Why Is The OT Still Relevant?
The OT Lens
As discussed in our last post, we are studying the importance of both Testaments in our Bibles. We know that being on this side of history and this side of the cross, the more applicable Testament to us is the New Testament. However, this doesn’t eliminate the need for or override the importance of the Old Testament. There is still much that we can take away and learn from the OT and apply it to the NT as well. Three of those aspects as we discussed in our last post were the law, prophecies, and the character of God. All of these topics give us a deeper look, not just at the NT, but at our Lord as well. These three topics are what we will be looking at in today’s post. How exactly does the OT show us more about the law, prophecies, and God’s character? The answers may surprise you. As Bible Study Tools writes, “If space says anything, the OT matters to God, who gave us his Word in a book,” wrote Jason S. Derouchie for TGC. “In fact, it was his first special revelation, which set a foundation for the fulfillment we find in Jesus in the New Testament.” We must not take for granted the principles that the OT has to teach us.
The OT Law
To start, let’s look at how the law in the OT reveals the law in the NT in a better light. The OT law was written for God’s people to be in right standing with Him. If you have ever done a deep study of this, you know that there are 613 laws that the Pentateuch has written down for God’s people to follow. This of course is impossible to follow and live by without ever breaking one of these covenantal laws. In fact, this is why when we studied our Lord, we discussed the difference between ‘temporary’ atonement and ‘permanent’ atonement. If you still lived under the OT law, more specifically called, ‘The Mosaic Law’, you would still be held accountable for following all 613 laws just to be in communion with God and have a shot at being with our Lord in heaven for eternity. Now flip to the other side of the coin. Suppose there is no law for you to follow, but rather, a substitute to subject your life to through faith and repentance. Seems like a much better option doesn’t it? What’s interesting though, is that this option doesn’t seem better until we see what the alternative was in the OT.
Until we see how much we really needed to accomplish just to be in good standing with our Lord, the weight of our fallenness is never really felt. No one would willingly want to give up every aspect of their life and subject it to some historical figure if there was no reason to. Our very human nature is against such submissiveness because we want to lead ourselves and make our own decisions. In fact, that type of thinking is what led to sin entering the world in the first place! But when we see what must be done in order to inherit salvation and be in right standing with God, we can really begin to grasp the weight of our sin. Perhaps no passage of scripture shows this in a clearer light than Hebrews 10:11-14 “11 Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; 12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God,13 waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. 14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” Without the OT, the new covenant that we are under would just seem like a nice gift given to us from God instead of the greatest blessing that our Lord could have ever offered mankind. That’s a pretty big difference.
Prophecies & Nature
Furthermore, the OT shows us more about prophecies and our Lord’s character as well. As stated many times in previous blog posts on this site, one of the most amazing aspects of Jesus is that He fulfilled over 300 prophecies. Without the OT, we wouldn’t be able to see just how amazing that fulfillment is. We wouldn’t be able to see how from the very beginning God had a plan to atone for the sin of all of mankind. Look at what Genesis 3:15 says, “15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” This is what God tells the serpent right after the first sin of all mankind was ever committed. God had a plan to overcome the power of the enemy by sending His son to die for the sins of His people, and this wasn’t a last-ditch effort either. This was His original plan. It didn’t take God the entire OT to come up with the amazing idea of having Jesus Christ pay for the sins of His beloved people, this was our Lord’s plan from the very beginning, when the first sin was ever committed. How amazing is that? Not only do we miss out on this momentous plan without the OT, but we fail to see our Lord’s incredible provision for His people as well.
Lastly, the character of our God is something that we must study in the OT and not take for granted either. Perhaps you think like many others do when they simply claim, ‘The OT is where God is mean, but the NT is where God is nice.’ Sound familiar? What’s so interesting about this idea is that God is the same God in both sections of scripture. The reason it is so hard for us to view God in the same light is that our Lord is both 100% merciful and 100% just. He is not 50% one and 50% another. He is perfect in His character. Regardless of what emotion or characteristic our Lord decides to show or act upon, we can know that this act is completely justified and righteous. Look at what David tells us about God in Psalm 18:30 “30 As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the Lord is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. 31 For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God,” Whether God decides to act justly, or mercifully, or anywhere in between, we can know that our Lord is 100% blameless in all that He does. So much of our Lord’s character would be overlooked or unnoticed if we simply did not have the OT to reference His amazing nature. When all is said and done, I hope that whenever you read the OT, you do so in hopes of understanding just how sweet the gospel is, and just how amazing the God you serve is. Because whether you realize it or not, a greater appreciation for our Lord is inevitable when you see not just who God has always been, but who you would have been without Him, and who you are now because of Him.
Sources
[1] “Access Your Bible from Anywhere.” BibleGateway.Com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 150 Versions and 50 Languages., www.biblegateway.com/. Accessed 2023.
[2] Bucher, M. (2023, March 14). 5 reasons we still need the Old Testament today. Bible Study Tools. https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/reasons-we-still-need-the-old-testament-today.html#:~:text=The%20Old%20Testament%20accounts%20remind,was%20both%20necessary%20and%20final.
Comments