What's in a title?

As I write this, there is a week of the school term left, and I find myself wondering again where the term has gone! A new school term brought with it a new semester of study with the Timothy Partnership, and another opportunity to study God’s word and be encouraged and equipped in ministering to others. The subject I am doing is OT 202, which unfathomably seems to have three different titles. But I am glad, because each gives a slightly different, and helpful, perspective on what the subject is about.
‘Old Testament Prophets and Writings’ is written on the front of the study guided provided for the subject, which contains all the notes and the core readings. This title gives me a clue which books of the Bible will be looked at (in our Bibles, basically an overview of everything from Chronicles to the end of the Old Testament).
The ACT (Australian College of Theology) title for this subject is ‘From Israel to Judea’, and this title helps me to understand the historical perspective and the changes in the nation of Israel and their situation amongst the nations around them over this period. It has been exciting to see the connection between this and the things I learnt last semester in looking at the background to the gospels.
The prospectus calls the subject ‘Judgement and Restoration’. I think this is a theological title, and for me it summarises what God is doing in dealing with his people – both his people Israel, and his people all over the world. We have seen as we have looked at the prophets that God’s judgement of Israel and the promised judgement of the nations around them is a foretaste of the judgement to come and God’s punishment of his Son in our place; and that the restoration of Israel and the return to the land is not all there is – it looks forward to the restoration of God’s people brought by the Messiah, and the return to Eden. And just this last week we have been looking at Ezekiel, and have been reminded that God's glory and majesty are the basis for both judgement and restoration, so we have seen more of who God is and what he is like.
We keep being reminded of the way that all of the prophets, and indeed all of the Old Testament, looks forward to Jesus, and the way that all that God is doing in history revolves around bringing all things under his headship. Maybe having so many different titles does that too – points to Jesus and each of the different titles given to him, that all tell us something of who he is!