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As part of Biblefresh, Wycliffe Bible Translators have been holding a series of evening classes, helping people to interact more with the Bible.In this, the third in the series, Katy Barnwell, who works with Old Testament translations in Nigeria, talks about why it's important that the church today continues to engage with the Old Testament.
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Does the Old Testament have something to say to Today’s church?
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Our goal
• To review why we need the Old Testament today – looking for a growing understanding and appreciation of God’s Word
• To see how the Old Testament helps us to understand the New Testament – especially key concepts and cultural background
• To explore some ways to dig deeper into the Old Testament
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Why we need the Old Testament
• It is the first part of the story!
• You don’t start to read a novel three quarters of the way through the book
• Or begin to watch a play at the next to last act
• The New Testament is best understood when seen as the outcome, or completion, of the Old Testament
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To understand the New Testament,
we need to know some basic facts revealed in the
Old Testament• How the world was created
• How the world was spoiled, how human beings became flawed, sinful, separated
• The nature of God – his character, his values
• Covenants and promises of God
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Revelation of the character of God
Some have said: “The Old Testament is a covenant of law and judgement. The New Testament is a message of love, forgiveness & liberty.”
But the first covenant was also a covenant of love:
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9 Understand, therefore, that the LORD your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love (covenant love) on those who love him and obey his commands. . . .
12 “If you listen to these regulations and faithfully obey them, the LORD your God will keep his covenant of unfailing love with you, as he promised with an oath to your ancestors.
Deuteronomy 7:9, 12
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Revelation of the character of God
Other aspects of the character of God revealed through the Old Testament:
holiness & justice
YHWH, the God of the Old Testament, is also the God of the New Testament – his nature does not change.
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God chose to reveal himself through encounters with individuals, through stepping into history.
Only through gradual revelation and experience could humankind begin to understand something of the holiness, power, and love of God and their own need of forgiveness and salvation.
It is the Old Testament that records this preparation, and makes it available today.
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How the Old Testament can help us understand the New
Testament
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Bruce Metzger, The New Testament, its Background, Growth and Content
“Let it be clear at the outset that of all the ‘helps’ which assist the reader to understand the New Testament, the Old Testament is by far the most important. In the collection of thirty-nine books one finds the religious presuppositions and historical background without which the thinking and experiences of the New Testament writers cannot be understood.”
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Key concepts in the NT that were introduced in the OT
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The Law – the Torah – the instructions God gave to Moses
Sacrifice – the principle that one life can substitute for another, one person can die for another
Satan and evil spirits – Satan is introduced in chapter 3
Covenant – a binding agreement between two parties
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Even understanding the physical background of the Bible
The tabernacle
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More concepts from the Old Testament
Expectancy of a Saviour-King, a great prophet
In the New Testament called “the Christ”or “the Messiah”
“You are the Christ.” (Mark 8:29, also Matthew 16:20, Luke 9:20 )(Unfortunately many readers miss the “the”.)
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Other titles for Jesusoften not understood or misunderstood
Son of Man
Son of David
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
(Daniel 7:13, 14)
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Old Testament people mentioned in the New
Testament
Because the story continues, characters are carried over.
Abraham Mentioned 73 times
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Old Testament people mentioned in the New
Testament
Because the story continues, characters are carried over:
Abraham Mentioned 73 times
Mentioned 80 timesMoses
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Old Testament people mentioned in the New
Testament
Because the story continues, characters are carried over:
Abraham
Mentioned 59 times
Mentioned 73 times
Mentioned 80 timesMoses
David
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The importance of prophecy
The specific and detailed prophecies of the Old Testament were the evidence that Jesus of Nazareth was the Expected-one.
Where he would be born -
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,though you are small among the clans of Judah,out of you will come for meone who will be ruler over Israel, (Micah 5:2)
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The importance of prophecy
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How he would die
How he would rise from death -
“because you will not abandon me to the grave nor will you let your Holy One see decay.”
