OT Overview Part 1

I remember walking into The Deathly Hallows Part 2 having only seen The Sorcerer’s Stone prior. . . and feeling completely lost throughout the whole movie.

Most of what movie portrayed required lots of background information from the previous six stories.

What were the Horcruxes? Who was Serius Black? Where did the letters R.A.B come from on this special locket?

The movie was still entertaining. . . but I did not understand or grasp the full weight of the culmination of the story.

Recently though, Ashley and I watched all the movies in succession. Watching the deathly hallows part 2 this time after knowing the context and back story. . . the movie was much more enjoyable.

Everything made sense and I could fully see the fulfillment of the prophecies about Harry being the one to destroy Voldemort that were threaded throughout the series. . . but if I never went back and saw the previous films. . . I would never fully understand the beauty of the finale.

In the same way. . . Only reading and studying the New Testament and not the Old. . . is like only watching Deathly Hallows and not seeing the previous six films. . . we can have an idea of what the New Testament is about. . . but cannot fully grasp the rich truths that it is seeking to communicate.

So, what I want to do this year is to go back and watch those first six films of the OT so we can truly understand the finale of the story of redemption in the New Testament.

We will take the next few weeks looking at an overview of the OT and then looking specifically at the law of God that is revealed in the first five books of the Bible.

From there, we will spend the rest of the semester studying the ten commandments and how these commands apply to our lives today as Christians.

So, as we begin our study in the OT, just in case some of you are still not convinced of the Old Testament’s importance, I want to provide eight reasons why we need to read and study the Old Testament.

Why Read and Study the OT?

It is the inspired Word of God

2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

The OT makes up 80% of God’s word.

Jesus affirmed the authority and immutability of the OT.

On topics like. . .

Divorce

Temptation

Worship

Debating the Scribes

Matthew 5:17-18 ““Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

All of the Old Testament points to and is about Jesus.

John 5:39 “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,”

Luke 24:27 “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”

Luke 24:44 “Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

“The more we understand the Old Testament story, the more we can rejoice in Christ together, since the biblical authors anticipated his advent.” -Mitchell Chase.

The OT was written for the NT church.

1 Corinthians 10:11 “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.”

1 Peter 1:10-12

The Christ event is explained in the NT by referring to the OT.

Galatians 3:13 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—”

Deuteronomy 21:23 “his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.”

Acts 13:23, 33-34

Paul uses the OT to explain the work of Christ.

We need the NT to understand the Old, and we need the OT to understand the New.

Salvation in Christ is explained in the NT by referring to the OT.

The gospel begins with “in the beginning…God”

Why do we need salvation in Christ?

Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—”

How do we know that we all sin like Adam?

Gal 3:10 “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.””

What is necessary in order to be freed from the curse of our sin?

Gal 3:6-9 “just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.”

“The New Testament is in the Old concealed; the Old Testament is in the New revealed.” –Augustine

NT authors quote the OT 855 times and every OT book is quoted in the NT except Obadiah, Nahum, Zephaniah, and Esther.

The OT introduces us to the Biblical Worldview

Truths expressed in the first chapters of the OT form the basic philosophical foundation upon which a biblical worldview is based.

There is one true God that created all that exists and he reigns as sovereign ruler over the universe.

God has created man in His image.

God loves humanity and wants to have a relationship with Him.

Man has disobeyed God and is separated from him because of sin.

God offers a way of salvation and pardon for sin through faith.

All these facts of a biblical worldview can be found in Genesis 1-11.

The OT was Jesus, the Apostles, and the Early Church’s Bible

This is the Bible they proclaimed the gospel from!

This is the Bible that birthed the early church and mass number of people coming to faith in Jesus!

We must read the Old Testament Thematically

In the beginning, God originally created the world good and everything was the way it should be.

Yet once Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, sin entered the world, and death through sin, and death spread to all men because all men sinned (Romans 5:12).

So, the great conflict and problem in the story of redemption is the reality of sin, death, and judgement that perpetually hangs over the human race.

The Old Testament begins to provide a solution to this problem through four specific themes.

Think of these themes as signposts or puzzle pieces that point us to the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Kingdom

Messianic Prophecy

Covenant

Sacrificial Substitute

We will look at the first two tonight and then cover the last two next week.

Messianic Prophecy

Messiah means anointed or chosen one.

Understanding messianic prophecy will enable us to identify the Messiah when we eventually encounter him.

First promise of the coming Messiah is found in

Genesis 3:15 “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.””

From Genesis 3 onward, people are looking and waiting for this Messiah, this seed from Eve’s offspring to come and crush the snake’s head. But there is another seed, the seed of the serpent who will do everything he can to strike the offspring of the woman’s heel and destroy him.

We see the first instance of this conflict in the story of Cain and Abel, then later with Israel and Egypt.

The promise of the Messiah to come starts broad (Eve’s offspring) but slowly narrows as the story of the OT unfolds. . .

Genesis 12 tells us that the Messiah will be a descendent of Abraham’s offspring.

Genesis 49:10 the Messiah will come from Judah’s line.

Deuteronomy 18:15-19 the Messiah will a prophet like Moses.

2 Samuel 7:11-13: the Messiah will be a son of David.

Other prophecies that the OT offers about who this Messiah will be. . .

He will be. . .

Known as the Son of God

Isaiah 9 he will be born of a virgin.

Micah 5:2 says he will be born in Bethlehem.

