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By: Peter Schlicht
Brent Shaw wrote a book called The Old Testament is Dying in which he talks about how the Old Testament has ceased to function in the lives of most Christians today. It is seen as impractical, weird, and even inappropriate. It is rarely read in homes and churches. The trouble is that ignorance of the Old Testament is ignorance of 75-80% of the Bible. You read that right. The Bible is split into two testaments, the Old and the New, but the Old Testament makes up over 3/4ths of the book. In other words, a majority of Christians today are unaware of three out of every four words God has given us. I find this alarming.
The Old Testament is the deep foundation of the New Testament and the work of Christ. To treat the Old Testament as archaic and unuseful is to disagree with Christ himself, whose own words in the New Testament are replete with Old Testament themes, ideas, and quotes. As Jesus said conclusively, “These are the Scriptures that testify about me.” (John 5:39) The Old Testament is the story that leads to Christ: it cannot be understood without him and he cannot be understood with it. The truth is that if we neglect the Old Testament, we will have a shallow relationship with God and a thin understanding of Jesus.
Today the Old Testament, when it is used, is often misinterpreted and almost comically misquoted by all sorts of people, including Christians. Specifically, Dr. Shaw mentions that a lot of Christianity in America is identified by those whom he calls the “happiologists” who inject a sort of me-first, consumerism mindset into Scripture which would be unrecognizable to Moses and the Prophets who wrote it. Saying things like, “Tune in to the positive. Don’t dwell on the negative. Declare victory! God is going to open up doors for you.” Now, these statements aren’t necessarily bad or unbiblical in and of themselves. The issue is emphasis. And, as is often the case, it’s what is not said that is most misleading and dangerous.
Much of the literature in the Old Testament is written from the perspective of exile or lament. The strongest strains of emphasis in much of the Old Testament are repentance and exclusive faith in the LORD over idols. However, in many churches, the main emphasis of their sermons (even on some of these Old Testament texts) is personal empowerment and success. If people hear that God wants them to be happy but never hear a call to repent of their sin, then the message of the Bible is mangled. It may sound really attractive to visitors, but it doesn’t sound like the Bible. In many Old Testament texts, the writers don’t expect God to make them happy. Rather, they find their joy in God’s salvation regardless of their earthly circumstances.
Modern believers are often called “New Testament Christians” referring to the fact that we live on the other side of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Yet this is not a distinction that dictates which part of God’s Word is the most relevant to us today. The Old Testament was written for you and me today just as much as the New Testament. Jesus has fulfilled the civic and ceremonial Old Testament laws which we no longer need to follow, but it would be foolish to assume we don’t need to know what they were. People born into freedom often treat it as cheap because they don’t know the weight of the chains from which they were liberated. The wisdom, the warnings, the history, the character of God—etched into the 39 books of the Old Testament—simply cannot be grasped by people who only know the Gospels.
Much more could be said on these points, but suffice it to say that the Old Testament is meant to be read today. It not only helps you appreciate Christ more but changes your point of view on the world and your place in it today. There’s something refreshingly honest about the way Old Testament believers express their hardship, their longing, and their hope in God even in the hardest times. Perhaps, that’s just the perspective we need when it comes to expectations in 2022.
In this new year, consider a Bible reading plan that focuses on the Old Testament. One thing I often like to do is pair a reading of Genesis with John, or Matthew and Isaiah, thinking about the connections. Have you read the piercing wisdom of Ecclesiastes? How about the love story of Ruth? How about following the life of King David through the books of Samuel & Kings? Please reach out to me as your pastor and I will tailor a reading plan for you that hits your specific interests, gaps, or needs. Let’s get into the Old Testament in the New Year!
(This article is Part 1 of 3. Parts 2 & 3 will focus on an Old Testament perspective and some advice on how to read the Old Testament, respectively.)