Introduction
In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Paul instructs Timothy to dedicate himself to Scripture because “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.” Paul and Timothy would have particularly understood Scripture to mean the Old Testament. Paul’s concern for Timothy to hold the Old Testament in such high regard should cause us to reflect on our own relationship with the Old Testament. To help facilitate that reflection, here are four reasons why Christians should give attention to the Old Testament.
1. The Old Testament is a Source of Theology, Not Just of Children’s Stories
If you grew up going to Bible class as a child, no doubt the Old Testament formed a large part of the curriculum. Foundational narratives such as creation, the exodus, Jericho, Jonah, and others are taught and retaught to children. The problem is, too many Christians stop at this point: they acquire some basic data of the Old Testament, but they do not go on to a deeper understanding of the text. The Old Testament is not meant to simply teach us memorable stories; rather the Old Testament teaches us about God and His ways.
In the Old Testament, God describes Himself; we learn what a covenant relationship with God looks like (and doesn’t look like); we learn about the destructive nature of sin. In the Psalms we learn how to address God in both praise and pain; in the Prophets we learn how God reacts to a breach of covenant. Most importantly, throughout the Old Testament we continually find pointers to a greater truth: God’s salvation through His Son. Surely, if we are to have a robust understanding of God and what it means to be in a relationship with Him, we must have a robust understanding of the Old Testament.
2. The Old Testament is the Scripture of Jesus and the Apostles
When Jesus and the apostles read their Bibles, they read the Old Testament. The Old Testament forms the theological, cultural, and intellectual background of Jesus and His immediate followers. The Old Testament is what they grew up listening to, reading, and singing; it would have been the primary textbook in their schooling. Jesus did not learn and think about the Declaration of Independence, Shakespeare, and John Milton; Jesus learned and thought about the Law, Psalms, and Prophets.
The writers of the New Testament constantly make reference to the Old Testament, either by way of direct quotation or indirect allusion. The more we learn about the Old Testament, the more we say “Ah! So that’s what Jesus / Matthew / John / Paul / etc. were referring to!” If we want to understand Jesus’s speech and the apostles’ writings, we must know the literature on which they were raised and to which they constantly point back. If for no other reason than to understand the thought world of Jesus and His apostles, the Old Testament deserves our undivided attention.
3. The New Testament is the Fulfillment of the Old Testament
The New Testament presents itself as the fulfillment of the Old Testament. John the Baptist introduces Jesus as “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29), referencing the Old Testament. Jesus, the personal fulfillment of the Old Testament, describes Himself and His mission in Old Testament terms. He opens and closes His pre-resurrection ministry quoting the Old Testament (Luke 4:14-30; Matthew 27:45-50). After His resurrection, Jesus teaches the disciples from the Old Testament and reminds them that they are witnesses to the fulfillment of the Old Testament (Luke 24:44-49). If we want to understand how the New fulfills the Old, we need to know what the Old Testament says.
4. The Old Testament Makes Up the Majority of Our Bibles
Finally, we ought to give attention to the Old Testament for the simple fact that it makes up about 75% of Scripture. If we neglect 75% of someone’s speech, much of the other 25% they say will not make sense, simply because we have not paid close enough attention to understand the context. If we neglect 75% of someone’s words, we will have a diminished relationship with them. The Bible, Old and New Testaments, is God’s word and if we want to build a strong relationship with God, we will pay attention to all of His words.
Conclusion: The Old Testament is the Word of God
The Old Testament is a rich field of theology. Jesus held the Old Testament in the highest regard, pointing to it as a source of authority and as the foundation for His own person and mission. Jesus and the writers of the New Testament were immersed in the Old Testament; it was the formative literature in their lives. While we do not have the exact same relationship with the Old Testament as Jews did before Jesus, it continues to be the word of God.
When we listen to God’s word in both the Old and New Testaments, we fulfill Jesus’s statement that “every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old” (Matthew 13:52). May we be such faithful scribes, neglecting neither the Old or New Testaments as we grow in our relationship with God.
Studies in the Bible 