The books of poetry are God’s wisdom literature. The book of Job is probably the oldest book in the Bible. It is about a man who had trials and difficulties even though he did no wrong (Job 1:1,8; 2:3). The book reveals how God and the demons interact. It helps us to understand that God cares more about our spiritual growth than our comfort. The books of Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon were written primarily by King David and Solomon. These books were written in approximately the tenth century B.C. Psalms is a book of worship. Many songs have been written using the words from various Psalms. Song of Solomon is very unusual because it describes the love and beauty of a couple courting and their eventual marriage. The book is actually very explicit. It demonstrates that God cares about marriage and the physical aspects of that relationship.

	Book	Key Thought	Content
	Job	The righteous are purified by trials	God permits trials to purify Job. Three of his four friends give bad counsel to Job. Elihu gives sound advice. God restores Job’s material wealth.
	Psalms	Worship	The book is divided into five sections each of which is written by a variety of authors. The book covers a wide range of praise, confession and adoration to God.
	Proverbs	Godly wisdom	This book is about practical wisdom. It provides counsel and guidance for righteous living.
	Ecclesiastes	Life without God is empty	This is the result of Solomon’s quest for meaning in life during a period of his life when he was away from God. His conclusion is that life is empty apart from God.
	Song of Solomon	Godly marriage	This song describes the courtship of a couple and their eventual marriage. The book is wonderful for illustrating New Testament marital truth.

The books of the major prophets were generally written between 740 - 536 B.C. The prophets spoke to Israel on behalf of God and warned them to repent of their sins or else see Israel fall. God was and is not finished with Israel, and so these last books also describe Israel’s return to Palestine, Jesus’ first coming, and future times.

	Book	Key Thought	Content
	Isaiah	Salvation is of the Lord	Israel warned of judgment, given a promise of salvation and the coming of Messiah.
	Jeremiah	God is patient but holy	Israel warned to repent before judgment comes, deportation to Babylon and restoration of Israel.
	Lamentations	Mourning judgement	Mourning over the destruction of Jerusalem.
	Ezekiel	Judgment and restoration	Decline and fall of Judah and eventual restoration of Israel.
	Daniel	Sovereignty of God	Panorama of world history from Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece and Rome to the future kingdom.