Dr. T. J. Betts of Southern Baptist Theological Seminar illustrated the Christ-centeredness of the Old Testament with the late TV show, “24."

This popular TV show features the interrogating, terrorist hunter, Jack Bauer.

Each season untangles a new terrorist plot that usually falls on the shoulders of Jack to unwind and defuse. But if you jumped into one of the middle episodes without seeing the previous one, you’d have a little trouble figuring out what’s going on. In fact, you might misinterpret several characters and events. The same is true of Scripture. Although the books of the Bible are written in various genres (poetry, narrative, prophecy, letters, etc.) they all ultimately have the same author with the same big story, placing Christ at its center.

No story of the Old Testament was intended by God to be an isolated story all by itself, standing in mid-air. Each little story is part of the huge narrative of God calling out a people to Himself. We must back up until we can see where the little story is headed and how it finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ.