WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO STUDY THE OLD TESTAMENT AS WELL AS THE NEW

 

 

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO STUDY THE OLD TESTAMENT AS WELL AS THE NEW

 

I have read several books that have illuminated to me the importance of studying the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. Dr. M. R. DeHaan wrote that if a person reads the Old Testament at any location and fails to see Jesus, they are reading it wrong. Is that a strong statement? Yes? But one I have been unable to refute.

I heard Reuel Lemmons give a sermon that highlighted this for me. I am paraphrasing: he (Reuel) said he wished it were against the rules to print the New Testament without the Old. After all, he said, where can you find a man arguing with God and changing God’s mind? Where else can we find that God made the day last longer so Joshua could win a battle, and so much more!

I add, where else can you find such clear teaching of the coming of Jesus? Some Bible scholars suggest there are more than 300 Old Testament prophetic Scriptures fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ. The resources I can find report that Jesus quoted the Old Testament from 180 to 280 times in the New Testament. In Isaiah alone, we find teaching about the ‘Day’ of the coming of the Lord with his ‘Reward (Recompense)’ with him (the redeemed). Also, in Isaiah, we find clear teaching of the millennium and much more.

We read in Acts 17:11: “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.“ There were no letters yet written, there was no New Testament, so what scriptures were these Jews reading? Of course, they were reading what we Christians call the Old Testament. The same scriptures that Paul and Silas were teaching from.

We also read in John 6:44-48 where Jesus tells those who questioned Him that He was the bread of life, and that no one may come to Him unless the Father allows. Jesus also uttered watershed words, saying that no one of mankind has seen the Father but the One who came (Jesus). These words are distinctive because they tell us that every time God was seen in the Old Testament, the pre-incarnate Jesus was seen, the logos (word – English; davar – Hebrew; memra – Aramaic). John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.” Paul writes with clarity on this issue in Colossians 1:16-20; “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

And, Paul wrote in Colossians 1:15, “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,”.

So, besides making for an interesting Bible study, the appearances of Christ in the Old Testament confirm the fact that He existed prior to the Incarnation, just as He plainly stated: “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). The fact that Jesus is the Creator also demonstrates His existence prior to His first advent (John 1:1–3).

We also know that every time the ‘Angel of the Lord’ appeared in the OT it was the ‘Davar, the Word.’  It is important to note that the phrase ‘Angel of the Lord’ never appeared in the NT because Jesus was there and came to earth as a human. Jesus clearly stated it when he said in John 8:58 that (“….Before Abraham was, I am.”). Joshua saw the ‘Angel of the Lord’ and was told “He was standing on Holy Ground.” Jacob wrestled with a ‘man’ in Genesis 32 and said in verse 30 he had seen “God face to face.” Hagar (Genesis 16:13) said she had seen Jehovah.

In the OT reference, 2Kings 19:35 we see the incredible report that “… it came to pass that night that the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.”  That was incredible!

These truths have led many students of Scripture to conclude that “the Angel of the Lord” in the Old Testament is none other than Christ Himself. He is called God, given attributes of God, seen by people, worshiped, and distinguished from the Father and Spirit. So rather than undermining the uniqueness and importance of Christ, theophanies affirm the uniqueness of Jesus. They also show the intimacy of God with His creation.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Heb (9:22). The writer continues: “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. . . . But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified” (Heb 10:1, 12-14).

Of course, the major reason Jesus became a man was to save us from our sins. Hebrews 10:4 states, “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.” This chapter goes on to reveal that the Levitical priests repeatedly offered the same sacrifices that could never take away our sins. Instead, these sacrifices served to cover the sins of the people. For our sins to be removed (i.e., forgiven), we needed the blood of a perfect man, Jesus!

So, why have we historically, in the Christian Church, not dwelt on this magnificent knowledge of saving Grace? That is hard to answer. I think it is because belief in part of the OT requires belief in it ALL. This would create complications for some of the doctrines taught about who Jesus was. It would also create complications for OT scriptures that many have chosen to believe they do not mean what is written. So, believing in this knowledge would require that we acknowledge that Jesus was God, being part of the oneness of the Holy Trinity, and having to accept the rest of the OT means what it says, whether we understand it or not.

Finally, many think that belief requires understanding the Trinity, and therein lies the problem. The simple answer is that we do not have to understand the Trinity because that means understanding God. Indeed, I believe that is quite impossible. No matter how close we come to understanding God, we will not know in fullness until we are in Heaven. Even the Apostle Paul said that, at best, trying to understand God is like seeing through a glass dimly. All that is important is that we believe one God exists: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. There is nowhere that says we have to understand.

Never forget the old saying, “the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.” There is a lot of truth in that...

All that matters is that we marvel at its truth and simply believe, studying the whole Bible.

 

Robert Lee Hurley, Retired Atascosa County Judge

Author of “Restoring the Restoration,” What Went Wrong? And, a historical novel “The Life of the Apostle Philip;  Email: hurley6469@gmail.com;  Phone: 830-200-8744

 

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