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The history of the ancient people of Israel was written down, almost as early as any civilisation's history has been recorded. Most of this history is contained in the Hebrew Bible, known to Christians as the Old Testament, and to Jews as the Tenakh. This history is not just any old history; it is sacred history, where events are understood from a theological perspective. That is to say, the people who recorded the events of their lifetime and the events of previous generations interpreted what they knew in terms of God's involvement in their affairs. And these histories form part of sacred scriptures for millions of people who accept the message contained therein: that God can intervene in human affairs to work out his purpose for humans on earth; that God cares for his creation and chooses to exercise this power.

For Jews and Christians especially then, the love that God has for humankind is shown in the way he shaped the historical events recorded in the books of the Hebrew Bible. This history is therefore a revelation of God's nature, as well as a clue to his purpose. As such it is critically important for faith, and truths perceived in this history may not be ignored by the devout believer.

Understanding this history is crucial. Jews believe this history has revealed to them the fact that they were chosen by God to be his special people. Some non-Jewish people are shocked or even offended by this idea, but the explanation is not that God believed the Jews to be better than other nations, but that he had a special plan for them: he chose them for a task, which was to set themselves apart and worship him in a special way. The history of ancient Israel is littered with examples of times when the whole nation fails to succeed in this task, and there are plenty of examples too of individuals, some who get it right, some who get it wrong, and some who get it right some of the time. Many religious people see this as a kind of paradigm for human life; they argue that most of us often struggle and sometimes fail to do God's will and to please him, even if we try, and many people (those who are non-religious, for example) fail nearly all the time, as they are not even trying. The Tenakh teaches those who read it to keep trying, but also helps make all of us aware of the difficulties inherent in life.

One major theme of this Old Testament history is that of covenant. The word means "agreement", (as does "testament", hence the Christian title) and this history is structured

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