive to save His people (Isaiah 63), all of which points to the coming of Jesus. 

Jeremiah The Book of Jeremiah is a written record of his prophecies and teachings, with the prophecies presented in the forms of visions of the words of Yahweh coming to him.  While in entirety, this book speaks of Yahwehs punishment for the people of Israel, it is also concerned with the coming of Jesus Christ, as evidenced in chapters 231-8, 3131-37 and chapter 33.  One of the significant chapters of this book is discusses the eventuality of the Seventy Years of Captivity, wherein it served as Israels punishment for their refusal to obey the Lord.  However, a promise made by Yahweh to His people was also declared, particularly that they will be able to return to their land after the seventy-year captivity had passed, as evidenced in chapters 30-33.   Through Isaiah, God had shown His people that He is a loving God despite of the severity of their offenses. 

Lamentations The Book of Lamentations comprises the tragedy felt by the Israelites after the city of Jerusalem had been seized forcefully by the soldiers of Babylonia.  Primarily it is a collection of poems that conveys the sorrow of its author, which is generally regarded as Jeremiah.  However, it is distinctly evident that they were not complaining of their situation, rather, they seem to understand that their predicament is the effect of their abandonment of Yahweh.  Instead of harboring anger towards God for allowing the destruction of their city, they aspired to make amends and hopefully to shorten the days of His chastisement.  For his part, Jeremiah aspired for his people to renew their covenant with the Lord, putting their trust once more to Yahweh, as detailed in chapter 3 40-42.  Thus, more significant than the destruction brought about by the war, the Israelites once again rediscovered the virtue of hope. 

Ezekiel The Book of Ezekiel is a narration of the life of the author, particularly of his God-given mission of informing his people of Yahwehs intentions.  These prophecies make for the central themes of this book, especially since they were concerning future events that will befall Jerusalem.  Primarily they involved the enemies surrounding the city of Jerusalem, as told in chapters 4-5, Gods leaving the temple in Jerusalem, as discussed in chapter 10, and the destruction of the city by the Babylonians, as told in chapter 21.  It likewise had stated the primary reason for His allowing the people of Jerusalem to suffer, which is because the leaders of Judah had served false gods.  Although teeming with visions of destruction and of human sufferings, the Book of Ezekiel had offered a great source of hope that He would send a king from Davids lineage to be the leader of His people.

Daniel The Book of Daniel is tells of Daniels life, from being among those who went to be exiled in Babylon, to his success in becoming one of the kings trusted men after his interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzars dream.  As God was with him, Daniel was able to interpret the dream that no other high ranking minister of the king was able to.  Particularly, it involved a statue, very large and very terrible-looking, that represented the future of his kingdom.  The Book of Daniel had likewise taught on the importance of loyalty to God, as evidenced by his refusal to abide by the laws on prayers that resulted in his being thrown in a den of lions, from which God delivered him from danger by closing the lions mouths.  Daniel too was given visions of the future where destruction, wars, and famine seemed to be the dominating theme of The Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks.

Hosea The Book of Hosea is about a prophet who, despite of his wifes continuous deception, had never stopped loving her.  The book starts with the story of Hoseas failure in marriage, and then proceeds with relating Israels transgressions towards God.  His connection seemed to suggest that like his wife, Israel too had not been true to their covenant with God, just as his wife had been dishonest with him.  The very fact that God ordered him to continue on loving his wife despite of her adulterous ways tells of the semblance between Gods love for His chosen people despite of their sins.  Although he foretold of the coming exile of his people, Hosea was optimistic that Israels sufferings will pave the way for the Israelites to once again turn from their evil ways and seek once more for Gods love and guidance.  He saw hope in the midst of the coming anguish. 

Joel The Book of Joel was written during the time when swarms of locusts invaded their land.  Truly, it is a promise of hope that enables the people to look beyond their present condition and pray for the day when God will deliver them from their miseries.  Joels observation had been apt The day of Yahweh is exceedingly great, terrible and dreadfulwho can endure it  More significant than their present dilemma on the locusts, Joel also prophesied on some terrible events, which he called The Day of God.  Here, an army will attack Jerusalem, destroying their great city in such magnitudes that everything will be destroyed and no one will be able to escape.  Like other prophets who prophesied on destruction, Joel also tells of Gods promise of a happy age where there will neither be grief nor fear a glimmer of hope in the midst of darkness. 

Amos Perhaps what makes the Book of Amos interesting is that he was not a holy man nor had any previous experiences as a prophet.  In fact, he was simply a shepherd living in the outskirts of Jerusalem until God instructed him to deliver a message to His people.  Primarily, Amos can be regarded as a prophet of social justice, as he was able to present a Yahweh who looks after the rights of His people, especially the poor.  Several reasons were offered to explain Gods messages, some of which were the misallocation of riches, where a few owns most of the lands, the practice of religious activities that were mostly concerned with the externalities, and the seeming detachment of the judges towards those who are poor, among others.  Although Amos also warned of Gods punishment through exile, he lest reassurances that in the end, happier days will return.

Obadiah The Book of Obadiah is a short narration of prophesies on the people of Edom, who were related to the Israelites but had refused to assist them during their times of difficulty.  While it is evident that this book is filled with the notion of revenge, it is also apparent that it is underlined with an intense faith in Gods justice.  Here, while Obadiahs prophesy foretold of the coming destruction of Edom for its evil deeds, it was likewise stated that in the coming generations, Edom will be inhabited by Gods people.  Perhaps what is most striking in this book is the discovery that ones non-commitment to assist others who are in need makes the person as liable as those who had caused the sufferings of the offended party.  It is a warning, then, that true believers of God should help one another if they truly aspire to be worthy of Gods grace. 

