How Do You Approach the Old Testament?
That might sound strange, but it’s a question worth asking. When you sit to read or study, what are you looking for?
Answers?
Insight?
Direction?
What is your primary approach?
I would suggest that the highest pursuit of any study
is to discover and know God.
Jesus said, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (Jn 17:3).
But what about the OT law? I mean, Leviticus? Come on. What about those wild prophets and wisdom books?
How does a modern-day believer approach the OT when they are unsure where to begin in those ancient pages?
There are a variety of ways. One way is a plain reading of the text. Just sit with some of those pages in your Bible that are still white and clean and read through them. You do not have to worry about all the tactics and interpretations. Just read.
Headed to Exodus or Deuteronomy? Christians can take inventory of the law of the Pentateuch (Genesis through Deuteronomy) by simply reading the text. Granted, there are many laws Christians cannot relate to and most likely will never be able to use or implement, but there are many that are good common sense and are transcultural and transtemporal.
Christians can study particular themes, events, or people within the OT. There are wonderful themes like covenant, grace, faithfulness, prophecy, and more. You can go as far as learning the ancient languages and how to study them in their ancient context.
Still, there is the difficult problem of NT believers reconciling OT societal issues that the Western church finds offensive in those OT laws. The church has to wrestle with the seemingly offensive allowances and intolerance of the OT and push to ask questions regarding, not of Israel’s ancient culture, but of God’s nature and reasons. Roy E. Gane pushes the believer to consider:
This theodicy issue calls for exploration of further questions, such as these: On what basis do we think our ethics and definition of love are superior to those of God? Does our view of happiness in this life reliably define unselfish true love? Does the OT law represent a moral “halfway (or quarterway) house” on the way to a higher standard, more closely applicable to us, that is pointed out elsewhere in Scripture (e.g., Gal. 3:28, “There is neither slave nor free”; 1 Tim. 3:2, 12, “the husband of one wife”)? Did God have loving reasons for accommodating to human weakness and seeking to eliminate evils from ancient Israelite society through means that would work in that context?[1]
These questions, and others, when studied in light of the character, nature, and purposes of God, may help answer these questions. If one believes that God is good and holy, then the questions must be answered in light of this.[2]
How Should Christians Approach the Old Testament?
How a modern-day believer reads and interprets the law depends on their approach. We should study to find the revealed character and nature of God and respond appropriately. John Piper writes that the Bible “puts the glory of God on display as the goal of all that God does….From beginning to end, God tells us and shows us that his ultimate goal in all he does is to communicate his glory for the world to see and for his people to admire and enjoy and praise.”[3]
Generally speaking, modern-day Christians approach the text to study the characters involved and to watch the story of humanity unfold as it interacts and relates to God. This could be considered a “character-based approach” to the Bible. It is a natural reading of the Bible focused on the timeline of people and how they interacted with God.
There is nothing inherently wrong with this approach, and it provides insight into our tendencies, thoughts, and actions. We read how Adam and Eve interacted with God, then move to Noah and watch as he obeys God’s command in faith. We work our way through the faithfulness of Abraham to the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt. We take inventory of reactions, disappointments, and interactions with God and others and strive to either emulate their ways or work to not make the same mistakes. The Bible provides case studies of the faithful and faithless, how humans should and should not treat one another, and the beauties and failures of the community of God’s people.
In contrast, approaching the Bible to read the story of God, how he thinks, acts, moves, and intervenes in humanity for certain reasons and purposes, could help resolve some of the more difficult issues as well as teach us to worship God.
God should be the first thing we ask about when reading. We can ask, “What does this passage teach me about God (Jesus/Holy Spirit)?” Then, you can take inventory of what you find. It has been my experience that this text-forward approach to understanding God has done more transformative work in my life than any approach that puts my desires and needs first.
This approach is helpful when studying the Old Testament. Look at Exodus 15 when Moses is praising God. We can discover much about what the OT authors wanted us to know about God, and then we can worship him for who he was to them and still is to us now.
Exodus 15.
God is praised as all-powerful: “I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and rider he has thrown into the sea… the LORD is a man of war; the LORD is his name” (15:1, 3). “Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy” (15:6).
There are no gods like YHWH: “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” (15:11).
God is loving and faithful: “You have led in our steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode” (15:13).
God is forever the King: “The LORD will reign forever and ever” (15:18).
That text might be a bit obvious when it comes to focusing on God’s nature and character. So, let’s try another text.
Genesis 12:1-3
“Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Take inventory. What do we learn about God in this passage?
God speaks to Abram.
God tells Abram what to do.
God says that he will be the one to do all these things.
God will bless, God will make Abram great, God will do it all.
Exodus 34
Consider the famous example found in Exodus 34 when Moses asks God to show him his glory, and God answers:
“The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin but who will be no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children” (Ex 34:6-7).
Take inventory:
Merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness for thousands!
If you get hung up on God “visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children,” then take the time to study deeper. Find commentaries online or at a local college. Ask your pastor or elder, or do some research on the internet.
There will always be the need to do the rigorous work of exegesis and hermeneutics, but we can do this with one thing in mind: to learn what we can about our gracious and loving God. As we study the OT, looking for God in the pages of its history, we will discover a God we can worship, love, and obey. The same goes for the NT. When we approach the text to learn about God/Jesus/Holy Spirit first, we will be in a better position to view ourselves in light of what we learn about him.
This is where our transformation begins.
It does not start with trying to figure ourselves out. It does not start with deep introspection. I believe it starts when we focus on all we can learn about God in the Bible. When we have a high view of God, a Biblically informed view of God, we will have no problem understanding who we are. It is through knowing God that we discover who we are, and that, my friends, is way more fun than self-discovery.
God-discovery is the way to true worship and freedom.
[1] Roy E. Gane, Old Testament Law for Christians: Original Context and Enduring Application (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2017), 141-142.
[2] Gane addresses the issues of theodicy in chapter 14, “Old Testament Law and Theodicy”.
[3] John Piper, Reading the Bible Supernaturally: seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017), 46.