KOT-01 Why Study the Old Testament?

If we were to ask people with no traditional Jewish or Christian background, “Why should someone study the Old Testament?” most would probably say something like this: “The Old Testament is so old and irrelevant that it isn’t worth reading much at all.” Now as followers of Christ, we receive the Old Testament as the Word of God. It’s sacred Scripture. But, as surprising as that may sound, even when we ask Christians, “Why should we study the Old Testament?” at best some of us would say, “Well, there are a few things here and there that are still important for us today.” But all too often, even sincere Christians say, “The Old Testament is so old that it isn’t worth reading much at all.” So why should followers of Christ today study the Old Testament?

This lesson is the first in our series Kingdom, Covenants & Canon of the Old Testament — a series exploring the themes of God’s kingdom and covenants and how these themes are applied in the books of the Old Testament canon. This first lesson will address a crucial preliminary question: “Why Study the Old Testament?” Why should modern followers of Christ be interested in this part of the Bible? Why should we devote ourselves to the task of studying these ancient Scriptures?

From the outset, we should admit that studying the Old Testament isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do. It’s especially challenging because the canon of the Old Testament consists of many books, written by different authors, who addressed different historical circumstances, over a period of nearly 1000 years. But, as we’ll see in this series, we can make great strides when we realize one thing: All of these books rest on a set of basic beliefs that all Old Testament authors held in common. They all believed that God administered his relationship with Israel by means of policies that he established through his covenants. And beyond this, they also believed that these covenants were designed to accomplish God’s grand goal for history — to glorify himself by turning all of creation into his kingdom. Old Testament authors drew upon their basic beliefs in God’s kingdom and covenants as they addressed specific situations in the books of the Old Testament canon.