Reading the Old Testament
When is the last time you read from the Old Testament (besides Psalms and Proverbs)?
Granted, there are a lot of cringy stories in the OT. Stories that I almost dread sharing with my daughter some day. Stories of God’s people that I am ashamed of, that have brought me to tears.
But if we only read the New Testament, we miss out on the voice and character of God as He revealed Himself to Israel. We miss out on learning about those “after His own heart”. We miss out on the grandeur of God the Father, his hand through the Old Testament times and His ever present plan of salvation.
It was ALL written, collected, conserved, and continually translated for a purpose.
The OT is full of the stories of sinners who need God’s mercy and Christ’s redeeming work of Salvation—just as WE all do. --- So Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel. And he said to them, “I am 120 years old today. I am no longer able to go out and come in. The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’ The Lord your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, so that you shall dispossess them, and Joshua will go over at your head, as the Lord has spoken. And the Lord will do to them as he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them. And the Lord will give them over to you, and you shall do to them according to the whole commandment that I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:1-8 | ESV
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If you have struggled to read through the OT, I would highly recommend the Bible book overview videos from The Bible Project to help you see the big picture and purpose of it all.
Granted, there are a lot of cringy stories in the OT. Stories that I almost dread sharing with my daughter some day. Stories of God’s people that I am ashamed of, that have brought me to tears.
But if we only read the New Testament, we miss out on the voice and character of God as He revealed Himself to Israel. We miss out on learning about those “after His own heart”. We miss out on the grandeur of God the Father, his hand through the Old Testament times and His ever present plan of salvation.
It was ALL written, collected, conserved, and continually translated for a purpose.
The OT is full of the stories of sinners who need God’s mercy and Christ’s redeeming work of Salvation—just as WE all do. --- So Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel. And he said to them, “I am 120 years old today. I am no longer able to go out and come in. The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’ The Lord your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, so that you shall dispossess them, and Joshua will go over at your head, as the Lord has spoken. And the Lord will do to them as he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them. And the Lord will give them over to you, and you shall do to them according to the whole commandment that I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:1-8 | ESV
.
.
.
If you have struggled to read through the OT, I would highly recommend the Bible book overview videos from The Bible Project to help you see the big picture and purpose of it all.