Jonah The Book of Jonah is a narration surrounding his story as he was called upon by God to warn the nation of Nineveh of their evil deeds.  Initially, because Nineveh was a staunch enemy of Jonahs home land, Israel, he declined Gods intentions.  However, his futile attempt to escape God by boarding a ship only hastened the process, as he was swallowed by a big fish when a storm forced the sailors to throw him overboard.  Three things proved to be significant in the Book of Jonah First is Jonahs admonition on God for changing His mind after the people of Nineveh believed his messages second is Gods mercy that allowed Him to spare the city after their conversion and last is the fact that God was angered, not because His people worshipped idols or had become God-less, but were too confined into thinking that salvation is exclusively their privilege. 

Micah The Book of Micah is a narration of his mission to warn the people of Israel and Judah that God would punish them for their evil deeds.  Written during the time of Isaiah, Micah was also a witness to the injustices perpetrated on the lowly peasants.  Primarily, Gods reasons for wanting to teach His people a lesson included the deceptions practiced by them, they listened to and obeyed false teachers and prophets, and their words were filled with lies.  From all of these offenses, God had refused to accept their gifts, as He wanted His people to remain humble and to always be righteous.  Similar to the prophets who lived before and during his lifetime, it is evident that Micah had likewise prophesied of a leader coming from Bethlehem, which is Jesus Christ, as evidenced in chapter 51-5. 
Nahum The Book of Nahum is a collection of poems conveying Gods desire to punish the people of Nineveh for their wicked deeds.  Based on the readings, it is clear that the city of Nineveh was indeed unpleasant in the eyes of God, that he intended for its destruction by sending their enemies to occupy their land.  As God Himself had promised that Nineveh shall fall due her transgressions against His people, that He had regarded her as the blood city, a city of lies, and city of unending plunder, the destruction of the said city will surely come to pass.  Worth noting in all of the poems included in this book of Nahums prophesy is Yahwehs desire to be acknowledged as the only true and living God, as evidenced by the destruction of all its false gods and the liberation of slaves from all kinds of tyranny. 

Habakkuk In the Bible, Habakkuk was the first prophet to boldly question God on the prevailing evil that was rampant during his time.  Thus, his book is a compilation of his arguments presented in a manner that can be summed up in the line, Why does the Lord allow injustice to triumph Why, when He punishes one oppressor, does He replace him with someone worse  The answers came in two realizations First is that God intends to keep secret his means of governing the world second is his comprehension that eventually, Gods glory will triumph on the day of His judgment.  What is apparent in the Book of Habakkuk is the need for the believers to have complete faith in God that eventually, the wicked people will suffer the consequences of their actions.  It was written during the time when Nebuchadnezzar had just defeated Assyria, making him very powerful that he chose to invade Israel.

Zephaniah The Book of Zephaniah is a declaration of his prophesies concerning Gods intention of destroying every living creature that he created, including His beloved city, Jerusalem.  However, God offers a way to seek refuge from His wrath, of which several ways were presented, such as the offering of sincere prayers, confessing and turning back from their evil ways, and by being humble, as stated in chapter 21-3.  When these terrible things occur, God will protect those who have trusted Him, as meek sheep are separated from those who are arrogant and boastful.  Perhaps more prominent than the sufferings that were detailed in Zephaniahs prophesy, this book expressed Gods great love for those who have remained true to His desires, and had rejected the tendency to behave like the wicked people of the earth.  Ultimately, these prophesies are in fact assurances of Gods love for His people.

Haggai The Book of Haggai is the first prophetic book following the Jewish exile after the fall of Jerusalem.  Here, several important messages from God were revealed, such as the dependence of their relationship with God on prayers and their loyalty to the laws, the reality that now that the temple had been rebuilt, God already resides in their new temple even though it is smaller than the former, and the promise that a day is fast approaching when God Himself will come to visit His people.  Likewise, it is also worth noting that while the former prophets foretold of destruction and doom for Gods people, Haggais prophesies were more concerned with rebuilding the nation to its former splendor.  It is very much evident that as opposed to previous chapters of the Bible, this book exhibited an optimism felt by Gods chosen people in the restoration of their nation.

Zechariah The Book of Zechariah consists mainly of visions that are also a part of the restoration period of Jerusalem.  Here, what is evident is Gods ultimate plan, made through a series of visions by Zechariah, to ultimately defeat evil by a battle that is going to take place in Jerusalem in the future.  Likewise, he prophesied on the coming of Jesus, as evidenced in chapter 612-13, and of His death in chapter 1210.  Notably, the first six chapters discussed the need to always be vigilant for the coming of the Messiah and wait for the Day of the Lord, while the latter chapters served as inspiration for the Jews of the coming tribulations and persecutions.  What is relevant in this book is the ultimate fulfillment of Gods plan for his people that the day of salvation is at hand, and that the goodness of the Lord will surely triumph over evil. 

Malachi The Book of Malachi, being the last book in the Old Testament, tells of Gods promise that He will be arriving soon.  However, Malachi declares that there is wickedness once more among the Jews, particularly that they were not offering the best gifts to God, as discussed in chapter 16-14, the priests were not instructing the people well, as told in chapter 21-9, and the men divorced their wives without just cause, as evidenced in chapter 213-16.  More significant than all of the topics discussed, Malachi prophesied on Elijahs return to prepare for Gods coming, so that all will be prepared for His arrival.  Thus, it can be said that while Elijah, through the person of John the Baptist, prepared for the way for the Day of the Lord to happen, the Book of Malachi had likewise served to prepare for the new gospels, as spoken and taught by Jesus Himself.