Why Read The Old Testament

Why Read the Old Testament? Why should we as Christians read the old testament? There are many reasons to read the Old Testament. One, Reading the Old Testament is like reading the beginning of a book and the New Testament is the end of that book. How can we understand the Plot, characters, and true meaning of the book if we only read the end of the book? We get confused, lost and not understanding what’s going on in that book. Therefore, we read the Old Testament. We as Christians need to read the Old Testament for the creation of mankind, who to God, who is the Messiah, the history of the Jewish people and how to love and serve God. The Old Testament also, tells us went Jesus Christ was born. These are some of the reason why we as Christians should read the Old Testament. The Old Testament is the foundation for the teachings of Jesus Christ and the events (history of the Jews) that are found in the New Testament. The history of the Jews people is important to us because of the customs and traditions that the Jewish people passed to the New Testament. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of
the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined” (Isaiah 9:2). If we as Christians don’t learn the history of the Jewish people and their mistake, how can we do better. Easy the Old Testament gives examples of the live of the Jewish people, their accomplishment and their failures. With that understanding of the Jewish people we can see why Jesus was upset by the people and what they did to the temple courtyard, or how he replied to the Pharisees and to their questions.
Also, the Old Testament records many prophecies of events that happen in the New Testament and events that could happen soon.
But one of the most importance prophecies recorded in the Old Testament was the prophecies of the coming of the Messiah. Without the Old Testament, we as Christian would not understand why the Messiah was coming (Isaiah 53). The Old Testament also, prophesied on the Messiah’s birth place “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me, The One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2), his death and his resurrection “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption” (Psalm 16:10). Also, on Jesus Christ ministry and what he did in his
lifetime.
Why should we as Christians read the Old Testament? We read the Old Testament because of the Limitless lessons it had to offer us to be learned. By studying the lives of the characters in the Old Testament we can as Christian find direction in our lives and understanding of God. For example, we can trust God no matter what. In the Old Testament, we learned to stand firm in what we believe and that we would be reward for are faithfulness in God through Daniel’s life and the way he lived (Daniel 6). we learned that we should confess in our sin instead of shifting the blame on other through Samuels and Saul’s life (1 Samuel 15). We learned that our behavior rewards us and the people around us “you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments” (Exodus 20:5-6).
The Old Testament also helps us understand prophecy. The Old Testament holds many promises that God has yet fulfill for the Jewish nation. The Old Testament reveals things like the length of the Tribulation, Christ’s future reign fulfills His promises to the Jews.
In the Old Testament God shows us who he is and why he gave us the Old Testament. The Old Testament is the laws, and teachings, and prayers, sacrificial system, covenants, and promises of the Old Testament: they were all given for the sake of our salvation and how are relationship with God is revealed. Man, was created as a moral being with free will and answerable to God “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). Jesus reference to the Old Testament as the word of God, the wisdom of God, and the scripture. This show us who God is.
In summary, we read the Old Testament allows us to learn the history of the Jewish people, it reveals more about God, who is the Messiah, the creation of man, and of the prophecy.