Texas Baptist Bible College
P.O. Box 16567
Fort Worth, Texas 76123-0567
POETICAL BOOKS
This class was taught by Rev. Robin Webb during the Fall Semester 2011
These classes were archived using a different format than we are using now. Please excuse the poor quality of these videos. We will replace this archive when we re-teach this course. Thank you for your understanding.
The first seventeen books of the Bible, "Genesis through Nehemiah, cover the whole history of the Old Testament. All the remaining books, Poetical and Prophetical, fit somewhere into the history of those seventeen books. The Poetical Books ...consists of five books—Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon.
Before examining them, we should note certain characteristics that all of these five books have.
The first seventeen books of the Bible are historical. These five poetical books are experiential. The seventeen historical books are concerned with a nation, as such. These five poetical books are concerned with individuals, as such. The seventeen have to do with the Hebrew race. These five have to do with the human heart. These five so-called “poetical books” are not the only poetry in the Old Testament Scriptures. There are stretches of unexcellable poetry in the writings of the prophets, which will be discovered during the Major and Minor Prophets Courses.
We ought clearly to understand, also, that the term “poetical” refers only to their form. It must not be thought to imply that they are simply the product of human imagination.… These books portray real human experience, and grapple with profound problems, and express big realities. Especially to they concern themselves with the experiences of the godly, in the varying vicissitudes of this changeful life which is ours under the sun …" J. Hampton Keithley, III, The Poetical Books