THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

WHEN READING THE OLD TESTAMENT

 

Reading the Old Testament can be an intimidating activity. However, making the effort to read and understand the Old Testament produces great fruit in your life. In the many stories, poems, prophecies, songs, prayers, wisdom, and instructions of the Old Testament, we see the way god relates to humanity, both His People in particular and the nations in general.

 

Following are some pieces of information to keep in mind when reading the Old Testament:

 

The Old Testament is as much the Word of God as the New Testament.

 

Though the Old Testament was compiled over hundreds of years and written by many different authors, it all originated with God. It is the Word to His people. The apostle Peter reminds believers, “We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable…No prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:19-21).

 

The Old Testament helps us understand the New Testament.

 

The Old Testament deals with events and teachings hundreds and even thousands of years before Jesus was born. All of those events and teachings give us the background to all that happened when Jesus was born and during His life. For example, understanding the Old Testament sacrifices sheds light on what Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross means. Knowing about the Old Testament prophecies of a coming Messiah helps us see how Jesus is that Messiah (the Christ) who fulfills God’s promises given long ago. The Old Testament laws, customs, and religious traditions help us make sense of Jesus’ interactions with the Jewish religious leaders of His day.

 

God’s grace for humanity is seen through out the Old Testament.

 

As we read the Old Testament, we begin to understand the gracious and powerful God who created all things. We also understand the need for God’s grace as we contemplate human folly and sin. Because of God’s grace, rather than destroying humanity, God planned to save us. We see this plan unfold in the pages of the Old Testament. It is not always a straightforward telling of God’s plan. Often, we must carefully find God’s plan in the stories of people who, just like us today, experience the goodness of creation, the corruption of a good creation, the terrible distorting power of sin, and the sad consequences of our separation from God.

 

Old Testament people and stories serve as examples for believers today.

 

The apostle Paul tells us that the things that happened to people in the Old Testament “happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (1 Corinthians 10:11-12). Even the most faithful people in the Old Testament, like Moses and King David, fell into sin and were disciplined by God. Yet we see in the Old Testament how God continued to redeem and restore his people even after terrible sin and tragedy.