The Big Picture Story Bible

I am excited to recommend The Big Picture Story Bible! I have been on a search for a good Bible story book for Elisabeth, and am pleased that I have found one.

However, it is not a conventional Bible story book. Rather, it is what its title suggests: about the Big Picture, both visually and thematically.

You won't find Goliath or Jonah in these pages, because its purpose is not to recount all the Bible stories, but to tell the Biblical story. In 26 parts (11 OT and 15 NT), it tells the story of creation, fall, promise, hope, fulfillment, redemption and anticipation of consumation. Better than any children's bible I have encountered, it puts all the Bible stories in their historical and theological framework - in a way that a 2 year-old can take in, because it is done in narrative form. It does a particularly good job of showing how the OT history fits together in the context of redemptive history and how all along the way, the LORD was predicting and prefiguring the coming forever King.

Quite honestly, I wish that I had had The Big Picture Story Bible or something like it when I was young, because although I knew all the Bible stories backward and forward, I didn't get the Biblical story until much later.

How does this Bible do it so effectively? Its language is kingdom saturated. Of the fall, it reads,

"Adam and Eve chose to doubt God's goodness.
They chose to disobey God's word.
They did not let God be king over them" (42)

When the people rebelled after the giving of the law at Sinai, it recounts:

"Many of them doubted God's Word was good.
Many of them disobeyed God's Word.
Many of them did not let God be king over them" (136).

In announcing the birth of Jesus, it uses these words:

"God, the world's true ruler,
the king of the universe,
was getting ready to show everyone how great he was . . .
God was going to keep his promise of a forever king" (239).

Of the ascension:

"And then suddenly Jesus left them.
He was lifted up into the sky.
He took his throne in heaven and began his kingly rule (417).

Regarding the preaching of the apostles:

"And as the good news of God's kingdom spread,
still more people repented and believed" (423).

I think there is a place for "Bible story" books like the ones that I grew up with. In fact, I think that they are immensely helpful when read in the context of salvation history. I love that this book, filled with wonderful illustrations, clearly presents to Elisabeth the great themes of redemption for what they are: the meaning of human history.