We are familiar with the traditional division of the books of the Bible; Law, History, Poetry, Prophets (Major and Minor), Gospels, Epistles, and so on. There is another breakdown of the many books of the Bible that is older and more logical; and it is from the Lord God. He gave us this outline of the Word in Exodus 25:31-37, which is contained in His plan for the Golden Lampstand of the Tabernacle. A later clue to the importance of the Golden Lampstand is found in Psalm 119:105; “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” The Golden Lampstand represents the Lord’s Word that guides us toward Truth.
The Golden Lampstand has sixty-six decorations, “coincidentally” the same as the number of books in the Bible. Only I do not believe in coincidences when it comes to the Bible. These decorations are on the seven branches of the lampstand in this sequence; 9-9-9-12-9-9-9, and here are the divisions they represent, beginning with Genesis:
Old Testament:
Let’s look at the Bible using these Old Testament divisions. The first nine books, Genesis to First Samuel, describe the Age of the Patriarchs, from Adam to Samuel. Samuel was the last judge of Israel, and exclusive of Moses, the first prophet. Included in First Samuel is the transition from patriarchs to kings beginning with the story of King Saul, the first king of Israel. However, Saul failed as king. The Kingdom of Israel began with David. It was David who defeated the enemies of Israel and gathered the materials and bought the land for the Temple of God. David made the peaceful reign of Solomon possible. The reigns of David and Solomon represented the pinnacle of the history of Israel.
Therefore, the next nine books, Second Samuel to Job, tell the history of the Kingdom of Israel. Job is a picture, and/or foreshadow, of Israel. Job had it all and he lost it all. But in the end, Job received double of all his possessions, including the children that he lost. Job lost seven sons and three daughters, but fathered seven and three more. Added to those children in Heaven, Job received double the number of children. In the end, Israel will receive double of all they had and will be the pre-eminent nation of the world according to the Book of Isaiah.
The next nine books, Psalms to Daniel, are indeed books of prophecy. The Gospel of Matthew quotes Psalm 78:2 and says it was spoken through the prophet. In Acts 2:30, Peter called David a prophet. That means that Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon are also prophetic.
The central position of the Golden Lampstand has twelve decorations on it. These, quite obviously, denote the twelve “Minor” Prophets. They are so called due to the brevity of some of the books; e.g. – Obadiah is twenty-one verses long. However, these small books contain much prophecy about the coming Messiah and the End Times. It is interesting that these twelve books represent the central supporting staff of the lampstand, and the three branches indicating the twenty-seven books of the New Testament are attached to this central staff much like the “wild” olive branches grafted into the natural olive tree as described in Romans 11:13-24.
The remaining groups of books of the Bible will be discussed in the next lesson. Until then, study the Word and praise the name of the Lord!
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