As we read the Bible, it sometimes causes us to form mental pictures of what we are reading. What would the Tree of Life have looked like? Just how massive were the walls of Jericho? What would it look like to stare into the face of Esau as his anger burned against his brother, Jacob?
In Discovery we often illustrate Bible stories with pictures that help you, as the reader, get an idea of what the “fierce wolves” mentioned in Acts 20:29 may have looked like; or the crown of thorns that was placed on Jesus’ head before His crucifixion (John 19:2). We do this to help you remember the story. And we illustrate the stories to help “bring them to life,” so that you are reminded that these people really lived. Their stories are not fairytales or mere legend. They are history.
The Bible is filled with men and women who did wonderful—and terrible—things. God chose to record their deeds to teach us about how to live and how to relate to our Creator. The Bible is also filled with many themes such as love, sadness, cowardice, and anger. In the pages of Scripture, we find incredible animals, beautiful plants, interesting items, and historic locations and artifacts (many of which still exist today).
At Apologetics Press, we believe that the stories and characters of the Bible are very important. God considers their lives important enough to record in the Bible. That means it must be good for us to know about them. We wanted to help people think about the characters, themes, locations, miracles, animals, and events in the Bible using life-like illustrations. We believe these illustrations can offer a glimpse into how the men and women of the Bible may have looked, lived, and acted. Of course, we don’t know what many of these people (or things) looked like.
For example, we don’t know the exact shape of the golden calf that Aaron fashioned for the Israelites, but we know that he made one (Exodus 32:1-24). We also know that this was an act of cowardice on Aaron’s part, since he refused to stand up for what was right when he was pressured by the people. Cowardice is a running theme in the Bible.
In this issue of Discovery you will see a few of the 160 new Discovery Bible Cards that we designed for our very first Expansion Pack. We hope they help you learn about, and remember, the events in the Bible. And we hope they help you respect and appreciate God’s Word.
One of the main themes of the Bible is “love.” Love is expressed in many different ways, including: friendship, family, caring for those in need, marriage, devotion to your people, and the love that the early Christians had for one another. The cards in The Red Series will help you learn more about love in the Bible.
The Bible is filled with stories, scenes, and moments of “sadness.” One of the most well-known of these is from John 11:35 where we read that “Jesus wept.” What would that have looked like? Although we don’t know for sure, this image can help us see the emotions of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
The Bible tells us in Judges 14:5-9 that Samson once killed a lion with his bare hands on the road to Timnah. The lion “came roaring against him” and “the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart” (Judges 14:5-6). This hand-drawn image shows what that may have looked like.
The Taylor Prism is an actual archaeological artifact (currently in the British Museum in London, England) containing information about King Sennacherib and his attacks on Judah/Jerusalem. The information contained on the prism lines up perfectly with what we read in 2 Kings 18-19, Isaiah 36-37, and 2 Chronicles 32.
In Matthew 17:24-27, Peter was asked whether or not Jesus paid the temple tax. Although Jesus explained to Peter that “the sons are free,” He also miraculously provided a “piece of money” in the mouth of a fish, which Peter found when he followed the instructions of Jesus. What an amazing miracle!
When Joseph and Mary brought Jesus into the Temple, Simeon “took him up in his arms and blessed God and said: ‘Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word.'” God had promised Simeon that he would see the Messiah before he died (Luke 2:25-35). Imagine the joy as he held Jesus!
The Bible is the inspired Word of God and contains everything we need in order to be “complete” and “thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
As we read God’s Word, the Discovery Bible Cards can be a fun and helpful way to remember what we have read and to remind ourselves of the powerful lessons that it contains.
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