START READING THE OLD TESTAMENT

The Bible can seem overwhelming, especially the Old Testament. So much is unfamiliar: ancient rites and rituals, tribal culture and kingdom states, blood sacrifices and ancient covenants.


However, the Bible is driven by one huge plot line: the Kingdom of God. The saving God is at work to bring humanity back into friendship with him and overthrow the rule and power of sin. In all the details a saving God is revealed. This God will be king over his people and bring them under his loving rule.

We’ll see this in two parts:

  • Jesus taught that he was bringing the Kingdom of God

  • Two Old Testament passages that reveal the plotline of the whole Bible - the Kingdom of God.

And below that some resources

  • A one page PDF showing the theme of the Kingdom of God across the whole Bible.

  • A PDF share of the timeline (chronology) of the Bible to see how the Old Testament unfolds.

KINGDOM OF GOD COMES WITH JESUS

When Jesus kicks off his ministry in Mark’s Gospel he introduces it in a very specific way with huge implications.

Mark 1:14    After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Jesus has good news. He calls people to repent and believe that good news. And the good news is that the Kingdom of God has come near, for the time has come. The gospel, the good news of God is explained as the Kingdom of God that was far away or out of reach is now near.

This points us forward in time. The Kingdom of God is near, because Jesus is on the scene. His coming heralds the coming of God’s Kingdom. And so, the reader will see in Mark’s Gospel that Jesus is the Christ, the King of God’s Kingdom (Mark 8:29-30, 14:60-62). And it is by his death he will enable those who repent to enter this kingdom of his (Colossians 1:12 cf Mark 8:31, 10:45).

And it points us back in time. If the ‘time has come’, then the Kingdom of God is something that Jesus thinks is known about and even promised. And is now coming. As we explore the Old Testament below we’ll see this idea of a promised Kingdom.

Mark 1 is a pivot point in a large story line of a Kingdom that was promised and is now near and coming with Jesus.

Let’s look at two key passages to understand the theme of whole Bible - the Kingdom of God: Genesis 12:1-3 and 2 Samuel 7.

The shape of the Story - The promise of the Kingdom - Genesis 12:1-3

Genesis chapters 1-2 show God’s greatness and goodness as the Creator. And they reveal his loving rule over humanity. God was with his people, Adam and Eve in the garden. They were in his presence and living under his rule. But they rebel against his rule when they reject his command and eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 3-11, in summary, shows the calamitous effects of human rebellion and wickedness. Genesis 12 is a great turning point.

Genesis 12 lays out God’s great plan of salvation for the world. Here is the passage:

1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonours you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

The Lord God knows Abram and promises him

  • A place - a land, verse 1

  • A people - his descendants will be a great nation, verse 2

  • A great name - verse 2

  • His rule - I will bless those who bless you, verse 3.

This sets up the pattern for the whole Bible. Yes, the whole Bible. God is bringing about a place for people to be with him. He will create and bring his people to that place. They will have his blessing and live under his rule. God will bring the Kingdom of God. The Lord God is going to do that through Abram and his descendants (the Israelities).

But, don’t miss God’s great purpose in this. His goal is that through these promises he will bless all the families of the earth. This plan isn’t just for Abraham and the Israelites. It is a plan for the whole world. This is God’s great plan to overturn sin, wickedness and the curse, bringing salvation to the world.

On the link One page on the big theme of the Bible you can see this laid out for the whole Bible. You might like to print it out.

THE KING OF THE STORY - A DAVIDIC KING - 2 Samuel 7

As the plot unfolds throughout the Old Testament, the nation of Israel grows to be a great nation of 12 tribes. They settle in the land of Canaan, according to the promises of God. But we see that there is still something missing. The Israelites are not truly living under God’s rule.

