Summary:
This week marks the beginning of your journey through Scripture. You’ll have one reading and one video—enough to feel substantial for a single week—but remember, the time you invest is worth it. Try breaking the reading into smaller daily portions, starting with the video to set the stage. As you read, the final section, Where’s Jesus, will help you see glimpses of Him woven throughout the story.
Videos, downloads & Links
Bible Reading, Mapping, & Notes
Jesus in the story?
Shadows, Types and Appearances
Genesis 1:26 (In the beginning)
Genesis 1:26 says, “Let Us make man in Our image,” marking a shift from the singular “Let there be” to a plural expression of intentional, relational creation. This plural form—Elohim and the pronouns Us and Our—hints at divine plurality within one God, a truth clarified in the New Testament. John 1:1–3 declares that “the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” and that “all things were made through Him.” Verse 14 completes the connection: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Together, these passages show that Jesus, the eternal Word, was present and active in creation, participating in the divine “Us” of Genesis 1:26. Humanity was made in the image of the triune God—Father, Son, and Spirit—whose unity and fellowship are reflected in our own relational design.
Genesis 3:15 (Someone will save us)
Genesis 3:15 is often called the protoevangelium—the “first gospel”—because it introduces God’s plan to defeat evil immediately after the fall. God tells the serpent that a future descendant of the woman would crush the serpent’s head, a decisive, fatal victory, while the serpent would bruise His heel, a real but temporary wound. According to multiple biblical studies sources, this “seed of the woman” is understood to be Jesus Christ, who would destroy Satan’s power through His death and resurrection, even as Satan “struck His heel” through the crucifixion . This early prophecy sets the trajectory for the entire biblical story: a coming Redeemer who would undo the curse, conquer sin and death, and ultimately defeat the enemy once and for all.
Genesis 3:21 (Without the shedding of blood)
Genesis 3:21 gives us the first glimpse of God’s pattern for dealing with sin: He provides a covering that requires the shedding of blood. When God clothes Adam and Eve with garments of skin, an innocent life is taken, the first death, so the guilty can be covered—a quiet but profound preview of the truth Hebrews later states, that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” Their fig leaves were not enough; only God’s provision could cover their shame. This early act foreshadows the entire sacrificial system and ultimately points to Jesus, the true and final sacrifice whose blood does not merely cover sin but removes it. How amazing is God’s Grace!
Genesis 6–9 (Noah: a picture of Jesus)
Noah serves as a picture of Jesus by becoming the means through which God provides salvation from judgment. As Noah obeys God and builds the ark, he creates a place of refuge where anyone who enters is saved from the flood. In the same way, Jesus becomes the true and greater ark—our shelter from the judgment of sin. Through Him, God brings a new beginning, a new covenant, and the promise of restoration. Noah’s story foreshadows the rescue, renewal, and hope that Jesus ultimately fulfills.
Genesis 11:1–9 (Not by human effort)
At Babel, humanity tries to reach God on its own terms, building upward in pride and self‑reliance. God scatters them, showing that human effort cannot bridge the gap between heaven and earth. This sets the stage for Jesus, the true mediator who comes down to us rather than requiring us to climb up to Him. Where Babel scatters nations through confused languages, Jesus later gathers the nations at Pentecost, reversing the division and uniting people through the Spirit. Babel exposes our need for the Savior who brings us to God the right way.