In | Thematic Patterns

Some literary patterns in the Bible are obvious because of formal structuring elements like introductory formula (e.g., “This is what the Sovereign Lord says … “ in the prophets or “Truly, truly I say to you” in the Gospels or even simple key words like “therefore” at the hinge of Epistles). Other patterns that are thematic are just as important to notice, but they may not always be as obvious. For example, the theme of New Creation or Second Exodus runs throughout both Testaments but not always using the same words. 

We trace a larger set of themes in the Relationship > Rebellion > Reckoning > Restoration rubric. This is a pattern in God’s relationship with his people that plays itself out repeatedly through Scripture. The book of Judges has its own version of this cycle, but it’s the same concept. This rubric actually explains the Gospels at the macro level as the initiating moment of God’s historic Restoration of his people. Your immersion in Scripture will help you become familiar with themes that become increasingly familiar over time. These themes will not only echo across the pages of the Bible but will also help explain what you experience in our contemporary world.