How does internal evidence help us to confirm that thirty nine books comprise the Old Testament?

We know there are 39 books we have in our Old Testament and 30 writers contributed to the Old Testament and it took 1200 years to complete. They wrote different places, they wrote to different person to different people for different purposes and yet the message is the same throughout-so clearly those 39 Books are actually ONE Book and the message of the Holy Bible is Jesus Christ. God developed His program from Genesis to the Book of the Malachi.

Testament means Covenant. Covenant is an agreement between two people; God and man based on the death of something or someone. According to the writer of the Book Hebrews 9;16-18 Paul said “Covenant or Testament is worthless unless someone has died. So in the Old Testament, God entering in to a relationship with man based on the death of the substitutionary sacrifice of an animal.

In the New Testament, our Lord Jesus Christ died in the cross for our sin to free us from the bondage (slavery) and build a bridge for us with God to have eternal life. So Old Testament is like a bud of the flower. This bud is the Old Testament and the flower is the New Testament. The first five Books of the Old Testament are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy; these five Books are known as the Law. The Law of Moses what God Himself gave him in the Mount of Sinai. We have 12 historical Books, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1st.Samuel, 2nd. Samuel, 1st. Kings, 2nd. Kings, 1st. Chronicles, 2nd. Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther. We have 5 Books of Poetry, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. We have our Major Prophets, consists of five Major Prophets Books; Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations (written by Jeremiah), Ezekiel and Daniel. Five Books in number but four authors. The last 12 Books of the Old Testament, the Minor Prophets Books; Hoses, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zachariah and Malachi. So we have these 39 Books in our Old Testament. Five Books of the Law and twelve Books of history gives us a total of 17 historical Books. Five Books of Poetry. Five Major Prophets Books and 12 Minor Prophets Books gives us a total of 17 Prophetical Books and these are not accident and God has especial purpose or plan for it.

Old Testament presented to us in a manner that we can understand and becomes for us that guide for practise and faith. Apostle Paul says in Roman 15;4 for everything that was written in the past (Old Testament) was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. We must have better understand who created us (of course God) and called us into His Service, we might preach and teach this Great News (Gospel) to others.

When the writers wrote this Testaments, during the time their writing they didn’t dream or had the list of idea that besides been preserves through the generation. Their writing was eventually be compiled into the systematic organised grouping which we know called the Old Testament designed by God Himself. The Gospel of grace of God through His crucified, buried and resurrection. Under this heading we have the history of Israel and Judah covering the time period from creation and eternity passed, down to the time of Malachi, approximately 400BC. Actually the history of the Jewish nation from the book of Genesis to Nehemiah, when he returned to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem on 444BC is contained in the book of Genesis through Nehemiah with excluding of Malachi which has written after the time of Nehemiah and the book of Job which may be at least be equal to or precede the book of Genesis in its date of authorship. We have the entire history of Israel contained in this book of the Law and the books of the history.

As we read our Old Testament we read from Genesis down through Deuteronomy and then Joshua through Nehemiah, we have completed that period of history from creation down to 444BC. When we get to Esther and the books of poetry and the Major and Minor Prophets we are entering in to those books which take place back during the time covered by the books of the history. The writers of all this books were most chosen man by God who delivered us His message through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and those are all God’s divine word.

In our English Bible we have 39 books which are correct. But now days we can see few Bible have 46 books in the Old Testament. (Example; the New Jerusalem Bible). The Old Testament books such as 1st and 2nd. Esther, The books of Obit, Judith, Susana, Baruch, 1st. and 2nd. Maccabeus, all of those books were written between 200 BC and 100 AD and some of these are contained in the Old Testament, believed by some to be the word of God. But our English Bible (Even Bengali Version) contained 39 books. This also provides which will allow us to believe and to know for certain that our Old Testament is the complete word of God.

If there are more than 39 books in the Old Testament and if in fact some of these books are in our Old Testament, then we have several problems that we must face. In the book of Baruch 3;4 says, “Almighty Lord, God of Israel, hear the prayer of the dead Israel of the son’s of those who have sinned against You and have not listened to the voice of the Lord their God, hence the disasters that have seized on us.” We end up with soul sleep, purgatory and other theological difficulties.

So we must believe without any sort of doubt that these 39 books contain the entire word of God and theologically this 39 books are true. Even Jesus Himself said Luke 24;44, “This is what I told you while I was still with you; Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

Law, Prophets and Psalm, our Risen Lord. He recognises us with three divisions which the Jew and the New Testaments times call scripture. These three divisions were recognised by the Jewish during the day of our Lord as containing the entire body of the Old Testament.

According to the Jewish historian F. Josephus, lived from 37 AD, to sometime after 97 AD who was a priest historian, prescribed that Jewish have 22 Books which contains all the records of all the past times which are justly believe to be divined of them 5 belongs books to the Prophet Moses which contains his Law given by God. Historian F. Josephus recognised these three divisions (The Law, The Prophets and The Psalms).

Now we will check our 39 books with the 22 books of the Jewish. Priest and historian F. Josephus recognised the Law in the books of the Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Total five books of Law, what we mentioned earlier.

The second grouping call the prophets also mentioned by our Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 24;44), contains two section.

In the 1st. section—The former Prophets containing Joshua, Judges and Ruth, 1st. and 2nd. Samuel (One Book). 1st. and 2nd. Kings (one book) for a total of 4 books.

In the 2nd. Section--- The Prophets known as the letter Prophets, contained, 1) Isaiah 2) Jeremiah 3) Lamentations 4) Ezekiel and twelve minor Prop0hets are in one book for a total of four books.

In the 3rd. Section---1) Psalms 2) Proverbs 3) Job 4)Songs of Solomon 5) Ecclesiastes 6) Esther 7) Daniel (Not a Prophet according to Jewish). 8) The writers Ezra and Nehemiah 9)1st & 2nd. Chronicles, for a total of 9 books. So five books of the Law, 4 books of the former Prophets, 4 books of the letters of the Prophets and 9 books in the writing, Total for a books of 22, these 22 books are contains in the three sections. The Law, The Prophets and The Psalms and these books are recognised by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Exactly the same 39 books we have in our Old Testament which one comprise the complete the Old Testament canon.

We see Luke 11;51 “From the blood of Abel to the blood of Zachariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary, Yes I tell you this generation will be held responsible for it all.”

2nd. Chronicles 24;20-23 where Prophet Zachariah was stoned to death.(800 BC). On Jeremiah 26; 20-23, where king Jehoiakim brought Uriah out of Egypt and beheaded him (600BC). That is why Jesus said that the blood of Abel to the blood of Zachariah who was killed for the Word of God. These Pharisees will be held responsible for it all. Because these are the people who killed those prophets those who spoke on behalf of God by the power of the Holy Spirit.

So these 22 books of Jewish from Genesis to the Chronicles and our Old Testament from Genesis to the book of Malachi this 39 books contained entire Word of God and called Scripture and these are all true fact.