Three Reasons to Study the Old Testament

by Ajay G. Creator

In 1 John 2:6, the Bible commands Christians to live by following Jesus' example. In Matthew 5:17-20, Christ says that he came to fulfill the law and the prophets not destroy them. Therefore, if we are to live as Jesus lived and follow his example, we must have a firm grasp of Old Testament teachings because it is in the first 38 books of the Bible we find the law and prophecies.

Learn About God's Covenants

Depending on your viewpoint, God made three or four covenants with man, and they kept breaking them. Yet, as a gracious father, God kept giving his children another chance. Many scholars believe God made the first covenant with Adam in the Garden of Eden. You can decide for yourself by reading Genesis 6, but the first time the Bible uses the word "covenant" was in the Bible after Noah's flood.

You can find other covenants in the Old Testament in Genesis 15 when God made a covenant with Abraham, God's covenant with Moses in Exodus 15, and God's covenant with David in 2 Samuel 7 and 1 Chronicles 17. God promises to pour out specific blessings on believers who follow his covenants in many Bible verses.

Thankfully, when God sent Christ to Earth, he fulfilled the previous covenants by bringing judgment on sin and grace through salvation under Noah's covenant, blessings to all nations under Abraham's covenant, fulfilled the law for us so that God's wrath passes over us under Moses' covenant, and is seated at the throne as King of Kings under David's covenant. As you study the Old Testament covenants, you will sense God's wrath and love for people.

Study God's Characteristics

As Christians, we are to model God's characteristics to the world, and the Old Testament is a fantastic place to learn more about those traits. While these examples appear throughout the Old Testament, a terrific place to learn more about them is in Exodus 34, when God appears in a cloud to Moses, who is on Mount Sanai with the second set of chiseled stone tablets for the 10 commandments. In verses five through seven, God describes himself as compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love, faithful, forgiving, and a punisher. Reading through the Old Testament allows you to repeatedly see these characteristics and others.

Understand Prophecies

Prophecies fill Old Testament verses, and God fulfilled many of them when he sent Jesus to Earth to die for our sins. At least 55 prophecies in the Old Testament point to Jesus. You can find prophecies related to his birth, like Isaiah 7, and others related to his ministry, like Genesis 3. As you read through the Old Testament, you will discover Bible verses about Jesus' death and resurrection, like Exodus 12, and his role in the church, such as 1 Samuel 2.

See Models of Faith

As you read through many Old Testament verses, you will gain new insights into the predicaments of Bible characters. You may even discover that you share some traits with a few. You may relate to David's lust for the flesh, Solomon's desire to accumulate wealth, or Moses' frustration with people who would not listen. Yet God used each of them powerfully.

Reading Old Testament verses is a great way to gain deeper Bible insights. Start today and fall deeper in love with your faith. Contact Bible Insights.