If you love Jesus then you should also love the Old Testament because He not only quoted from it extensively but He believed it to be God’s infallible Word. I don’t know about you but the way Jesus viewed the Bible (the Old Testament) is the way I want to view the Bible. And since Jesus viewed the Old Testament as supremely important so should we.
According to Don Stewart: “In examining the four gospels, we have a great amount of information to work with concerning Jesus’ view of the Old Testament. His view can be simply stated in two words: total trust. Jesus accepted the Old Testament Scriptures as being divinely authoritative; He never cast doubt on any of the accounts recorded in it. Jesus assumed the people were actual people and that the events literally occurred. We never find Him giving the slightest hint of anything but the complete acceptance of the Old Testament as the Word of God.”1
Kevin DeYoung also adds the following comment: “In the Gospels we see Jesus reference Abel, Noah, Abraham, Sodom and Gomorrah, Isaac and Jacob, manna in the wilderness, the serpent in the wilderness, Moses as the lawgiver, David and Solomon, the Queen of Sheba, Elijah and Elisha, the widow of Zarephath, Naaman, Zechariah, and even Jonah, never questioning a single event, a single miracle, or a single historical claim. Jesus clearly believed in the historicity of biblical history.”2
In my opinion, since our Savior and the Creator of the universe had a love affair with the Old Testament how could we, His children, neglect to read and study such a book. Below are three more reasons why all Christians should read the Old Testament.
Reason (1) – It helps us get a much fuller understanding of the New Testament
Without a good understanding of the Old Testament, we wouldn’t be able to know what a lot of the references in the New Testament are referring to. For example, take (Jude 1:11): “Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.” Since Cain, Balaam, and Korah are all men from the Old Testament clearly if you haven’t read the Old Testament you wouldn’t have any idea of what Jude was talking about. The New Testament is so full of references from the Old Testament that without a knowledge of the OT much of the NT accounts would totally lose their meaning.
Reason (2) – So many wonderful insights for living would be lost
Just read the book of Proverbs or the book of Psalms and realize that both are packed with incredible real life insights on how to deal with life’s trials and tribulations and the value of godly wisdom. As we read the real life accounts of many of the heroes of the faith that we see in (Hebrews 11) we can learn how to overcome our own trials and rest on the promises of God. The historical books teach us life lessons and how to pray more effectively and of course the book of Psalms show us the importance of and how to praise God. And the books of the prophets foretell of the arrival of Jesus and the need to get serious about serving and worshipping God. I know for myself some of the greatest insights I have received about the Christian walk have come from the pages of the Old Testament.
Reason (3) – Our knowledge of so many of the foundational doctrines of Scripture would be incomplete
Without reading the Old Testament we wouldn’t know how God created the world, how Lucifer became Satan, how sin entered into the human race, and a host of other essential Christian doctrines. While the New Testament spans a period of about seventy years the Old Testament spans several thousand years. Since both the Old and New Testaments are God’s Word it only stands to reason that without reading the Old Testament we are going to get an incomplete revelation of God’s Word. My friends a careful study of the Old Testament is essential to understanding the mind and will of God.
If you have neglected reading the Old Testament lately I challenge you to add it back to your daily reading schedule. I guarantee it will enrich your knowledge of God and help you to appreciate and reverence Him more. For years I have been reading a portion of the Old Testament each day along with a portion of the New Testament – I encourage you to do the same!
1 What Was Jesus’ View of the Old Testament? by Don Stewart (blueletterbible.org)
2 20 Quotes from Kevin DeYoung’s “Taking God at His Word” (gleniris.net)
“A careful study of the Old Testament is essential to understanding the mind and will of God.”
Our redemption is based in history, a history that starts at creation. Our salvation and sanctification are dependent on understanding this history. With so much at stake, this history must be accurate and true. So, does the Old Testament hold the key to our search for understanding the history of redemption? Jesus thought so when He declared,
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me” Jn. 5:39
In this verse, “Scriptures” refer to the Old Testament.
But it’s more than “bearing witness,” this understanding of salvation and sanctification must be told in words that are God breathed if they are to be believed.
“From childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 2 Tim. 3:15-17
The “sacred writings” and “Scripture” in these verses also refer to the Old Testament. How do we know this? Because the New Testament had not been written and bound yet.
Do you want to understand what it means to have “eternal life” and the subsequent sanctification that makes us a “man of God?” It is imperative that you dig deep into the history of redemption, which starts with the inspired words, “In the beginning, God.” Gen. 1:1