Unlocking the Old Testament

As the Bible reading was happening in church last Sunday, a number of people were thinking to themselves, what on earth is the preacher going to say about that? I know what they were thinking because I was the preacher and they told me so. And it is an entirely understandable reaction. 

The Old Testament is filled with brilliance and obscurity. I think we can all work out what to do with the story of creation or the wonder of the Psalms but what about when the fat king is killed by a left handed man in Judges 3 or the oracle against the King of Tyre in Isaiah 23. Much of the Old Testament is enjoyable reading but can leave us feeling like we are in a history lesson rather than being challenged by the Word of God as wholehearted disciples.

Today I hope to be able to give you two ways of unlocking joy, maturity, growth and application from even the most obscure Old Testament text.    

The first way to unlock the Old Testament is to recognise that every text testifies to Jesus. In John 5 Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for being students of Old Testament law and history but of missing the whole point of it. He says “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” (John 5:39-40) Jesus says similar things in Matthew 5:17-20 and Luke 24:25-27, 44-49, making the point that when you read the Old Testament, you are reading about Jesus and shining a light on Jesus. Just read through all of Matthew and you will see how he deliberately quotes Old Testament text after text, shining forth the brilliance of who Jesus is. So, far from being just stories about things that happened, the Old Testament is a story about Jesus. Moreover, it is one story that crescendos in Jesus where he is its resolution and hope. 

So every time you read the Old Testament, ask yourself “how does this help me get to know Jesus more deeply, more gloriously and more wonderfully?” Sometimes answering that question can be hard but reading a book like God’s Big Picture by Vaughan Roberts will be profoundly helpful to your understanding of the Bible as one story with Jesus as its main character.

The second way to unlock the Old Testament is to realise that the application of God’s Word is not always “go and do”. Often we will read the Bible listening for next God’s instruction: stop gossiping, pray more, share the Gospel! But expecting “go and do” applications every time we open the Bible is both unhelpful and dangerous. For one thing, it panders to a works based understanding of faith and appears to run counter to Jesus saying come to me and I will give you rest! (Matthew 11:28)

So instead of always hunting for “go and do”, I want to encourage you to look for “know and love”. If we are going to love God more deeply, we need to know him more deeply. If we are going to be more and more like Jesus, we need the transforming power of the Spirit to renew our minds; so Paul says in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

So as you read the Old Testament, look to deepen your understanding of God and his glory. When we delight in God’s character, it triggers a reflex of worship and wonder in our hearts. Rejoicing erupts in our hearts as we treasure Jesus himself, who shines through the all the pages of the Bible. So as you read the Old Testament, look to know and love Jesus more - that’s an application worth pursuing.

So let me assure you, 2 Samuel is going to get weirder and weirder but as we read it together, Jesus is going to get gloriously more glorious and I’m looking forward to being immersed in wonder for the greater King, the Son of David, Jesus Christ my Lord!