The Use and Value of the Old Testament by Bill Blue

"For whatever things were written before were written for our learning" (Romans 15:4).

Paul was referring to the Old Testament when he wrote the above verse. Even so, some Christians say that the Old Testament is of no value today. On the other hand, other Christians err when they justify a practice today by showing that it was authorized in the Old Testament. Because Christians are responsible for "rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15), it is important for us to understand the proper use and value of the Old Testament.

We can learn a lot about God in the Old Testament.

The Old Testament provides insights into the nature of God. For example, we learn that God hates divorce (Mal. 2:16) and homosexuality (Lev. 20:13), and that God does not change. (Mal. 3:6, "For I am the Lord, I do not change").

Through the punishments God inflicted upon people like Nadab and Abihu (Exo. 27:20-21), King Saul (1 Sam. 13:3-14), Uzzah (2 Sam. 6:2-7), and King Uzziah (2 Chron. 26:16-20), we learn that God does not compromise where sin is concerned.

Paul also stressed the importance of studying Old Testament scripture for understanding God’s attitude toward sin when he wrote that, "all these things happened to them [the children of Israel] as examples, and they were written for our admonition" (1 Cor. 10:11).

Scientific and historical facts in the Old Testament can support our faith.

Scientific and historical truths recorded in the Old Testament thousands of years ago prove the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible. Some of these truths include facts about the universe such as the "circle" of the earth (Isa. 40:22), space ("He [God] hangs the earth on nothing," Job 26:7); the cycle of water from rain to rivers to oceans and back to the clouds through evaporation (Eccl. 1:7 and Job 36:27), and the existence of ocean currents (Psa. 8:6-8).

The Old Testament also informs us about events that occurred in antiquity. Many of these accounts have been proven true by archaeologists and none have been proven false. Facts such as how the walls of Jericho fell (Joshua 6), and the burning of Hazor (Joshua 11) – both proven true - reinforce our faith in the accuracy of the Scriptures.

The Old Testament instructs us with eternal wisdom.

The Old Testament is full of wisdom that ranges from the practical to answering the biggest questions of life. It warns us about the effects of alcohol (Prov. 20:1; 24:29-35) and it also tells us the meaning of life: "Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is the whole duty if man" (Ecc. 12:13). These truths are eternal, and just as accurate today as when they were first uttered.

The Old Testament explains the need for the Gospel of Christ.

The Old Testament records man’s fall from grace, which occurred when Adam and Eve sinned (Gen. 3). From that point forward, the Old Testament, indeed the whole Bible, is concerned with restoring man’s relationship to God.

In Genesis 12, we learn about God’s promises to Abraham. In one of these promises, God promised Abraham (then Abram) that, "all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Gen. 12:3). In the New Testament we learn that this promise was fulfilled in Christ (Gal. 3:16). The Old Testament is full of other prophecies about Christ.

God also promised to make Abraham "a great nation" (Gen. 12:2). This promise was fulfilled in the nation of Israel, to whom was given the Law of Moses, which is recorded first in the second book of the Old Testament – Exodus.

The Law of Moses, or "old law," was given because of transgression (Gal. 3:19), and through the old law man learned the consequences of sin (Rom. 7:7).

The old law was incapable of saving man from sin (Gal. 3:11-13; Heb. 10:1-4). Rather it was a curse (Gal. 3:10) that served to condemn sinners (Rom. 3:19-23; 2 Cor. 3:7, 9).

The old law was a shadow of the Law of Christ (Heb. 10:1; Col. 2:16-17). In this sense, it served as a bridge between the time of the separation of man from God, which occurred when Adam and Eve sinned, and the current era that began at Christ’s resurrection (Gal. 3:19-24).

Thus, if we did not study the Old Testament we could not verify the prophecies of Christ and we would lose some of the greatest faith-building facts recorded in the Bible. In addition, without the Old Testament it would be difficult to appreciate the true value and meaning of the Gospel of Christ, having lost a keen perspective from which to view God’s mercy. But, may we use examples of Old Testament worship activities to justify the same activities today? For the answer to this question, please read next week’s article.