I once received a Jigsaw Puzzle as a present. I remember how quickly the excitement of opening up the gift wrapper fizzled out, as I lifted the box lid and saw a dizzying pack of tiny puzzle pieces! ‘How am I expected to put that together?’ I wondered. I would later find out there are tips and tricks for assembling 1000-piece puzzles, and even more complex ones.
Assembling a Jigsaw puzzle starts with the big picture on the box, so also does the work of discovering The Bible. For good measure, I’ll add that this assertion doesn’t in any way undermine the role of The Holy Spirit, rather, it displays it through the clarity the reader gains.
In order to understand the story of the Bible, it is helpful to employ a framework or idea that tells the story in its entirety. However, for such framework to be of any use to the reader at all, 2 things need to be true of it –
1) It must originate from the Bible itself rather than being pressed unto the Bible
2) It must be broad enough to allow each part that fits into it to make its own distinctive contribution
One such framework, presented by Graeme Goldsworthy in his Trilogy is ‘The kingdom of God ’. There are other themes that run through the Bible, but for the sake of this overview, we’ll be sticking to the pattern of The Kingdom, seen from the very outset of the Bible.
Bird’s eye-view
In Genesis, we see Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, depicting God’s people in God’s place, enjoying the attending blessings of God’s presence. Not long after, this setting is disrupted when they disobeyed God. Consequently, they are banished from God’s place, now under His judgement. God, in His love, is however determined to restore His kingdom.
Enter Abraham, a man chosen by God.
Through the Exodus, God makes Abraham’s descendants His people, takes them to Mount Sinai and gives them Laws, with His presence represented by the tabernacle. Under the leadership of Joshua, after Moses’ death, they enter the physical Promised Land (Canaan). By the time of Kings David and Solomon, they enjoy a time of peace and prosperity. After the death of Solomon, the disobedience of the people leads to the falling apart of Israel. This civil war leaves Israel (10 tribes, largely made up of Israel) in the North, and Judah (Judah and Benjamin) in the South. After about 200 years of separate existence, the Northern kingdom is vanquished by the Assyrians in 722BC and the Southern kingdom hangs on for 1 century more, before being destroyed and exiled into Babylon. During this period, God speaks to His people through the prophets – Isaiah & Micah in the South, while Amos & Hosea go up North. The prophets explained that they were being punished because of their sins.
Mercifully, God orchestrated the return of His people from exile. Prophets like Nehemiah, oversaw the rebuilding of the temple and its walls and kept pointing to the future hope, a time when God would act through the coming messiah
The Old Testament ends at this point, followed by a period of about 400 years of silence.
In time, John the Baptist steps up stage and breaks the silence, preparing the way for Jesus’ advent. In His coming, Jesus made a statement of the ‘now but not yet’ kingdom of God. His life, teaching, miracles and resurrection attested to His nature as the God-man. His ascension signalled the end of the beginning and now He’s not yet returned because He is assembling the people of his kingdom. So the King awaits the moment of His final and ultimate enthronement at His second coming.
The book of Revelation concludes the story with the image of a Kingdom heading to a time of full restoration.
Granted, this is a lot to grasp in one sitting! Of course it is, but not without warrant. An overview is not only helpful but necessary for us to make sense of the Bible. Subsequent posts will seek to help us process important details at a much slower pace. Do stay tuned.
Thanks for reading!
Sike Osinuga