Thoughts to Keep in Mind: The Historical Books in the Old Testament

The books of Joshua through Esther are traditionally known as the “historical books” of the Old Testament. This doesn’t mean that other books in the Old Testament don’t have historical value. Rather, the historical books are called that because their writers’ main objective was to show God’s hand in the history of the people of Israel. The purpose was not to outline the law of Moses, as Leviticus and Deuteronomy do. It was not to express praise or lament in poetic form, as the Psalms and Lamentations do. And it was not to record the words of prophets, as the books of Isaiah and Ezekiel do. Instead, the historical books tell stories.