By the time you read this, you may have heard someone say, “Out with the old and in with the new!”. For it seems that with the turn of the year, people desire a fresh start.
But when it comes to the Bible, we would do ourselves a great disservice if we thought that way about the Old Testament. Sadly, though, the idea of reading just the New Testament lives in the hearts of many Christians. And when you ask them why, they often say, “Well, the New Testament is all about Jesus, and has so many passages that are joyful, interesting, and inspiring! And the Old Testament … well, it is filled with war, chastisement, confusing and troubling passages, and has lots of history, so it is pretty much not my thing. And it just seems … well, old.”
Well, whatever your view is on reading the Old Testament, I would like to share some thoughts with you that I hope will inspire you to spend more time with it. And the first one is, that according to one scholar, there are at least 1600 direct quotations of the Old Testament in the New – to which may be added several thousand more New Testament passages that clearly allude to or reflect Old Testament verses. Isn’t that amazing? So, it is an understatement to say that the divinely inspired writers of the New Testament found the Old Testament to be highly important! And, taking it a step further, they clearly felt that it was impossible to fully understand the New Testament without understanding the Old Testament.
And how true this is.
For example, consider that through the Old Testament, we understand:
• The fall of mankind, the Curse, and the need for a Savior.
• The promises made to Abraham, and their fulfillment in Christ.
• The Mosaic law, the priesthood, and the sacrificial practices that foreshadowed Christ’s once and for
all atoning sacrifice.
• The promise made to David (Davidic Covenant) and its fulfillment in Christ.
• The foretelling of a New Covenant (Jeremiah 31).
• The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on those who believe in Jesus (Joel 2).
• The prophecies made about the coming Messiah, the Suffering Servant, and how they were fulfilled by
Christ Jesus.
• The redemptive story of God’s dealings with man across both Testaments.
So, studying the Old Testament brings a richness and depth to God’s Word, and helps us to understand how He has been at work since before the beginning of time.
God has much to tell us throughout the whole Bible. Therefore, to only focus our attentions on half of it, is to miss much of what God has to say. So, in 2024, will you become a student of the Old Testament, if you are not already? There are many good devotionals that can help you to understand and apply its meaning. And I’m confident that if you spend time with the glorious Old Testament, God will bless you with new insights into who He is, and all that He has done to the glory of His name.
So … in with the Old and the New!
In Christ’s Love,
Pastor Rob