I once heard a minister tell an audience, “The Old Testament isn’t relevant to our times, so there is no need to study it anymore.”
How wrong that minister was!
One reason I love reading the Old Testament is because of the analogy examples between the New Testament. For instance, in the Old Testament, Israel is a type of church, and Egypt represents the world. Israel’s journey through the wilderness represents our spiritual work as Christians. Also, the tree that healed the waters at Marah is a type of the cross of Christ, and the rock that produced water in the desert is a type of our Savior.
Scripture makes clear that all of Israel’s physical battles, mirrors many of the spiritual battles we face today: “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Corinthians 10:11, NKJV).
Did you know that even the tabernacle and its furniture are examples of heavenly things: “Who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For he said, ‘See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain’” (Hebrews 8:5).
Whenever I don’t understand a truth in the New Testament, I turn to the Old Testament to find it illustrated in some way. For example, I know how to bring down spiritual walls the devil may have built up in my life as I turn to Joshua’s story, in the Old Testament, to see how the walls of Jericho were brought down. Israel’s physical battle with those walls provides me with a picture and a pattern to help me understand how to bring down walls in my life that keep me from attaining fullness in Christ.
The Old Testament examples are meant to keep us from falling into unbelief, as Israel did. The author of Hebrews writes, “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience” (Hebrews 4:11). In other words, study the Old Testament and learn from Israel’s example. Do not make the same mistakes they did.
Clearly the OLD TESTAMENT is still relevant today! Read the full Bible (both the Old and New Testament), you may be surprised at how much you learn!
How wrong that minister was!
One reason I love reading the Old Testament is because of the analogy examples between the New Testament. For instance, in the Old Testament, Israel is a type of church, and Egypt represents the world. Israel’s journey through the wilderness represents our spiritual work as Christians. Also, the tree that healed the waters at Marah is a type of the cross of Christ, and the rock that produced water in the desert is a type of our Savior.
Scripture makes clear that all of Israel’s physical battles, mirrors many of the spiritual battles we face today: “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Corinthians 10:11, NKJV).
Did you know that even the tabernacle and its furniture are examples of heavenly things: “Who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For he said, ‘See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain’” (Hebrews 8:5).
Whenever I don’t understand a truth in the New Testament, I turn to the Old Testament to find it illustrated in some way. For example, I know how to bring down spiritual walls the devil may have built up in my life as I turn to Joshua’s story, in the Old Testament, to see how the walls of Jericho were brought down. Israel’s physical battle with those walls provides me with a picture and a pattern to help me understand how to bring down walls in my life that keep me from attaining fullness in Christ.
The Old Testament examples are meant to keep us from falling into unbelief, as Israel did. The author of Hebrews writes, “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience” (Hebrews 4:11). In other words, study the Old Testament and learn from Israel’s example. Do not make the same mistakes they did.
Clearly the OLD TESTAMENT is still relevant today! Read the full Bible (both the Old and New Testament), you may be surprised at how much you learn!
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