The Word of God is the most precious tool in the arsenal of the Church. It develops our identity, guides us toward righteousness and cements us in the purposes of God. Understanding the wisdom hidden for us in the Word is unbelievably important, which is why this resource exists. In The Master Narrative, Michael guides his readers through the story of Israel and helps them to see the bigger picture of what God is doing behind the text. You won't regret this purchase. Once you've read the Master Narrative, you will never read the Word without a real understanding again.
Have you ever put together a jigsaw puzzle? Most of us have tried and often got discouraged or bored and then abandoned the puzzle forever. Sadly, it’s the same for reading the Old Testament.
Many people attempt to read God’s Word but get overwhelmed–or bored—by all the characters and plots that are laced with words, names, rituals, and cultural practices that are archaic to us today.
But, what happens when you do manage to complete a puzzle? You see the whole big picture.
Once you learn how to put all the pieces of the Old Testament together, you finally see the whole large picture that God has been painting since before Creation.
Finally, all of God’s puzzling commands and complex stories of the O.T. come together, and you can rejoice in that “Aha!” moment of, “Now I see!”
More than that, once you view the Old Testament as one big picture, you finally see just how real God is and how marvelously He has been working in people’s lives from day one until now.
That’s where The Master Narrative comes in as a study tool to aid you in putting all the pieces of the Old Testament together and understanding it as a whole.
Each chapter of The Master Narrative is fairly short and to the point, outlining:
An Overview Author (info about who wrote the O.T. book) Timeline (when in history this took place) Basis Summary Theme(s) Final Summary The author, Michael Allyn LaBorn, backs up everything he writes with scripture and cites the verses at the end of each chapter. This way, you can —and should–read the scriptures for yourself to understand more clearly what God’s Word is saying.
What I thought about this book:
I loved The Master Narrative! In fact, I can’t love it enough! I’ve been studying the Old Testament for years, but Michael LaBorn opened my eyes to seeing important points in God’s Word that I have missed.
This reference book helped me look at the Old Testament with fresh eyes and see how every little thing that happened in the Old Testament was guided by the hand of God to reveal a divine purpose for mankind.
The Master Narrative is written well, and you can tell the author is educated in the scriptures and gifted with a deep understanding of the Bible as well as a talent for saying things in a way that anyone can relate.
Out of a five-star rating, I would give The Master Narrative five stars because it’s a study guide that keeps on giving. You can keep it handy every time you sit down to start studying a new book of the Old Testament.
I received a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.