note: you will want your family to be familiar with the Bible Storyline before introducing this worksheet.

Engage

Give students their worksheets and read the following aloud:

Think of the circle in the middle of your page as a treasure map of the Bible. Each slice of the circle is a scroll or book of the Bible. The scrolls and books are also grouped in sections. Each section has a special purpose. Your map has labels on it – like Torah, Prophets, and Writings – so you can easily find each section.

The treasure in the middle of the map is a world where people live by God’s wisdom. It is a beautiful world where no one is hungry or sick. Even now, God is leading us on a path towards that world.

The Bible’s storyline is part of that path. Following that path will help us see the path forward.

Today we’ll see where each covenant story fits on our map of the Bible. That way, when we turn to a specific book we can have a good idea of what story we’re in and how it is moving us forward.

To help us label these stories on our map, we’ll watch a video overview of the Old Testament, also known as the TaNaK. 

As we watch, listen for where Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David show up in the story. Also, listen for the following: 

• what the TaNaK offers in its final shape
• the basic plot conflict of the entire Bible and its solution
• Moses’ prediction and hope at the end of the Torah

Conversation Guide

3. The TaNaK tells a huge story from the perspective of what God is doing. All stories have a problem or conflict that the storyteller seeks to solve. According to this video, what is the basic plot conflict of the entire Bible and its solution?

[God wants to rule the world through humans, but humans are the problem. Therefore, the solution is a new kind of human.]

4. The new kind of human that the Bible points toward is one who will want to partner with God and reflect His rule. God wants to bless the whole world with his rest, but the Torah tells the stories of humans who repeat the first story over and over again. Moses was familiar with this pattern, but he also looked forward to the story’s solution. What is Moses’ prediction and hope at the end of the Torah?

[He predicts the Israelites will fail and be exiled from the new garden. However, he expresses hope in God’s promise to rescue Israel.]

5. Sure enough, Israel fails. But the end of the TaNaK echoes Moses’ hope: the arrival of an Israelite who God is with and who will bring about the ultimate return from exile. This Israelite is the new human who will bring humanity back to the garden to partner with God to bless all creation.

Practice

Read the following:

Jesus lived the way he did because of how he understood the Bible’s story. One of the ways we can practice the way of Jesus is by learning to read the Bible the way that Jesus read it.

The Story Map shows the different parts of the Bible (Torah, Nevi’im, Ketuvim, Gospels, Letters). It also shows where you can find each story.

Notice that most of the TaNaK tells the story of Israel, so we’ve divided it into two parts. The first part tells the part of the story Moses is in. We find this part in the Torah. The second part tells the part of the story King David is in. We find this part in the Nevi’im and Ketuvim.

Use your Storyline and what you remember from today’s video to help you draw pictures in the boxes and complete the sentences. 

Ask students to file the Story Map in the How to Read the Bible section of their Bible Binder.