About This Book

Chapter 1

The Old Testament makes up the first 39 books of the Bible. Written between 1500 BC and 400 BC, they are, as the name suggests, the oldest parts of the Bible. These books deal largely with ancient Israel, temple worship and the sacrificial system. Compared to the New Testament, which was written after Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, why should you care about the Old Testament? Shouldn’t the newer replace the older?

Some believers respond to this dilemma by functionally ignoring the Old Testament. They focus on the gospel and the epistles in the New Testament. While the New Testament books have direct bearing on Christian life today, this exclusive plan of study leaves unbalanced disciples who don’t understand the complete picture of their faith.

“Old” versus “New” thinking leads to a false conclusion that “New” is better. A more complete perspective understands that both are important. Each set of books contributes critical teaching that the mature believer must know in order to grow.

Imagine a mystery novel. If you read the first chapter, you’ll figure out the crime. Everything after that is incomplete and potentially misleading until the final chapter. That’s where you discover who committed the crime and the sleuth typically explains how they identified the guilty party. Wouldn’t it be more efficient to read two chapters and solve the mystery?

It’s gratifying to discover “whodunnit.” This is the climax of the story. But the fun in these stories comes from the journey of discovery. The process of meeting the suspects and seeing the evidence matters. The drive to get to the conclusion makes the revelation enjoyable.

The Bible student has a similar opportunity when considering the Old Testament. Yes, you will encounter the full gospel in the New Testament. The church comes to life in the New Testament. These same books outline Christian living. But if you ignore the Old Testament, you won’t understand the setup. You will know the answers, but not what makes them so amazing.

Before getting started in this study process, I want to make a specific case why studying the Old Testament matters.

The Doctrine of Progressive Revelation

For the Bible student, this doctrine is an essential tool for Bible study. It lays a foundation of understanding that guides them as they consider the whole Bible.

The doctrine has a simple explanation: later revelation illuminates earlier revelation. The first time the Bible introduces a topic, you may not receive the complete picture. As you study further, you will discover details that clarify and further explain the idea. God chose this method of revealing Himself through the Bible. It’s building up to the final understanding.

Let me illustrate the principle with an example.

In Genesis 3 (about 1450 BC at the time of writing), Moses described the encounter between God, Adam, Eve and the serpent. The couple had just sinned by eating the forbidden fruit. Sin had broken the harmonious relationship between God and His creation. God had to reveal the punishment and consequences of this rebellion. But despite the inevitability of death, God made a promise.

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)

Satan had gained the upper hand in the story. However, God promised he would eventually lose. This is the promise of salvation. It’s the one bright point in a dark story. We don’t know the details. We just know that one day, God would fulfill His promise.

Four centuries later, King David wrote a psalm that is widely considered a Messianic prophecy. Psalm 22 describes a dark scene of oppression and suffering. David might not have known that he wrote about the coming messiah. But the Holy Spirit who inspired him certainly did! The psalm makes many statements. On one level, these were David’s words out of his own suffering. In his artistry, however, he describes the experiences of his great descendant, Jesus.

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?” (Verse 1)

“…they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” (Verse 18)

The whole psalm speaks of suffering. On one level, it was David’s suffering. But it also described the crucifixion - down to the exact words Jesus cried out just before He died and how the soldiers divided His clothes.

It wasn’t totally clear what this psalm addressed when David wrote it. God was dropping little clues about how He would defeat Satan. It clarified what Moses wrote in Genesis 3.

Two hundred fifty years later, the prophet Micah picked up the revelation. He wrote about the coming ruler of Israel.

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,

who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,

from you shall come forth for me

one who is to be ruler in Israel,

whose coming forth is from of old,

from ancient days.” (Micah 5:2)

Micah tells everyone where the coming messiah, the bruiser of the serpent’s head, would be born. His passage didn’t hide behind obscure language. When the wise men arrived, searching for the baby Jesus, the religious leaders had no difficulty saying, “In Bethlehem.”

It was just another piece of the progressive revelation of God’s plan of salvation. Micah didn’t have all the facts. But his prophecy added clarity to the emerging story.

