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Differences Between Us and the Old Testament

1. CONNECT

   10min
   The Old Testament Scriptures are God’s gift to his people in every age. Jesus lived by them and so should we. In our last session, we considered the causes of distance between us and the Old Testament. In this session, we’ll see the kinds of differences we run into when we study the Old Testament. The more we understand these differences, the better equipped we’ll be to understand and apply the Old Testament to our lives.

2. Reflection

   Imagine you are about to get into a time machine that will whisk you away to a distant, ancient civilization. Now, as you get ready to travel to such a place some important questions might come to mind: “What is it going to be like there?” “How will it be different from what I know?” “Will I know any of the customs and rules?” In many ways, we travel to a distant, ancient civilization every time we study the Old Testament. So, it’s important for us to consider the differences we encounter between the Old Testament and today.

3. Guiding Question

   What are three or four specific differences you see between the Old Testament and our day?

4. WATCH

   15min

5. DISCUSS

   15min
   1. When we speak of “theological distance,” we mean the differences between the revelation that Old Testament authors received and the fuller revelation we have received as followers of Christ. With this in mind, discuss the following modern applications of Old Testament theological teachings and why we should NOT do them:
      1. God called Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his son. I should sacrifice my son on an altar today.
      2. God called Israel to march from Egypt to the Promised Land. Christians should take a plane to Egypt and make that same march today.
      3. God declared that the temple in Jerusalem was the only place where Israel was to make sacrifices. Christians should go to modern Jerusalem, build a temple and worship there.
      4. God commanded Joshua to destroy Canaanite cities. Christians today should find some cities and destroy them.
   2. When we refer to “cultural distance” between us and the Old Testament, we focus on beliefs, attitudes and practices that were common in the ancient Near East but are significantly different in our day. Discuss the following cultural differences and the challenges these differences pose as we study the Old Testament:
      1. ancient agrarian societies vs. modern urban societies
      2. ancient communication technologies vs. modern communication technologies
      3. ancient marriage customs vs. modern marriage customs
      4. ancient imperial ideals vs. modern democratic ideals
   3. When we speak of “personal distance,” we highlight the fact that people and groups of people in Old Testament times were different from modern people. Some of the personal experiences of people in the Old Testament were similar to our own experiences, but many were strikingly different. Discuss what impact the following experiences might have had on people in the Old Testament and how these experiences differ from our own.
      Old Testament people:
      1. had visions of heaven
      2. had encounters with angels
      3. heard the voice of God
      4. crossed the Red Sea
      5. saw Israel’s miraculous victory at Jericho
      6. lived under the rule of kings
      7. served as slaves
      8. experienced ancient warfare
      9. experienced life-threatening famines and droughts

6. APPLY

   15min
   1. What can we do to overcome the many theological, cultural and personal differences between the Old Testament and today?
   2. Proverbs 20:26 reads, “A wise king winnows the wicked and drives the wheel over them.” What kinds of theological, cultural and personal distance do we face as we try to apply this passage to our lives today? How might you rewrite the passage to speak to our current times?

7. CHALLENGE

   Take some time to write down four portions of the Old Testament that present challenging distance between Old Testament times and our day. Finish with a time of prayer.