Why should we Christians in the 21st century worry about a section of the Bible that deals with the history, laws and promises of a nation that is no longer in existence? After all, one may say, the Old Testament passed away 20 centuries ago! “For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law” (Hebrews 7:12).
Even though it is true that the Old Law was taken out of the way, the New Testament gives us plenty of reasons and motives to study the Old Testament. We must look to those first 39 books of the Bible in order to have a better understanding of Jesus, a greater knowledge of the promises mentioned in the New Testament and to have a firmer grasp on New Testament teaching.
The Old Testament can give us a better understanding of Who Jesus is and what His role is and was. Some premillennialists – such as Thomas Ice – do not openly teach (in fact, they deny the accusation) that Jesus’ death was “plan B,” but their writings concerning the purpose of His death and the church certainly give off that impression. Teachings like this come about by a misunderstanding of the Old Testament and the purpose of God’s eternal scheme of redemption. When we peer into the Old Testament Scriptures through the assistance of the New Testament, we see that it was God’s plan all along for Jesus to die in order that both Jews and Gentiles could be reconciled into one body.
“But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ” (2 Corinthians 3:14). “Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:22-23).
Paul said that Moses and all of the prophets were looking toward the time of Christ. Nobody had a better understanding of how Christ met the criteria for the Old Testament prophecies quite like the apostle Paul (outside of Jesus Himself, of course), yet many today fail to see how God never intended for Jesus to sit on a literal throne in literal Jerusalem.
The Law can also give us a greater understanding of the promises mentioned in the New Testament. For example, notice Peter’s use of the Old Testament in the second recorded Gospel sermon!
“But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. (Acts 3:18-26)
If we don’t study the Old Testament, how can we properly understand anything that the New Testament says? However, the study must go both ways. Some people make the mistake of leaving out the Old Testament from their study completely, but some leave out the New Testament, and some abandon both altogether!
Lastly, if we study the Old Testament, we can have a better understanding of New Testament teaching. For instance, a study of types and shadows can reveal a lot about why Jesus’ blood had to be shed and why we practice and teach other things that we do. “It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these” (Hebrews 9:23).
I hope that you will study the Old Testament along with the New! Both are the Word of God!