God’s great plan to bring this about is through a saving ruler - the Messiah. This introduces the idea of kingship to the Israelites (althought the Lord, God, was always meant to be there king). A key character comes onto the scene - David. David is the type of the great King, the suffering king, the serving king through whom God will rescue his people and rule over them. The Lord God makes a promise to David that will bring about the fulfillment of Genesis 12. Here is part of God’s promise to David through the prophet Nathan.

2 Samuel chapter 7 verse 12 to 16

12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’” 

There is so much to discover here and worth reflecting on. But for the moment, notice that it is through a descendent of David, his offspring, God will ‘build a house for my name’. And that this king, in David’s line, will rule forever by the decree of God, ‘I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever’. The promise is so critical it is repeated in verse 16. God will be at work in and through David’s descendants. One of them will establish and rule a kingdom that lasts forever. A forever king is promised and he will bring the Kingdom of God.

From this point forward in the Old Testament a significant focus of the plot is the search for the true King, the forever King. This forever King is the Messiah (Hebrew language) or the Christ (Greek language).

More and more promises build on this in the Old Testament. See, for instance, Isaiah 9. Or Ezekial 38.

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
    there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice and righteousness
    from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

And when Jesus comes, we meet this Davidic King.

MEET THE KING

In Mark, Luke, John and Matthew Jesus is introduced as the descendent of David (the Christ). Each gospel does this in it’s own way. But each are consistent that Jesus comes to fulfill the promises of God as the Davidic King. Check out the first verse of Matthew’s Gospel:

This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:

The whole gospel is framed as being part of the story of David and Abraham and in fulfilment of them.

The great promises given to Abraham, narrow down to a messianic king. It is the forever King who fulfils them. He brings God’s rule through the Holy Spirit and his word, God’s place (new creation) and the blessing of salvation) And thus, Paul can write in 2 Corinthians 1:20

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD

The whole Bible is the plotline of the lost and coming kingdom of God.
Adam and Eve were in the Kingdom of God in the Garden of Eden. They were under his rule, they knew him and they knew his word. They were safe in his care.

But then, by rejecting God’s commands and warnings, they rejected his rule. They lost the kingdom of God. But the story of the Bible is the story of God restoring the Kingdom of God, with Jesus as the rightful king, who enables the lost to be found, the enemy to be reconciled and the wicked to be forgiven.

Next steps

  1. DOwnload These PDFS to Help you read the Whole Bible

Here are two PDF documents to help you explore and understand the whole Bible. They don’t cover every detail but that’s not their goal. It’s to help you get a big picture.

One page on the big theme of the Bible: The Kingdom of God.

God is bringing about his kingdom. His place is for his people to be with him and under his loving rule through Jesus.
We can explore this theme in the Bible through: God’s people, God’s place, God’s rule and blessing.

Download the one page PDF summarising the whole Bible.

If you’d like to read more on this I’d recommend: God’s Big Picture by Vaughan Roberts, According to Plan by Graeme Goldsworthy or Gospel and Kingdom by Graeme Goldsworthy

Timeline for the whole Bible

This is three pages with a timeline of the events in the Bible and then a really short summary of the books or groups of books of the Bible with the timing along the side.

Download the PDF of the timeline for the whole Bible here.

2. WHat to Read in the Old TEstament

  1. Read Genesis 1 to 3 to understand the framework of the whole Bible.

  2. Read Genesis 12 to 15 to see God’s great promises to Abraham

  3. Read 2 Samuel 7 to see God’s promise to David which are fulfilled in Jesus Christ

  4. Now you’re ready to read the historical books of the Bible Genesis to 2 Kings. Just tackle a chapter or half a chapter a day and watch the great story unfold.

Taking this further

I’m very thankful for the way God has used men like Graeme Goldsworthy and now Vaughan Roberts to open up God’s word to us.

Online:

I can recommend the online video series God’s Big Picture by Vaughan Roberts. Found at: Clayton TV free course.

Books:

God’ Big Picture by Vaughan Roberts
Gospel & Kingdom by Graeme Goldsworthy
According to Plan by Graeme Goldsworthy