One Story, From Beginning to Fulfillment
"These are the very Scriptures that testify about me."
— John 5:39 (CSB)
The Old Testament can feel intimidating when we first open it. There are thirty-nine books filled with unfamiliar names and places, ancient laws, kings and kingdoms, songs of joy and sorrow, and prophets calling God's people to return to Him. At first, it can seem like many different stories gathered into one very large book.
But the Old Testament is much more than that.
From Genesis to Malachi, one story is unfolding. It begins with God creating a good world and humanity turning away from Him. It continues as God calls Abraham, forms a covenant people, rescues Israel from slavery, gives His instruction, raises up kings and prophets, and patiently works through generations of imperfect people. Again and again, people wander, yet again and again, God remains faithful. Through every generation, His purposes continue moving forward.
The Old Testament reveals a God who is holy and just, but also merciful, patient, compassionate, and faithful. It shows us why the world is broken, why humanity needs redemption, and why no human king, priest, prophet, or system could fully restore what sin had damaged.
Gradually, a promise begins to take shape. A Deliverer will come. A faithful King will reign. A Shepherd will care for God's people, a new covenant will be written on the heart, God's Spirit will be poured out, and the nations will be blessed.
By the time we reach Malachi, the story is still waiting for its fulfillment. That is where Jesus enters.
The Scriptures Jesus Knew
When Jesus spoke of "the Scriptures," He was speaking about the writings we now call the Old Testament. These were the words He heard as a child, read in the synagogue, memorized, quoted, prayed, and taught throughout His ministry. He spoke of Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, Elijah, Jonah, and the prophets. He quoted the Law, the Psalms, and the Prophets when teaching about God, faith, mercy, marriage, prayer, worship, justice, and the Kingdom.
When Satan tempted Him in the wilderness, Jesus answered with Deuteronomy. When asked about the greatest commandment, He turned again to Moses. When He announced His mission in Nazareth, He read from Isaiah. When He taught about His identity and coming Kingdom, He drew from the Psalms and the Prophets. Even while suffering on the cross, the words of Scripture were on His lips.
Jesus did not treat the Old Testament as an outdated collection of religious writings. He showed that these Scriptures revealed the character of His Father and prepared the way for God's plan of redemption.
After His resurrection, Jesus made this connection even clearer. Walking with two disciples on the road to Emmaus, He began with Moses and the Prophets and explained how the Scriptures pointed toward the Messiah. The story they had been reading all their lives had been leading somewhere.
It had been leading to Him.
Reading the Old Testament with Jesus in View
This does not mean that every verse is a hidden prediction about Jesus. The Old Testament contains history, law, poetry, wisdom, prophecy, worship, lament, and covenant instruction, and each passage should first be understood within the setting in which it was written.
But when we step back and look at the whole story, we begin to see how its pieces fit together. Creation helps us understand what was lost, while the Fall explains why redemption is needed. The covenant with Abraham introduces God's promise to bless the nations, and the Exodus reveals a God who rescues. The sacrifices teach the seriousness of sin and the need for atonement, while the kings reveal humanity's longing for a faithful ruler. The prophets call wandering hearts home and promise something greater still to come, and the Psalms give voice to worship, sorrow, hope, and trust.
Through all of it, God's promises continue moving toward their fulfillment.
This Companion is designed to help you see that larger story while still allowing each biblical book to speak in its own voice. We will ask what each book meant to the people who first received it, consider its place in God's unfolding plan, notice what it reveals about God's character, and see how Jesus referred to its people, teachings, and themes.
We will also remember an important truth: the Bible honestly records human behavior without approving everything people did. Its heroes are often deeply flawed. Kings fail, God's people rebel, and even faithful men and women make serious mistakes.
Their failures are not the center of the story. God's faithfulness is.
The Beginning of a Journey
As we begin with Genesis, we are stepping into a story that stretches from creation to covenant, from promise to fulfillment, and ultimately toward the restoration of all things.
Along the way we will meet Abraham and Sarah, Moses and Miriam, Ruth and David, Elijah and Isaiah, Jeremiah and Daniel, and many others. Some will inspire us, while others will disappoint us. Some passages may challenge us or raise difficult questions. Through all of them, however, one Person remains constant: God.
He is the Creator who does not abandon His creation, the Father who continues calling wandering people back to Himself, and the Covenant Keeper whose promises do not fail. He is also the God who, when the time was right, sent His Son into the world.
So as we open the Old Testament, we are not simply studying ancient history. We are beginning the story of the Scriptures Jesus knew, loved, quoted, and fulfilled.
Come. Walk through them with Him.
The story begins in Genesis.
