Module 4: Poetic Books
Hi everyone, and welcome to the fourth module for the Old Testament survey course. In this section, we'll be working through the Poetic books of the Old Testament.
Below you will find links to all the study material for this module
Module Objectives & Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this module, the student will:
- Place the Major OT people, events and books of the Poetic Books in a general chronology.
- Explain the main message(s), organization, theme(s), and/or character(s) of the Poetic Books.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the character of God as revealed through His revelation in the praise and wisdom literature of the Poetic Books.
- Consider how God’s revelation through the Poetic Books applies in the student’s life and ministry.
Instruction Documents
In this section, you'll find links to the instruction documents for this module. There is an instruction document for an individual student studying on their own. And there is an instruction document for students working through this material with a group. Click the links below to access those documents.
Bible/Textbook Reading
In this section, you'll find links to the list of required Bible and textbook reading for this module. The student should read the assigned Bible portions and respond according to the instructions contained in the Bible Response Reflection or Discussion documents found below. The student may read the assigned portions of the Textbook before the lectures, or they may wait and read them after the lectures to serve as review, and to fill in any additional information the student may wish to know. Click the link below to access this document.
Bible Response Reflection Journal/Discussion
The student will choose one or more portions from the assigned Bible reading for this module and write a journal and/or discuss with their group based on that Bible passage. As you read from the Old Testament, let it be a devotional experience. Detailed instructions for this activity are given below. Click the link to see the instructions for individual journaling or the instructions for group discussion.
Lecture Videos
In this section, you will find the video lectures for the Poetic Books module. They are designed to be watched in order, but each video should make sense on its own. Before each video, there is a link to a study guide for that lecture and a link to blank, fill-in notes for that lecture. Click each banner to open access to each video. There is also a link with each video if you prefer to watch on the Rumble or YouTube interface. In addition, there is a link to download the audio from the presentation for offline review. And after most of the lectures, there is a link to a summary sheet for the Bible book(s) covered in that lecture. Click each link to access those documents
Intro to the Poetic Books
Job
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Or you may push the buttons below to expand or collapse the entire outline:
Outline of Job
Psalms
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Outline of Psalms
This outline is taken from The Wisdom Literature and Psalms, by James E. Smith
Proverbs
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Outline of Proverbs
(much of this outline is dependent on Bruce Waltke)
Ecclesiastes
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Outline of Ecclesiastes
Song of Songs
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Outline of Song of Songs
Reviews
In this section, you will find the review slides from the course lectures for module 4. This is a convenient way to view and review the summaries for each lecture. Click the banner to begin the slide show.
Click the prev.
and next
buttons (bottom right of the slide) to move through the slides. You can also click on any thumbnail to go directly to that slide.
It is highly recommended that the student recite these reviews out loud as an aid to memory. Some memory aids and tricks were mentioned in the Lectures for some of the summaries (e.g. SCRuB). The student should also brainstorm any shorthand memory aids to help them commit these review summaries to memory. The student should not just attempt to memorize the summaries, but also to use the summaries as a framework to understand and retain the nature and content of the Old Testament.
Course Material Response Reflection
The Student will choose one or more items from either the Video Lectures or the Course Textbook which stood out as personally significant to them. The student will then reflect and write on the item(s); how it/they challenged or added to their current understanding, and how their worldview, life, and/or ministry should be affected by their new understanding.
Detailed instructions for this activity can be found by clicking the link below:
Timeline - Step Four
The student will research and present an Old Testament Timeline in seven steps over the course of all seven modules.
Step Four of the Timeline should include the following information:
- The events, characters, and Bible books for each of the Poetic Books.
- These should be appropriately placed in the historical epochs as displayed in the first step of this project.
If you are working through this material in a group, the group leader may choose for the Timeline to be constructed as a group activity during the group meeting time.
Detailed instructions for this activity can be found by clicking the link below:
Review Quiz
This section contains a review quiz to test your understanding of the objective material for Module 4. By clicking the banner, you will be taken to a series of questions, in random order. Answer each question and then push the Submit
button to check your answers. Every question must be answered before you can submit the quiz. At the end, you will be shown your score for the entire quiz. The quiz will be different each time, so feel free to take it more than once. Click the banner to begin the quiz.
Here is a review quiz for the material covered in this module's lectures. Click the button next to the best answer for each question, or drag each term to its best definition. Then press the button at the bottom to see if your answers are correct.
Discussion/Reflection/Essay Questions
This section contains some questions for further thought and discussion from Module 4. These questions can also be used as essay questions in a classroom setting exam. It is recommended that you take time to think through these issues in order to thoroughly grasp the significance and explore the application of the material you are learning. These questions are generated from a larger group of possible questions, so they will likely be different every time you open this banner. You may reopen this banner to see different questions. Click the banner to view the questions.
The following questions are for your thoughtful consideration and discussion:
- How can the Book of Ecclesiastes be used to reach our culture with the good news of Jesus?
- What is meant by "Advance Choices" in Proverbs, and how does this apply to your own life?
- What does it mean that the Psalms are "historically ambiguous, to be universally applicable"? What difference does this make for how we read and apply the Psalms?
- What are the three "life contexts" of the Book of Psalms? How do each apply to life and ministry today?
Module Completed!
Congratulations, you have reached the end of the fourth module. I hope that you have found it rewarding and have noticed personal growth.
I encourage you to continue on to the next module as soon as is convenience. The button below will take you to Module 5.
