The earlier the better.

 **Embrace this Fact Early: The Old Testament is Basically Jewish History 101**


Let’s get something straight from the get-go: when you read through the Old Testament, you’re essentially getting a crash course in Jewish history. God’s master plan was to reintroduce Himself to the world through the Jewish nation. But here’s the kicker—they didn’t quite get the memo and kept trying to keep God all to themselves. It’s like trying to hoard all the Wi-Fi at a party; it just doesn’t work that way.


Now, the big break-up between God and humanity? It didn’t actually happen in the Garden of Eden, despite popular opinion. Sure, Adam and Eve had their infamous apple incident (Genesis 3:6), but they spent the rest of their lives trying to patch things up with God. The real divide came at the Tower of Babel (around 2242 B.C.), when humanity decided to play "SimCity" and build a tower to the heavens (Genesis 11:4). That’s when God hit the reset button, scattering people across the earth and confusing their languages. Each group went its separate way, taking with them different forms of worship—and here’s where it gets wild—some even started worshipping whatever big thing they could find: mountains, trees, statues, you name it. There was also that floody season where God seemed ready to wipe out the entire lot (pun intended), but then He had a change of heart, like, "No-ah, let’s not do that."


God’s grand plan to bring people back to Him? Send prophets to redeem the Jews, and through them, the rest of the world (Jeremiah 1:5). By this time, "prophet" wasn’t just a title; it was a statement—like, "This person speaks for God" (or at least they claimed to considering false prophets). Unfortunately, this strategy didn’t go as planned, and it drove God to take the ultimate extreme measure—sacrificing Himself (John 3:16). By now, nations had moved on to worship anything sizable that seemed divine. It’s like humanity had an obsession with "big." Big mountains, big statues, big trees—anything impressive enough to bow down to.


This obsession with "big" as a symbol of the divine is a universal phenomenon. Every culture, including your own, has probably idolized something that’s larger than life. So, we’re building momentum towards the New Testament, the ultimate plot twist. Here, God decides to take a different route, shifting focus from the Jews to anyone who seeks after Him, regardless of nationality (Galatians 3:28). Christianity was born, started by Jews who broke away from Judaism. It’s like God started a new family, and the entry requirement? You must be born-again (John 3:3). Fascinating, right? That’s why we dive into the Bible and other historical books—to discover where we fit into this grand narrative.


For me, what really stands out in this epic tale is God’s endless patience with humanity, contrasted with our monumental arrogance. We’re naturally inclined towards evil—it’s almost like we enjoy it! Our salvation, and the salvation of the world, hinges entirely on humanity’s willingness to turn back to God (2 Peter 3:9). He’s so patient that He won’t wrap things up until the gospel has reached every corner of the earth (Matthew 24:14).


So, as you continue reading, remember that you’re not just flipping through ancient pages—you’re uncovering the rich, intricate history of God’s relationship with humanity. And who knows, maybe you’ll even find where you fit into this grand story. **Umeokoka?**

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