Heal the sick, blind, and deaf: Isaiah 61:1

He will be a prophet (Deut. 18:15-19), priest (Hebrews 7; Gen. 14:9), and king (2 Samuel 7:16).

He will be hated without cause: Psalm 35:19; 69:4.

He will be betrayed by a friend: Zech. 11:11-13.

He will be killed beside criminals: Isaiah 53:12.

He will die as a sacrificial substitute: Isaiah 53:3-5.

He will be buried: Isaiah 53:9.

He will be resurrected: Psalm 16:10; 22; Isaiah 53:10-11.

He will ascend to heaven: Psalm 68:18.

He will establish a new covenant: Jeremiah 31:31-34.

He will rule and reign over an eternal kingdom: Daniel 7:14.

These promises create an ever growing anticipation the coming Messiah as we read through the Old Testament.

Kingdom

The Kingdom of God consists of three things:

God’s people.

God’s Place.

God’s Rule

We see it first in the Garden of Eden with. . .

God’s people in Adam and Eve.

God’s place in Eden.

Adam and Eve living under God’s rule.

The life of Abraham

God’s People: Abraham and his descendents.

God’s place: the promise that he would give Abraham the land of Canaan.

God’s Rule: the promise that he would build Abraham a great nation.

Genesis 12:1-3 “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

This theme of Kingdom is continued in the story of Israel.

God’s People

Isaac, Jacob (Israel), 12 tribes (Israelites)

God’s place

Exodus out of Egypt and headed to the promise land.

The establishment of the Tabernacle in the wilderness. . . then later the temple in Jerusalem.

God’s Rule

Moses implement’s God’s rule through the law.

Joshua re-establishes God’s rule in the conquest of Canaan.

David continues God’s rule in his united Kingdom.

Yet all of these people after Adam’s fall, are not the promised Messiah. . . they are not the snake crusher. Each one of them fails.

Adam disobeyed God.

Abraham lied and was unfaithful at times to God’s promises.

Moses trusted in his own strength instead of God’s.

Joshua disobeyed God and did not drive out all the people in the land of Canaan.

David was a murderer and an adulterer.

David’s kingdom soon falls apart after his Son Solomon finishes his reign. The people reject God and worship idols and false gods. the books of 1 and 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, and the prophets recount Israel’s idolatry and hard heartedness towards the Lord which eventually leads to their exile into Babylon and Assyria.

Yet, God is still faithful to his promise he made to Abraham and his descendents, and in his grace, he brings his people back to Jerusalem and they begin to rebuild the wall and the temple to re-establish God’s kingdom once more.

The books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Joel, Haggai, Obadiah, and Malachi provide insight into this part in the story.

Yet even though the Israelites have made it back to the land, there is no king and the OT ends with grumbling people longing for a king and the former glory of the kingdom to be restored. . . they were waiting for the Messiah. . . the snake crusher to arrive.

By seeing each one of these prophets, priests, and Kings failures, points to the need for a true prophet, priest, and King to arise. . . and the person who fulfills this call is Jesus Christ.

Tim Keller, a faithful pastor in the Presbyterian church who recently passed away said this about how all the Old Testament points to Jesus:

Jesus is the true and better Adam who passed the test in the garden and whose obedience is imputed to us.

Jesus is the true and better Abel who, though innocently slain, has blood now that cries out, not for our condemnation, but for acquittal.

Jesus is the true and better Abraham who answered the call of God to leave all the comfortable and familiar and go out into the void not knowing wither he went to create a new people of God.

Jesus is the true and better Isaac who was not just offered up by his father on the mount but was truly sacrificed for us. And when God said to Abraham, “Now I know you love me because you did not withhold your son, your only son whom you love from me,” now we can look at God taking his son up the mountain and sacrificing him and say, “Now we know that you love us because you did not withhold your son, your only son, whom you love from us.”

Jesus is the true and better Jacob who wrestled and took the blow of justice we deserved, so we, like Jacob, only receive the wounds of grace to wake us up and discipline us.

Jesus is the true and better Joseph who, at the right hand of the king, forgives those who betrayed and sold him and uses his new power to save them.

Jesus is the true and better Moses who stands in the gap between the people and the Lord and who mediates a new covenant.

Jesus is the true and better Job, the truly innocent sufferer, who then intercedes for and saves his stupid friends.

Jesus is the true and better David whose victory becomes his people’s victory, though they never lifted a stone to accomplish it themselves.

Jesus is the true and better Esther who didn’t just risk leaving an earthly palace but lost the ultimate and heavenly one, who didn’t just risk his life, but gave his life to save his people.

Jesus is the true and better Jonah who was cast out into the storm so that we could be brought in.

Jesus is the real Rock of Moses, the real Passover Lamb, innocent, perfect, helpless, slain so the angel of death will pass over us. He’s the true temple, the true prophet, the true priest, the true king, the true sacrifice, the true lamb, the true light, the true bread.

Response

All of the Bible is about Jesus.

If we love Jesus, if we are his disciples, then we will desire to read and study his word. . . which means ALL of it. . . both Old Testament and New.

So, I think there are two ways we need to respond to these truths tonight.

We must repent of our lack of love for God and his word.

Show me your time and I will show you your treasure.

Don’t think of Bible reading simply as a spiritual discipline. . . but see it as an opportunity to grow in your knowledge of your glorious savior.