Category Archives: Teaching Topics

Do you plan to teach from the book of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, or the Song of Solomon? Sure, you may want help with curriculum to teach these books of the Bible. (You’ll find lesson ideas by clicking on the above links.) Before teaching Old Testament Poetic books, however, or maybe deciding not to teach them, remember the following tips.

Given that these books deal with issues and struggles we face in a fallen world, it makes them quite relevant for us today. They provide answers for how to deal with everyday living. We need to make sure that in teaching them, we get to the real essence of the solutions.

Remember These Tips for Teaching Old Testament Poetic Books

You’ll find the following tips in the Teaching the Real Message of the Bible Teacher Training Resource with some added input. Following these tips for teaching Old Testament Poetic Books will help us teach in ways that equip people to face life’s challenges and rise above them.

1. Don’t shy away from teaching these books, thinking there isn’t a lot of meat or doctrine to them. Everything “was written to teach us” (Rom. 15:4).
2. Use these books to point people to a God who truly cares about them as individuals.
3. Show people, through these books, how to express their true feelings, doubts, and fears.
4. Emphasize that the answer to life’s struggles is in a Person, not merely following a step-by-step plan.

In the beginning God created people in His image to be in a relationship with Him. Their choice to sin against His one restriction broke that relationship. Though God immediately began His work of restoring people, the consequences for sin remained. The Old Testament poetic books show individuals dealing with resultant struggles and needs.

Real-Life Issues Portrayed in the Old Testament Poetic Books

The five Old Testament Poetic Books each deal with the same issues we encounter today in our quest to live in a fallen world. (Click on the links below to go to curriculum on those books. In time resources will be provided for all the books.)

In the book of Job we see suffering and a quest to understand why God would allow good people to go through such hardships. — dealing with “why” questions

Through the Psalms we find a host of difficulties such as persecution, betrayal, and one’s own struggle to live upright. — dealing with emotions and reactions to difficulties

Proverbs provides many practical tips for living wisely. — dealing with everyday living

Ecclesiastes addresses our vain pursuits to make sense out of life. — dealing with the absurdities of life

In the Song of Solomon, two lovers longingly wait for the consummation of their relationship. — dealing with relationships and sexual desires

What Teaching from These Books Provides

While we may not find deep theological truths popping off the pages of these Old Testament Poetic Books, we do find God’s answer to the struggles and needs we face. Consequently, when teaching from these books we can point to a …

Sovereign God (Job)
Faithful God (Psalms)
Wise God (Proverbs)
Eternal & All-Knowing God (Ecclesiastes)
Loving God (Song of Solomon)

For some input on how these books of the Bible portray God in these ways, check out the Teaching the Real Message of the Bible Teacher Training Resource.

Also read: Tips for Teaching Old Testament Poetic Books

For Bible lessons, go to: Old Testament Poetic Books Curriculum Resources

In the Book of Acts we learn about the beginning of the Church, established by our Lord to be the “pillar and foundation of the truth” in this world (1 Tim. 3:15). With a mission to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8) and a purpose to love as He loves (Eph. 5:1-2), we need to function according to His design as a Body, members of one another (Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 12:12-27). Teaching New Testament Epistles will help people learn to be that kind of Church.

While these letters, written by the Apostles, do record some of the history of the Early Church, they primarily contain instructions for how followers of Jesus Christ live as the redeemed, as those “worthy of the Gospel” (Phil. 1:27). Certainly that should resonate with believers today.

How Teaching the New Testament Epistles Benefits Us Today

Throughout the various epistles we find much relevant teaching about …

church life,

and practical issues affecting daily life.

In these books we also find doctrinal truths that form the basis for functioning as the Church and dealing with the practical issues of life. The Apostles didn’t just give people rules to live by but also how they’re built on the foundation of our life in our Lord Jesus, on who He is and what He’s done. And, they point to God’s grace and power for us to live in accordance with who we are in Him.

To be the “pillar and foundation of the truth” in this world (1 Tim. 3:15), we must reflect His truth in the way we function as a Church and in how we live our daily lives. As such, we live as Jesus identified His followers. He said we are the “salt of the earth” (Matt. 5:13), seasoning the world with His grace and truth. And, He called us the “light of the world” (Matt. 5:14), a beacon shining the way in a dark world.

For more about teaching the New Testament Epistles, check out the Teaching the Real Message of the Bible Teacher Training Resource.

Also Read: Tips for Teaching New Testament Epistles

For Curriculum, Go To: New Testament Epistles Bible Lessons

The letters to early churches contain much instruction for believers today. Tips for teaching New Testament Epistles must lead to application of these guidelines to reap the benefit to church life and everyday living. Of course, that begins with a perspective that views God’s Word as supreme (2 Tim. 3:16-17), our standard. It also requires an attitude of humility, recognizing that we aren’t the ones who determine truth and what matters. We aim for God’s intent and purposes, not what we think.

Promote the Right Perspective and Attitudes by Using These Tips for Teaching New Testament Epistles

To gain the most benefit from these books of the Bible, we need to follow these tips for teaching New Testament Epistles:

1) Don’t shy away from teaching the doctrine in these books but do present it in a way that isn’t stuffy and dry.

… in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. (Titus 2:10)

2) Accurately present doctrine.

… must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. (Titus 2:1)

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (2 Tim. 2:15)

3) Stress why it’s important to stay true to God’s Word.

Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Tim. 4:16)

4) Guard against divisive quarreling over doctrine.

Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. (2 Tim. 2:23-26)

Check out the Teaching the Real Message of the Bible Teacher Training Resource for some added input to these tips.

For Curriculum, Go To: New Testament Epistles Bible Lessons