We could continue on fifty to seventy-five years later when the prophet Isaiah received a word from God.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his wounds, we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

This revelation echoes the theme of suffering from Psalm 22 but provides even more clarity. The suffering was not for wrong-doing. The suffering was the punishment for “our transgressions”. Across the centuries, the Holy Spirit planted clues, progressively revealing God’s plan of salvation.

These passages point to what eventually happened in Bethlehem and in Jerusalem. They described pieces of God’s plan to redeem humankind. Only God could orchestrate such a revelation of His plan. Only God knew, and only He could reveal it.

The earlier revelations did not contain all the details. But they were accurate in what they communicated. It’s not appropriate to look at an early revelation and say “what came later proved it wrong.” What came later only added clarity to what it originally communicated.

These Old Testament pronouncements are not less or bad. They are completely accurate, but simply omit some details. And in their own way, they drop the clues that help you and I understand what came later.

As we study the Old Testament, we rely on the Doctrine of Progressive Revelation to help us understand God’s plan. We aren’t trying to get to the final reveal. We’re observing how and when God revealed what He planned to do and that tells us something about God and His plan.

Sometimes, studying the Old Testament is like looking for clues in a mystery. When we find the clue, it is a wonderful treasure. It shows us how God was in control the entire time. And just as He has control to reveal His story, He has control over our lives.

The Apostle Paul picked up on this theme. In his letter to the church at Colossae, he wrote:

“…the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:26b, 27)

Paul described the full gospel as a “mystery”. He used a specific Greek word which was translated as mystery. It’s not a word that describes the actions of a sleuth, putting together clues to find the perpetrator. It’s a word that means information one can only know if someone who already knows reveals it.

God is in the business of revealing His mysteries. The careful Bible student can see how He carefully revealed what He wanted, piece by piece. The people in the Old Testament didn’t understand how events would occur. They never fully understood how the picture was being drawn for them. Readers today have the benefit of knowing the Gospel. You and I see a picture with more details.

Jesus Highlighted the Importance of the Old Testament

During His earthly ministry, Jesus often quoted the Old Testament. During His life, it was the only revealed word that God had communicated. Therefore, it was what Jesus used when He needed to point to what God wanted.

Within the four gospel accounts, Jesus made 78 references or quotes of the Old Testament. In their writings, the apostles made another 209 references to the Old Testament. This underscores the Old Testament’s importance as a foundation for the New Testament.

After His resurrection, Jesus walked with a couple of disenchanted disciples on the road from Jerusalem to the town of Emmaus. The crucifixion had depressed them and they didn’t understand the importance of the resurrection. Jesus Himself shed a little light on the situation.

“And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:25-27)

Jesus had complete mastery over the Old Testament. He intimately understood God’s revelation through those writings. So using the Old Testament, He explained the necessity of His death and resurrection. He used the Old Testament to explain the what had happened and why it had happened.

During His earthly ministry, Jesus declared, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:7). Jesus clearly said He did not come to replace the Old Testament. He came to fulfill what it demanded. He did not treat them as second class materials, but paid attention to exactly what they required.

The Apostles Highlighted the Importance of the Old Testament

Just like Jesus, the apostles relied upon the Old Testament. In their writings, they quoted or paraphrased the Old Testament over 200 times.

Paul, the great missionary apostle, wrote the following about his protégé, Timothy.

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:14-15)

Paul described the “sacred writings” - the Old Testament - as something that could make Timothy wise for salvation. The New Testament hadn’t yet been written. Until the New Testament authors wrote those books, the church relied on the Old Testament for many years.

The Apostle Peter further clarified the importance of the Old Testament.

“For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:21)

Men did not write the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit wrote it. Therefore, we can trust what it says as the very words of God.

And we do when we listen.

Concluding Thoughts

I’ve focused on this one point of the value of the Old Testament because it’s an important foundation to the process of Bible study. The Old Testament is valid to study. It has the same divine inspiration and accuracy as we expect from the New Testament.

We cannot treat the New Testament like a new edition that replaces the Old Testament. The two work together to tell God’s story.

Yes, the New Testament has a direct impact on how believers should live today. But we cannot avoid the truth of the Old Testament. Without it, our view of what Christ accomplished on the cross would be incomplete.

So take the next step and examine how you can use the Old Testament. It’s a critical element of your spiritual development and maturity.