Lessons from the Old Testament

The next several articles in this blog will be devoted to key lessons derived from a broad study of the Old Testament.  This means that I will be looking at the big picture of the Old Testament, the major ideas and big principles that guide the message of the Old Testament, and seeking to apply those ideas to our daily lives.

The Old Testament is the living history of the people of God as He prepared them for the coming of the Messiah.  In fact, the expectation of the Messiah is a key component of the Old Testament and we will see many facets of that in our study. 

The Old Testament is in some degree a story of failure.  It is the failure of the people of God to respond worshipfully to their Creator and Savior.  But it is also a story of success in many individual lives but especially from the standpoint of God’s ability to overcome the many bad decisions of His people and to create a new covenant that would be ushered in by the Messiah.

My hope is that you will find yourself drawn to the Old Testament through this study and find in it the rich resources that Jesus and his disciples found, and that countless followers of Christ have found through the centuries.  There are treasures abundant in its pages, rich enough to feed the soul and grow the spirit.  It is the Word of God and not the less for being the “old covenant” that He made with Israel.  Its principles still burst with life and its examples provide vivid patterns for us to mimic and avoid.

Sola Scriptura!