Nathan Ching

A redeemed child of God, happy husband, homeschooling dad of nine, and lifelong lover of good books.

031 | Read the Old Testament

Hey Fellow Dads,

Have you ever wondered if the Old Testament is really relevant for today? Is it worth studying with and reading to our families, or should we “unhitch” ourselves from the O.T. and focus only on the New? Today we ask ten questions about the Old Testament—and find the answers mostly in the New Testament.

Aloha,

Nathan

Outline

1. What does the New Testament say about why the Old Testament was written?

1 Corinthians 10:6
Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
1 Corinthians 10:11
Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
Romans 15:4
For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

2. To the person without knowledge of the O.T., does the N.T. really make sense?

Matthew 1:1
The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
John 3:14-16
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
John 6:32-33
32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
John 8:56-58
56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

3. According to both O.T. and N.T., what does God use His Law (part of the O.T.) to accomplish?

Psalm 19:7
The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
Galatians 3:24
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

4. How did Jesus view the O.T.?

John 5:47
But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?
Luke 24:27
And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
Mark 14:61-62
61 But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
62 ¶ And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

5. What does the N.T. instruct Christians to do with the O.T.?

Eph. 5:19
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Col. 4:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
How can we sing psalms (one of the longest books of the O.T.) if we aren’t familiar with the O.T.?
Several Psalms mention details given only in other O.T. passages, not in the N.T. For example: Ps. 48, 60, 68, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 83, 84, 87, 89, 99, 102, & 105.
Psalm 119—the longest of the psalms, in fact, the longest chapter in all the Bible—focuses on the word of God.

6. How did the apostles view the O.T.?

According to Ephesians 2:20, the apostles are the foundation of the church.
Peter’s Pentecost sermon in Acts 2 refers to several Old Testament texts.
The Epistle to the Romans contains about sixty references to O.T.
Three times—”what saith the scriptures”—Rom. 4:3, 11:2, Gal. 4:30.
The phrase “it is written” appears 63x in the N.T.
How does Paul define “the gospel”?
1 Corinthians 15:3-4
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

7. How does God view His word?

Psalm 138:2
I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

8. In what ways is the O.T. useful for Christians?

2 Tim. 3:15-17
15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

9. What did Jesus himself say about the words of the O.T.?

Matthew 5:17-18
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

10. How important did Jesus say the words of the O.T. are to our lives?

Matthew 4:4
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

So Should We “Unhitch” from the First 39 Books of the Bible?

No, we’re not going to jettison the O.T., and we’re not going to unhitch from it.

Let’s pray that we can have the attitude that the psalmist had toward God’s word:

Psalm 119:20
My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times.
Psalm 119:24
Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.
Psalm 119:97
O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

Ideas for Reading the Old Testament

Read through the Bible with your family, including O.T. passages. (practical suggestions for this in Ep. 24: Lead Your Family to and in the Bible).
Use Bible story books to teach your children the stories of the O.T. (check out Episode 19: Use Tools to Teach Your Children the Bible).
Sing Psalms. Three practical tools listed below:
📖 We enjoy using Psalms for Worship, published by Crown and Covenant Publications. (A friend said the Book of Psalms for Singing, same publisher, is better. I’m not familiar with it, so cannot knowledgeably comment.)
📖 Psalm 119 in Song, by Susie Kimbrough, available on CD, MP3 download, and songbook at ShepardMusic.com. We love singing these very singable tunes.
📖 A church in NE Florida introduced us to the hymnal called Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs, a hymnal uniquely and intentionally containing all three types of music listed in Ephesians and Colossians—with nearly one thousand selections!
When you read O.T. passages, look for the ways the text points to the Lord Jesus Christ, and show that to your family.
Read a chapter of Proverbs to correspond with the date. For example, on Feb. 20, 2024, we would read Proverbs 20.
When you read the Bible—either from O.T. or N.T.—make this your prayer: “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” (Psalm 119:18)

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Notes

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/aaron-paul-low/pony-express
License code: ZUCYKOROVB4PRHZC

Nathan Ching

Recent Posts

031 | Read the Old Testament

Outline

1. What does the New Testament say about why the Old Testament was written?

2. To the person without knowledge of the O.T., does the N.T. really make sense?

3. According to both O.T. and N.T., what does God use His Law (part of the O.T.) to accomplish?

4. How did Jesus view the O.T.?

5. What does the N.T. instruct Christians to do with the O.T.?

6. How did the apostles view the O.T.?

7. How does God view His word?

8. In what ways is the O.T. useful for Christians?

9. What did Jesus himself say about the words of the O.T.?

10. How important did Jesus say the words of the O.T. are to our lives?

So Should We “Unhitch” from the First 39 Books of the Bible?

Ideas for Reading the Old Testament

If you enjoyed this episode,

Notes

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