The order of the books of the Bible came together in 1611 A.D. after King James authorized the Church of England to compile an English translation in 1604 A.D. It is quite a fascinating study. After seven years, the translators placed the order of the books into the order that we have today.
The Old Testament was laid out by subject:
History
Poetry
Prophecy
The New Testament was laid out by dispensation:
The Four Gospels comprising the Old Testament until the cross
Acts is the transition from Jews to Gentiles
The Pauline Epistles aka the Church Age
Hebrews through Revelation comprise of the Tribulation to Eternity
Hermeneutics explains the Holy Ghost-inspired layout of the Bible. However, it can make the Old Testament confusing when trying to line up the order of events. The purpose of this lesson isn't to study the history of Israel, but rather, to piece together the order of events to make studying the Old Testament easier.
Genesis through 2 Samuel is pretty straightforward. After Israel was split, the narrative jumps between the two kingdoms. Israel was officially divided in 1 Kings 12 and 2 Chronicles 10 into Northern Israel (comprised of ten parts) and Judah (comprised of Judah and Benjamin).
For simplicity sake, I am going to post some images that give a breakdown of Israel's history for quick reference.
