A New Look At Old Things

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”- Romans 15:4

How often do you read from the Old Testament? I must confess that when I was younger, I did not find the Old Testament to be very important. I felt that since we were “no longer under law, but under grace,” the Old Testament wasn't valuable. I don't feel that way anymore.

I'm afraid that many believers feel the same way I used to. By and large, the Old Testament is neglected. Sure there may be a psalm or a verse that is enjoyable, but overall, the Old Testament of the Bible seems irrelevant for today.

To be rather honest, certain parts of the Old Testament were written for specific people at a specific time. For instance, the book of Leviticus was a book specifically providing worship instructions to the Israelites. Certain prophecies were written for specific nations. We need to read the Old Testament with an understanding of its context and intended audience.

Also, it is important to remember that we are no longer required to offer regular animal sacrifices like the Old Testament saints did. The Great High Priest, after the order of Melchizedek, offered the one-time, perfect sacrifice for us. The sinless, spotless Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, came and paid our sin-debt in full. The High Priest offered Himself upon the altar for us. Because of Him, believers live under the covenant of grace instead of the stern rule of the law. We must always keep this in perspective as we read the Old Testament.

In spite of this, there are several good reasons for us to read the Old Testament today. The Old Testament is basically divided into three parts: history, poetry and prophecy. We have reason to read from each part.

1. WE NEED TO LEARN FROM THE PAST

We need from the Old Testament's history because we need to learn from the past. These days, there is a such an ignorance of history. Some deny that the Holocaust occurred. There are people who believe that Elvis is still alive. Some refuse to believe that man ever walked on the moon. We have a generation of people who are ignorant of our history. The old saying goes, “if we refuse to learn from history, we are bound to repeat it.” That is certainly true. Mankind seems oblivious to history and, as such, suffers unnecessarily from unlearned lessons.

The Bible is rich with history. From the creation of the world to the beginning of Israel, we find God at work. In the Old Testament, we learn about the growth of Israel and the challenges they faced. A smart person learns from his mistakes, but a wise person learns from the mistakes of others. A wise man will learn much from the history recorded in the Old Testament.

2. WE NEED TO LOVE ALL ITS POETRY

Secondly, the poetic books of the Old Testament are books we should dearly love. The book of Psalms is my favorite book of the Old Testament. Regardless of the challenges I face, I usually find something in the Psalms to help, challenge and encourage me. The book of Proverbs gives us insight and wisdom we desperately need. The book of Job addresses the issue of human suffering. The Song of Solomon gives insight concerning marital bliss and is seen by some as a picture of Christ's love for the Church. For years, I didn't like the book of Ecclesiastes. I always thought it was depressing. Now, I realize that God had Solomon pen that book to help us avoid painful lessons that he underwent in a pursuit of happiness. The poetic books of the Old Testament are so powerful and needed. We shouldn't neglect them!

3. WE NEED TO LOOK TO ITS PROPHECIES

Finally, we need to spend time reading the prophetic books of the Old Testament. Many of its prophecies have already been fulfilled. Some are yet to come. The book of Isaiah has many prophecies regarding the Messiah. For instance, Isaiah 53 is a powerful, graphic prophetic view of the crucifixion of Jesus. There are future prophecies that are important in our understanding of current and future events. We need to read from these books!

I admit that there are difficult sections to read in the Old Testament. This shouldn't be an excuse to avoid the Old Testament completely. Paul wrote, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable...” Notice he wrote that ALL Scripture was inspired, including the Old Testament. Furthermore, Paul wrote that all Scripture is profitable, so yes, the Old Testament is profitable!

The Old Testament predicts the coming Messiah while the New Testament reveals Him to us. The Old Testament shows us the tragedy of sin while the New Testament provides the cure. The Old Testament exposes mankind to the law of God while the New Testament shows us the grace of God. Both Testaments are needed.

Keep this simple truth in mind: We should learn from the Old Testament and live in the New Testament!