I can't stop seeing His heart
the cross
I can’t stop seeing His heart in the Old Testament. And honestly, there was a time when I used to run away from it because it felt like the Old Testament was mostly about judgment — almost like they were two different Gods. The God of the New Testament and the God of the Old Testament. But recently, I keep seeing pictures of the cross showing up everywhere, even before Jesus came. And I really think that’s because the Bible is so beautifully layered. When I think of Scripture versus children’s books, they just don't compare. Not because the books bad, but because they’re curated. The editor and publisher has to make choices — what to keep, what to remove, what to soften so the story feels more palatable for kids. And I don’t think accessibility is bad because that’s how most of us first learn Bible stories. But at the same time, I feel like kids deserve more credit. Because kids can usually handle more depth than we think they can. Growing up, my teachers read straight from the King James Version. That’s where all the Sunday school lessons came from. And honestly, I think that was a gift. Because later, when I started reading translations like NIV or NASB, I felt even more excited — like rediscovering something I already knew but seeing it with words I could understand. Not with thee lol. What really changed things for me with the Old Testament was learning to pay attention to the what's included versus what's not. Suddenly, I started noticing how sometimes Scripture leaves certain details quiet while emphasizing other details loudly. Almost like they’re in a bright yellow highlighter. When I was rereading Genesis this year. I kept looking at details that were left out. I saw something wild! Nowhere in Genesis Noah warned people or evangelizing the way children’s stories often show. I was like wait, it is here somewhere!!! I shall find it!!! But I couldn't find it in Genesis. I’m not saying it didn’t happen — Because in the New testament they do make some references to Noah. What I’m really saying is that Genesis itself doesn’t put weight there. Instead, God spends so much time giving Noah detailed instructions about building the ark. And that honestly stopped me. Because when God gives details, I don’t think it’s random. The Bible chooses what to tells us. In Genesis, it talks about how wide the ark was, how high it was, how everything should be built. And I kept asking myself — why would Scripture leave out whether Noah preached and instead focus so heavily on the ark itself? The only thing I keep coming back to is redemption. Noah was building something that God would use to redeem the entire creation. There's even a cool word for it too: Synecdoche (pronounced si-NEK-duh-kee), where a part of something is used to redeem the whole. Like the ark contain specific pairs of animals inside, and Noah's family — that God would use to preserve creation. When I found out about this symbolic layer, I was like whoaaa whoaaaa. Another thing I kept noticing is how numbers carry weight in Scripture. Forty often represents testing or divine judgment. And in Genesis, the ark is described as 50 cubits wide.(Genesis 6:15) Measurements used to make me want to skip ahead — but when I slowed down, that horizontal image really stood out to me. It felt like a picture of humanity held together, preserved inside this vessel God designed — humans, animals, creation, all together. Then when I jumped to Esther, I saw the same number again — 50 cubits — but this time it was vertical. Haman builds a pole meant to destroy Mordecai, and that very structure becomes the place of his own judgment.(Esther 7:9) What he intended for evil turns back on him. And I couldn’t help but see divine reversal, divine justice. The horizontal in Genesis reminded me of our relationships with each other and creation, while the vertical in Esther pointed toward God’s justice. And I know not everything is meant to be forced into symbolism. But I do believe numbers are intentional, and I keep seeing glimpses of the cross showing up. And more and more, I keep God’s heart for humanity — woven into stories I once thought were mostly about judgment. So my encouragement to you is simple: keep reading your Word. Come into it asking God for a fresh perspective. Ask Him to open your eyes to see His heart. Because the more you slow down, the more alive it begins to feel. And even if my interpretation isn’t perfect — and I know it may be completely wrong on how I'm seeing come of this. But I can't help but think still the details God leaves in, and the details He leaves out, are intentional within the bigger story that leads to Jesus. And honestly, that wonder alone keeps drawing me back to open my Bible again and again.
Heart Call:
The details God leaves in, and even the details He leaves out, are intentional within the bigger story that leads to Jesus. Reading you Bible is really not about speed friends, you can slow down, process each chapter slowly with God.
No gatekeeping here lol!!
So here are some resources I love learning from and that you may find helpful:
BibleProject — they have theme videos and Book overviews for every book of the Bible, and an App with seminary like breakdowns courses.
Hoopla and LibbyApp — for multiple translation access—those are free if you get a MDCPLS library card.
TheBibleApp and Spotify — There you can find more translation and different languages also.
Where is your secret place to read your word and commune with God?
How can you get into reading your Bible this week?
Photo Credits: Natalia Blauth.