Knowledge that is never processed becomes trivia. Understanding that is never applied becomes noise. Only when knowledge, understanding, and wisdom flow together does a life become truly wise.

When you hear the word Calvary, what does your mind see? A place where crucifixions took place, correct? Some versions of the Bible use the word Golgotha — meaning "the place of the skull" — for the same location. The NKJV and KJV of Luke 23:33 uses Calvary. The writer simply says, "There they crucified Him." The “Him” refers to Jesus.

The book of Psalms is Israel's ancient songbook — poetry, worship, laments, praises. And yet within its 150 songs are some of the most breathtaking prophecies of the coming Christ found anywhere in the Old Testament. The Psalms do not just describe suffering and hope in general — they describe specific things Jesus would say, do, and suffer, hundreds of years before He was born.

Long before our generation, the people of God had a problem — and God sent three prophets to name it.

"Thus says the LORD: 'Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, "We will not walk in it."'" (Jeremiah 6:16)

The Old Testament does not always say the name of Jesus directly. It does not say "David represents Jesus Christ." But the Lord Himself said the shadows are there — and He walked those disciples through every book to prove it. Long before Bethlehem, God was preparing the minds of His people through the prophets.

The book of Esther is unlike every other book we have studied in this series. It does not directly mention God. It contains no direct prophecy of Jesus Christ. And Esther herself is not listed in the genealogy of the Messiah as Ruth is in Matthew 1. It would be easy, for that reason, to think that Esther has nothing to say to us about Christ.

Before we can appreciate what Nehemiah did, we must first feel the weight of what was broken. Every one of us knows how strong a wall can be — think of the Great Wall of China, remarkable, unique, standing for centuries as a barrier, a protector. .

From the very beginning, the God of heaven had a plan. He is the One who tells the future from the past. He comes to us, equips us with the knowledge of what He has done, and reveals what He is doing still. And the person the world knows as Jesus Christ did not simply appear one day, die, and rise again as an unexpected event.

Life can present unexpected challenges — twists and turns and unforeseen storms. And when those come, that is when life becomes difficult, when we become weak, when we feel vulnerable, when havoc breaks into our carefully arranged plans. One moment all is going well — and the next, life falls apart. Tragedy strikes.

To feel the weight of Chronicles, you have to understand what had just happened. The Babylonian invasion had crushed the nation of Israel. Jerusalem, the holy city, was besieged and destroyed. The temple — the very dwelling place of God among His people — was burned to the ground. The king was dethroned and dragged away in chains. The people themselves were taken captive to Babylon.

You could read 1 and 2 Kings as pure history — a long, sometimes painful record of Israel's united kingdom splitting in two and, eventually, both halves collapsing into exile. But these books are not merely a chronicle. They are a mirror held up to you.

We are continuing our journey of finding Christ in all the Scriptures — and we come to two remarkable books, 1 and 2 Samuel. These books cover the transition of Israel from the era of judges into the era of kings — first Saul, and then the great king who would come to define what a godly king should look like: David.

The book of Ruth reads, at first, like a beautiful and quiet family drama. There are no plagues, no parted seas, no walls falling down. There is only an old woman, her young daughter-in-law, a barley field, and a kind man at harvest time. And yet beneath the gentle surface of this story is something that leads us straight to the heart of the gospel — straight to Jesus Himself.

This lesson is built on Luke 24 — that quiet, world-changing seven-mile walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus, on the very day Christ rose from the dead. Two disciples, heads down, hearts heavy, did not yet recognize the risen Lord walking beside them.

The book of Joshua is a remarkable book in the Old Testament. At first glance it reads like history — the conquest of Canaan under Joshua's leadership, with all its battles and boundaries and tribal inheritances. But when we look closer, we discover something far greater. There is a profound revelation of Jesus Christ within these pages.

The whole letter to the Colossians grew out of a problem that troubled many first‑century Christians: the temptation to receive the gospel only in part, while quietly holding on to the old life they had always known.

Although Jesus Christ is not mentioned by name in Deuteronomy, the New Testament repeatedly shows that Deuteronomy points to Him. Deuteronomy shows humanity’s need for a faithful Saviour — and Jesus Christ is the perfect fulfilment of that need.

This is the key to reading the Old Testament rightly. The books of Moses are not merely ancient history, national records, laws, journeys, and rituals. They contain patterns, pictures, and shadows that point forward to Christ. The book of Numbers, the fourth book of the Old Testament, records Israel’s wilderness journey, their failures, their complaints, their unbelief, and also God’s continued mercy and provision. Yet within these events, Christ is seen.

The book of Leviticus contains 27 chapters and follows the events of Exodus, when the children of Israel were in the wilderness at the foot of Mount Sinai. At first glance, Leviticus may appear to be mainly about laws, priests, sacrifices, cleanliness, and ceremonies. Yet at its heart, the book is about something far deeper: how sinful people may approach a holy God.

How do you read the Old Testament? Do you read it as a collection of ancient stories — interesting, perhaps even inspiring, but distant from the Gospel? Or do you read it with the New Testament as your spectacles — putting them on first, and then looking at every story, every character, every law, every symbol, asking: what does this have to do with Jesus Christ?