“they put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.”
Psalm 69:21
Psalm 22
Psalm 16:10
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The importance of prophecy
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon me,for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,that the blind will see,that the oppressed will be set free, 19 and that the time of the LORD's favor has come.”
(Luke 4:18-19 NLT, quoting Isaiah 61:1-2)
What he would do -
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The importance of prophecy
Also prophecies • of future events
• of what is happening today
• of the return of the Lord, which we expect.
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Understanding the Old Testament worldview
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Ethiopia, 2004
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Nigeria, 2006
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Ethiopia, 2004
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Africa, 2005
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Numbers 11:5
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Mount of Beatitudes
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Some ways to dig deeper
– Character studies: • Women of the Old Testament• favourite characters (Joseph, Samuel, David . . . . )
– Word studies - “loving faithfulness”
A challenge to study books we are not so familiar with – perhaps, Ecclesiastes, Malachi
– Looking at the minor prophets, studying them in the context of history, as part of the story
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Group Book Approximate Dates
Pre-ExilicProphets of Israel
Jonah (preached to Nineveh)Amos Hosea
780-850765-750755-715
Prophets of Judah Obadiah JoelMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniah
840835-796740-690630-612606-604625
Post-Exilic ProphetsProphets of the Returned Remnant
HaggaiZechariahMalachi
520515430
The minor prophets, grouped according to the Exile and The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah
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Group Book Approximate Dates
Pre-ExilicProphets of Israel
Jonah (fleeing from the will of God)Amos (Social justice, judgment for those who abuse privilege)Hosea (Love that perseveres)
780-850765-750755-715
Prophets of Judah Obadiah (Divine justice, don’t gloat)Joel (The coming of the day of YHWH)Micah (God is just, but he extends mercy)Nahum (God’s judgement )Habakkuk (Trust God whatever happens)Zephaniah (God’s judgment and discipline will bring blessing)
840835-796740-690630-612606-604625
Post-Exilic ProphetsProphets of the Returned Remnant
Haggai (God blesses those who put him first)Zechariah (God is a jealous God)Malachi (Return to me an d I will return to you)
520515430
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http://bible.org/seriespage/minor-prophets
http://www.womeninthebible.net/
Gordon Fee: How we should read the Biblehttp://www.gci.org/yi/fee73
Don Carson: The worldview clashhttp://www.facingthechallenge.org/carson.php
Don Carson: Use of the Old Testament in the New Testamenthttp://www.euroleadershipresources.org/resource.php?ID=242&Tab=AudioDownload
Websites you might find helpful
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Digging deeper:Try translation – or paraphrase
The Psalms, and other passages in the Old
Testament, are a rich aid to worship or to other spiritual activity – such as confession (Psalm 51), or expressing grief or frustration (Psalm 6).
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Psalm 1 - paraphrased, adopted
“The one who enjoys the full joy of God's blessing is the person who soaks himself in Scripture constantly, thinking about God's words day and night. He does not put himself where he hears unhelpful values promoted, he does not read things which are unhelpful and pull standards down, he does not mix with people who mock God’s Word.
“Instead he finds joy in reading and meditating on God's word. Such a person is like a mango tree planted by a flowing stream, a tree which bears plentiful fruit when the harvest time comes, a tree that is always fresh and green.The Lord guides and cares for those who seek to do his will, but those who reject his help and guidance will be lost for ever.
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Psalm 1 continued
“Those who pay no attention to God's word are not like that. They are like husks of wheat that the wind blows away. When it comes to the day when we all stand before God to give an account of our lives, they will not be found guiltless nor will they be able to dwell among those whom God counts as righteous.
The Lord guides and cares for those who seek to do his will, but those who reject his help and guidance will be lost for ever.”
Those words, written nearly 3,000 years ago, are as full of promise for us today as they were on the day they were first sung.
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The end
