Is the Old Testament important at all?

  • Thread starter Thread starter sorrowful1
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
S

sorrowful1

Guest
Sorry, this might sound blasphemous, nor is it my intention to disrespect it, but each day, reading both the Old and the New Testament side by side, I found myself raising my eyebrows (as if I’m some great scholar) at what is written in the first (Old).

Does the Old Testament have any relevance today? Or is it of any importance in Christianity today? I found a lot of “laws” very similar to what is observed in Hinduism since ancient times to this day – such as animal offering/sacrifice, who is “clean” and “unclean”, marriage infidelity (women), how they should be punished etcetera.

In contrast to the Old, the New Testament, on the other hand, awakens my spirit like nothing had before. It teaches me so many things I’d have never learned from anywhere else!

Can anyone enlighten this fool on the value of the Old Testament?
 
Last edited:
It is absolutely relevant, read the old testament like this:

God is giving his people (the Jews and even the people before then) hints at what he is going to bring about through history. God is slowly bringing about is kingdom, and more importantly the way that we should be living over time. He is teaching his children, like a good father.

The old testament reveals the new, and the new is revealed in the old. It is simply mind blowing how things have progressed to bring about the history that we now know. Do not be misled by the modern interpretation of these things…it has taken THOUSANDS of years to bring about the things that we have now, and God has been present in every moment.
 
Last edited:
There’s a lot of wisdom in the Old Testament if you dig for it. The Psalms and Proverbs are full of wisdom, and there’s always something relevant to learn. Leviticus 19:18 says “love your neighbor as yourself”. In Mark 12:31, when Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself, He was not introducing a new concept that no one had thought of before; rather, He was quoting the book of Leviticus. Clearly, He didn’t see the Old Testament as obsolete. He quoted the Old Testament to make a point (many times).

Sure, there are some dry parts like the genealogy in Genesis, but if you dig for it, you’ll find nuggets of wisdom everywhere. My favourite book in the entire Bible happens to be part of the Old Testament; it’s the book of Psalms. It never gets old.
 
Last edited:
Oh, well yes!!! I absolutely forgot the psalms and proverbs. In fact, those two were the first I started when I first commenced the daily reading of the Bible, and they were the ones that heavily inspired me to “decide” that I will read the holy book everyday (and apply them in my life where and if possible).
 
Trust me. It was the sufferings and sacrifices Jesus went through (for us) that “appealed” to the atheist in me ( I was an atheist). I haven’t seen/heard/read such immense suffering any others have undergone (through) just for us mere mortals. Maybe, Buddha (giving up all the worldly comforts namely love, material possession, greed and whatnot) but he wasn’t beaten mercilessly, and he wasn’t sentenced to anything – nowhere near the likes of crucifixion.

So, umm, please, allow me to say that I have an absolute understanding of Jesus’ sacrifices (I could be wrong, I admit). I’m just saying that a few instances like killing of the firstborn of Egypt (animals and humans alike) somewhat shocked me. I know God did that as a punishment to the Pharoah’s disobedience despite giving several chances to obey and reconcile with him. I just wondered why kill the babies?

Is there a connection in this and Jesus’ sacrifices? Could it be that Jesus was the firstborn of Mary and Joseph, and he sacrificed his life for us, just like the firstborn of Egypt were “sacrificed?”
 
Last edited:
sorrowful1 said:
I’m just saying that a few instances like killing of the firstborn of Egypt (animals and humans alike) somewhat shocked me.
Click to expand...
sorrowful1 said:
Is there a connection in this and Jesus’ sacrifices? Could it be that Jesus was the firstborn of Mary and Joseph, and he sacrificed his life for us, just like the firstborn of Egypt were “sacrificed?”
Click to expand...
That’s actually a good question, but, as it is almost 2 am, I can’t answer it right now
 
Genesis with the story of creation and the Fall, Noah, Exodus with Moses and the giving of the Law and the Old Covenant, Ecclesiastes with Solomon’s experiences recorded, Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah, Job, Book of Wisdom, Jonah, Jeremiah with the most important New Covenant prophecies, the struggles of God’s chosen people in general, a struggle that echoes within our own lives and which demonstrate the need for more, for the Messiah. Just to name some off the top of my head, in random order. The reading of the OT can be more tedious, and some books can seem less relevant but it certainly provides background and sets the stage for the New Testament. And offers some incredible stand-alone pearls of wisdom on its own.
 
Last edited:
The Old Testament is very important because it points out to the New Testament. Every prohpecy, every figure, everything in it was a preparation to Christ’s coming and our Redemption.

Besides, it is a testament to our history and a very good aid to understand Salvation History.
 
Last edited:
I think there are over 600 Old testament moments that point forward to who Christ was when he comes, and when he comes to judge the living and the dead.

Take John the Baptist, seeing Jesus and saying, ‘Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!’
All of the lambs that the Jews slaughtered to keep the law, they would understand that John said something remarkable.

Let’s look at Moses at the burning bush. He comes down the mountain and his face is glowing with the glory of God. Then we have it recorded the event of the transfiguration of Christ on the mountain where he became radiant as the sun.

When you see the Eucharist in a monstrance, the monstrance looks like rays of the sun. The fire that burns but does not consume, as Moses said on the mountain. Also, in the Old Testament, an angel puts a burning coal on the tongue of Isaiah in Isaiah 6:7
He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”
Click to expand...
This is our Eucharist!

Our Christianity would become wider and deeper knowing the Old Testament better. It’s like turning water into wine.
 
I suggest reviewing Isaiah 3:17-24 which provides a very good description of conditions for Jewish women in WW II slave labor camps. It is a prophecy that was not fulfilled prior to that time which indicates to me that OT prophecy is relevant to our modern age.

Further, the prophets of the OT predict some kind of world-wide disaster which will threaten to wipe out the human race. These predictions are consistent with the effects of a global nuclear war. Jeremiah 25:32-33 provides an especially graphic example.
 
Think - typology:

Adam - Jesus
https://archive.org/download/typology-adam/Typology - Adam.pptx

Joshua - Jesus
https://archive.org/download/typology-joshua/Typology - Joshua.pptx

Solomon - Jesus
https://archive.org/download/typology-solomon/Typology - Solomon.pptx

Feasts - Jesus
https://archive.org/download/the-feasts-of-the-lord/The Feasts Of The LORD.pptx

https://archive.org/download/deadic...cated To God - 1 Kings 8 - The 7th Month.pptx

Creation - Jesus
https://archive.org/download/the-re... - 7000 Years And The Everlasting Gospel.pptx

Sanctuary - Jesus





And many many more.
 
Last edited:
A lot of the references in the NT wouldn’t make sense without the OT. For me it was learning that Jesus crying out on the cross: “my God, my God why have you forsaken me” was actually a reference to Psalm 22(21)

1 Unto the end, for the morning protection, a psalm for David.
2 O God my God, look upon me: why hast thou forsaken me? Far from my salvation are the words of my sins.
3 O my God, I shall cry by day, and thou wilt not hear: and by night, and it shall not be reputed as folly in me.

Apparently this was a device used by the Jews to reference a whole Psalm, they would just quote the first line. I always thought it was strange for Our Lord to sound so accusing to the Father but makes more sense when referencing the Psalm.
 
Last edited:
Okay, now I can relate one to the other. The OT and NT.

How about a “bull offering?” I found it being mentioned in many chapters… What does it really stand for? Lambs are symbol of purity and innocence and hence, the association with Lord Jesus Christ . But what’s a bull for?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top