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| Volume 25 Number 4 April 2023 |
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| Volume 25 Number 4 April 2023 |
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What the Old Testament
Provides for Christians
Hiram Kemp
The Bible is comprised of 66 books. There are 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. Since we are under the New Covenant of Jesus Christ, it makes sense that we would spend the majority of our time in the New Testament (2 Corinthians 3:6; Hebrews 9:15-17). The Old Law is described as old and vanishing away as the New Testament was being completed (Hebrews 8:8-13; cf., Jeremiah 31:31-34). We are not under the Law [i.e., the Law of Moses], but instead, we are under grace (Romans 6:14; 7:1-6).* The New Testament is more glorious than the Old Testament (2 Corinthians 3:7-18). With all of that said, we still do rob ourselves of a great blessing if we do not regularly study and read from the Old Testament Scriptures. Here are several things that the Old Testament continues to provide for Christians today.
The Old Testament Provides Hope
Paul said that the Old Testament was written for our learning so that we, as Christians, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope (Romans 15:4). Many Bible students incorrectly assume that after reading the Old Testament, one is left feeling hopeless, but this is the opposite of what the Holy Spirit communicates through Paul. The Old Testament is a letter filled with hope because it points beyond itself. The Old Testament Scriptures anticipated a time when God would bring about a New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The Old Testament is hopeful in that God’s kingdom would come into the world and all people would flow into it (Isaiah 2:1-4). The Old Law speaks of the continuous existence of the kingdom that was to come (Daniel 2:44).
Moreover, reading the Old Testament provides hope because it is there that we encounter the God who gives hope (Psalm 130:5). How many times does one read in the Old Testament of situations that seemed hopeless only to see God breathe new life into those circumstances? Abraham thought having a child in his old age was unlikely, but he hoped, and God blessed him with a son (Genesis 21:5; Romans 4:18). Elijah thought he was the only one of God’s faithful prophets left, but he received a hope-filled message that God had scores of other faithful servants who had not bowed the knee to idolatrous worship (1 Kings 19). A careful reading of the Old Testament provides hope for God’s people today as we realize that we serve the same God Israel served (Malachi 3:6). The same God Who did not abandon them will not abandon us (Joshua 1:5; Hebrews 13:5-6). Those who read the Old Testament today will receive hope as they learn of the continual faithfulness of God (Lamentations 3:22-24).
The Old Testament Provides Examples
The Old Testament is full of examples for us to learn. This is perhaps the most common way the Old Testament is used today, and for good reason. The Israelites wandering in the wilderness, their fickle faith and their frequent temper tantrums were written and preserved for us (1 Corinthians 10:1-11). Paul explicitly stated that they were penned for our admonition, meaning we should learn from their lives. The lesson is just as they fell, though they were God’s people, so can we fall if we are not careful (1 Corinthians 10:12). Just as 603,548 of those who were twenty years old and older died in the wilderness, we could miss our land of rest as well if we do not persevere in faith (Hebrews 3:12-4:11).
We must not only look to the Old Testament for the negative examples it provides, but make a note of the positive examples of faith contained therein. The writer of the book of Hebrews demonstrated this balanced approach in his use of the Old Testament. In the first several chapters, he mentioned the faithless Israelites in the wilderness. However, lest we think it was impossible to be faithful under the Old Covenant, he spent all of chapter 11 highlighting faithful examples in the Old Testament. He mentioned Abraham, Moses, Enoch, Sarah, Rahab, Jacob, Joseph, Samson, David, Abel and others (Hebrews 11:1-40). As you read through the list, it becomes apparent that those listed were not flawless but faithful. When we read the Old Testament, we learn that God does not excuse sin or unrighteousness, but He does applaud and reward faith even when it is exercised by less than perfect people. We should take great courage that we can be counted faithful by God even though we make mistakes (1 John 1:7-10). The Old Testament helps us see the examples of those we should emulate and the examples of those we should avoid (3 John 11).
The Old Testament Provides Proof for Inspiration
When Paul told Timothy that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) or is God-breathed, this does not exclude the New Testament passages. However, we should keep in mind that the New Testament was still being penned when he wrote those words.
The Old Testament Scriptures were given by God and provide an abundance of riches as we consider what it means for the Bible to be inspired of God. Consider predictive prophecy and the fact that the only way Isaiah, Micah and others could make predictions centuries before the events transpired is because God had given them the information (2 Peter 1:20-21). The Old Testament foretold of a ruler decades before his birth (Isaiah 44:28; cf. Ezra 1:1-4), named Cyrus, who would emancipate God’s people. The Old Testament gives us a thorough description of the rise and fall of kingdoms (Daniel 2:1-45). The Old Testament should be studied and consulted for what it teaches us about Scripture’s divine origin and how it strengthens the case for the Bible being a book from God Himself.
The Old Testament Provides Messianic Expectations
Jesus said if the Old Testament is correctly read, it will point its readers to Him (John 5:39-40). He fulfilled everything written in the Old Testament concerning the Messiah (Luke 24:44). The New Testament Gospel records tell us what kind of Savior Jesus was, but the Old Testament told us ahead of time what kind of Messiah to expect. We read in the Old Testament about His virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14), the place where He would be born (Micah 5:2), the kind of preaching He would do (Psalm 78:2), His suffering (Isaiah 53) and how He would die (Psalm 22). Likewise, His reign as a High Priest (Psalm 110:1, 4) and His triumphant resurrection (Psalm 16:10) appear in the Old Testament.
Those unfamiliar with Old Testament prophecies and predictions about Jesus will be unimpressed with His credentials when they read about Him in the New Testament. The Old Testament speaks of the highpoints of our favorite Bible characters, but it also speaks of the failings of every one of them. Behind the shortcomings of men like Abraham, David and Moses is this great expectation that someone better was to come (Deuteronomy 18:15-18). Since the Old Testament provides a clear picture of Jesus and what He would do, we should read it, looking for our Master.
We are New Testament Christians, and that is a great thing. We need to be sure to study the New Testament because it is the Covenant by which we will be judged (John 12:48). However, do not skip over the Old Testament, because there is much to learn there, too. The Old Testament gives us hope, provides examples to shun and examples to mimic, validates the Bible’s inspiration, and tells us what kind of Messiah that Jesus was to be.
[Editor’s Note: *Though not under the Law of Moses and instead under grace, we are not under grace only. There is a sense in which Christians are amenable to a different Law from that of Judaism; we are under “the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). Christians are answerable to “the royal law according to Scripture” (James 2:8) or “the perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25; 2:12). Whereas the Law of Moses required perfection – at which every soul except for Jesus fails – the New Testament requires obedience (Hebrews 5:8-9), coupled with grace (Ephesians 2:8) and mercy (Titus 3:5). ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor]
