Although the Bible contains 66 books that compose over a thousand printed pages, most Christians turn first--and sometimes only--to the New Testament, that last quarter of the text that feels more relevant to us as Jesus people. Christian readers often have little idea what to do with the Old Testament, if we read it at all. Sure, we value a few well-known stories from Genesis and use a few psalms for personal devotions and for worship. Beyond that, many Christians find the Old Testament mostly confusing, or troubling, or irrelevant.

But to understand the Bible as the grand story that it is--the story of God's dealings with humanity, of God's relationship to the whole universe--we must learn to read the first three-quarters of Scripture as Jesus did, and as the New Testament teaches us to do. Walking through the arc and major themes of the Old Testament narrative, The Beginning of the Story guides curious readers of the Word into a fruitful and fulfilling reading of the Bible's first 39 books, restoring joy in reading and studying the most important story ever told.