The final book of the Pentateuch, Deuteronomy, ends with the tribes of Israel camped in Moab, east of the Jordan River. The Israelites are prepared to enter Canaan, the land God had promised to give to them (Deut 1:1-8; 34:1-8). The final words of Deuteronomy tell about the death of Moses and the choice of Joshua as the next leader of Israel.

Christians call the Old Testament books that follow the Pentateuch, beginning with Joshua and ending with Esther, the Historical Books. These books describe Israel’s history as a people in the land of Canaan. Although these books are called “historical,” they are very different from history books of today. The descriptions of events in these books are more often concerned with an important religious teaching about God and God’s relationship with Israel than they are about the historical facts of the events themselves. So the Historical Books read much more like exciting stories than like straightforward historical accounts. In fact, two of the books in this section, Ruth and Esther, are more like short stories than history books.

Together, these books can be thought of as telling one long story that took place from around 1250 B.C. to 150 B.C. Within this larger story are several key events and main characters.

Key Events of the Historical Books.

The first key event of the Historical Books is Israel’s settlement in the land of Canaan. Joshua and Judges describe how the people of Israel entered Canaan and settled in various regions and cities. Sometimes this settlement was peaceful, but at other times it was more difficult for the Israelites. These two books also describe how the Israelites lived throughout Canaan as separate tribes, each with its own leader (called a judge).

The second key event describes the change from this tribal system of government to a monarchy ruled by a king. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel tell how Saul was chosen to be the first king of Israel and describe the events that led to David becoming the second king of Israel. An important part of this event was David’s choosing of Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel.

David’s son Solomon became king after David. Solomon built the first temple in Jerusalem and increased the influence and wealth of Israel. But his policy of forcing the Israelites to work on his building projects for little pay, together with his sin of allowing the worship of foreign idols, led to a revolt shortly after his death. The result was a divided monarchy, the third key event of the Historical Books of the Old Testament. The books of 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles describe the reigns of the kings who ruled the northern and the southern kingdoms from about 931 B.C. to 586 B.C.

The fourth key event was the time of defeat and exile of these two kingdoms. Though warned by prophets like Amos and Hosea, the northern kingdom (Israel) continued to worship idols and to disobey God’s Law. This led to their defeat by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. The southern kingdom (Judah) was ruled by kings descended from David, but it, too, did not listen to the warnings of prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. When the people and some of their leaders were unfaithful to the LORD, the LORD allowed the Babylonians to defeat them in 586 B.C. and force many of Judah’s leading citizens to live as exiles in Babylonia.

In 539 B.C. King Cyrus of Persia defeated Babylonia and allowed the Jewish people living in exile to return home and reclaim their land. This return from exile is the fifth key event in the Historical Books. Ezra and Nehemiah describe how the people were able to return to Judah, rebuild the walls and temple of Jerusalem, and rededicate themselves to being God’s people.

Important Characters in the Historical Books

Four characters are particularly important in the Historical Books. Joshua was the leader of the Israelites after Moses died who led the people into Canaan and helped them settle into the land by tribes. Samuel was the last of Israel’s “judges.” The people begged Samuel to choose a king for them, but he warned them that their request for a king showed a lack of faith in God’s leadership. David was Israel’s most important and best-loved king. Many of the events described in the Historical Books tell of David’s faithfulness to God, who promised that one of David’s descendants would always be king. Ezra was a leader who helped the people of Israel who returned from exile to commit themselves to worshiping and obeying the LORD once again.