How to read the Old Testament

O.K. I’m offering “How to read the Old Testament,” and you might very well be thinking, “Why would I want to read the Old Testament?”

Here’s a pretty good answer. Most theologians would agree that the Old Testament provides the historical and theological foundation for Christianity, establishing the context, problems, and prophesies that Jesus came to fulfill as told in the New Testament.

That’s a pretty good answer, don’t you think? Of course it is.

But, if you asked the kids at our church in our Confirmation Class why would you read the Old Testament, they might simply and honestly say, “Because our teachers are making us.”

And they’re right. We’re making them.

But not only are we making them, we are trying very hard to give them the tools they need to read the Old Testament and come away with “the historical and theological foundation for Christianity.”

Let’s be honest again. A good portion of the Old Testament is pretty difficult to fully grasp and comprehend. We can get quite bogged down wading through it. And the “begats” are super yada yada yada.

But with a few keys to watch for and a few main ideas, much of it can make some pretty good sense and be quite interesting, informative, and even relevant to our lives today.

In my last Citizen article I wrote about our Confirmation lesson on Genesis 1 and 2 and creation. The next lesson was on the four stories in Genesis 3-11.

We taught the kids to watch for a specific pattern of events within each story. That pattern is as follows:

·         Right relationship between God and humans

·         Temptation (from Satan) to doubt and oppose God

·         Giving into temptation (Sin)

·         Bad consequences

·         Righteous punishment by God

·         God’s continued love for and faithfulness to humans

·         Right relationship restored

This is the key to “How to read the Old Testament.” This pattern is the pattern for every story in the Old Testament. Sometimes it all happens very fast, and sometimes it takes centuries to cycle all the way through.

So, what about the four stories in Genesis 3-11?

The story of Adam and Eve falling to the temptation of the snake/satan follows this pattern.

The story of Cain killing Abel follows this pattern.

The story of Noah and The Flood follows this pattern.

The story of the Tower of Bable follows this pattern.

If you know anything about these stories you can identify these components pretty quickly. If you do not know these stories, you can find them in those chapters and identify the pattern, even if some of your reading gets a bit bogged down in details you are not as interested in. The old pastor says, “skip over the parts that don’t fit the pattern. There’s a theology professor somewhere that will study those parts for us. Amen!”

Over and over again in the Old Testament this pattern is repeated and repeated. Abraham. Isaac. Jacob. Joseph. Moses. David. The Children of Israel. The promise of the Messiah.

In fact, this then is also the pattern of the story of Jesus in the New Testament. Because of the “fall” of all mankind and our “original sin” since Adam and Eve, we would be in a broken relationship with God and deserve his eternal punishment.

But God, in His mercy and grace, His love for us that we do not deserve, sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to live the perfect life, fulfill the whole “Law” of God, die on the cross to forgive us all our sins, and rose again that we too might have eternal life in heaven when we leave this world.

Pattern fulfilled. Cycle completed. For you. For all who believe. Amen!

And one more thing. This pattern and cycle continue on and on in our everyday lives. Yes, we sin daily, we deserve punishment, we confess our sins, and God forgives our sins for the sake of Jesus Christ and restores us to relationship with Him. Over and over.

You old timers will remember Yogi Berra, the great baseball player for the New York Yankees. Through his playing and managing years, he always touted statistics and facts that seemed a bit outrageous. But Yogi always affirmed, “You can look it up!”

Do you wonder who God is and who you are and how things got messed up and fixed up? It’s all there. Old Testament and New Testament. “You can look it up!”

I hope you will.

Dr. Justin Kollmeyer is a thirty-nine-year resident of Fayette County. As a retired pastor, he is available for a Christ-centered, Biblical, traditional message or teaching. Contact him at [email protected]