How to Read the “Old” Testament and Not be Confused
Gordon Avery
You will never understand the Old Testament if you do not know Jesus.
Look at what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3:
The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away.
Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God!
In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever!
Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away.
But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand.
Paul makes it clear that until you know Jesus you cannot understand what the Old Testament says. You will always be confused by the “Old Testament God.” You won’t even understand the Law. So there is no sense starting in the Old Testament.
Sometimes you need to understand who the Main Character is before you understand his actions. Such is the case with God.
He never has, nor ever will, attempt to explain His actions. His only goal is to explain who He [God] is. It’s strange that we attempt the opposite. We come to believe that God is unknowable. But that His ways are knowable. This is the difference between Job and his friends. His friends could not believe what Job said because they were trying to decipher his circumstances based on their understanding of how God works.
What was happening just didn’t add up. It’s not God’s way. Yet Job became convinced of something else. He said that he didn’t understand God’s ways, but that he knew God himself. This made his friends angry. “How can you say, a mere mortal, that you know God?” This is the same view amongst nearly every religion in the world.
The key to understanding the Old Testament is to first know that I will never understand God’s ways. In fact, God never even tries to explain what he does (He didn’t even explain to Job, after the fact, why Job had gone through what he did).
My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD.“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)
It’s not that God just isn’t telling us his ways. He says that we can’t even begin to comprehend them. Our minds are not strong enough to even imagine it. God made the universe. He created Time. We live within these things. He does not. We now know there are universes with up to 16 dimensions. We live in 4 dimensions. We can’t wrap our thoughts around living in 16 dimensions. How are we ever to understand the ways of God, who created those universes?
But God does want us to understand his character. Over and over he shows us who he is. So when his ways seem cruel or mean or just confusing we can know one thing; “God is for me, not against me. He is love.”
So when reading the Old Testament we must keep two truths in mind.
- God’s Character.
- God’s Goal.
What is God’s Character? Who is God?
1 John 4:16 gives the answer: “God is Love.”
God is love, which means He does nothing outside of it. He doesn’t have love. He is Love. And He is love because He is Relationship. He doesn’t have relationship, His very essence is Relationship.
If you want to understand the scriptures properly, this is critical. When God does something confusing or harsh, ask yourself, “How is this an act of Love?” Because if God did it, then it is an act of love. This fact is made abundantly clear over and over again in the Bible, even the Old Testament.
I love Erwin McManus’ example. He said that if you saw me with an ax cutting off some guy’s leg you could come to some pretty gritty conclusions about me. I could seem heinous. But if you came to discover that the man had gangrene in his leg and that if I didn’t cut it off he would die, well then, everything changes doesn’t it?
God is Love. Always has. Always will. Every action, past, present, and future. It’s all been an act of love.
The second thing to remember is God’s Goal.
This is something God made abundantly clear from the start. If we look, we will see it covering almost every ounce of Scripture from front to back.
God’s goal is to save all the nations. Every nation. Every person. Listen to words God speaks to Abraham in Genesis 12:
I will make you into a great nation,and I will bless you;
I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.
Every action that God makes, even in the Old Testament, is for the very purpose of saving every person on earth. Reading through the Prophets reveals this quite clearly. God says he will do something, and the reason he says he will do it is so that “all the nations will know that I am the Lord.” – Genesis 12:2-3. New International Version (NIV).
So when reading the Old Testament you must first know who Jesus is. His spirit must be living within you. Or all is hopeless.
Then remember, God is Love and His goal is to save all people. Then you will start to understand God’s Character and his mysterious ways will begin to be less confusing and more wonderful.
Best,
