Big Picture of the Bible - Old Testament
Preface

God. Who exactly is God? How can I be certain He exists? What should I know about Him?

Perhaps you're like me, and you've reached a point in life where you've started asking these questions. When I started asking these questions, my mother very wisely advised me to explore the Bible for the answers I sought about God. She told me to read the Bible and "let God speak to me." I was a teenager when I started that journey, and didn't yet have the maturity and wisdom to understand what she meant, but nevertheless I decided to take her advice.

The first time I tried to read the Bible and encountered Jesus on its pages, I had even more questions: Who is Jesus? Can I believe His promise of eternal life? Should I put my faith in Him as my Savior? Since I wanted God to answer my questions, I decided to read the Bible from cover to cover and "let God speak to me" as my mother had suggested.

Despite my ambitious intentions, I didn't quite make it all the way through the Bible, yet God still spoke to my heart and planted a strong desire in me to get to know Him better through the Bible - His Word.

Bible reading became a regular part of my life, but I still didn't understand much of what I was reading. What is it saying? All the different books and stories about so many people and their relationships with God - they just didn't seem to be connected. I reached a crossroads in my Bible-reading journey where I could continue "just reading" or really make a determined effort to better understand God's Word. After investing in several study aids to guide me on my journey, I turned serious about my Bible study. Not so amazingly, the more I studied, the more I understood and saw that books and people are connected. They are sequels of the same story and communicate the same message of God's Plan of Redemption and Salvation for all mankind. This is the message that resonates throughout the pages of both the Old and New Testaments and is the Big Picture of the Bible.

The overall message of the Bible became clear to me after countless hours of reading and study. It is God's Plan of Redemption and Salvation and the books of the Bible fit together like pieces of a puzzle to complete that picture. How wonderful it would be if I could share the rewards of that study with others - to help them see the Big Picture of the Bible. This study is the result of that effort. Please use this as a tool to assist you in your Bible reading - not as a substitute. It's designed to help you better understand the Bible's message. Emphasis is on scriptures that refer to God's Plan of Redemption and Salvation and show how Jesus Christ fulfilled that plan.

My prayer for you is that God will plant in you a strong desire to read His Word more often and more consistently. God wants to speak to you. Allow Him to speak to you through the pages of the Bible.