Hey mamas, sisters, and friends! I’m back at it with another Christian Living post. The Word of Lord inspired me to write about something that I’ve been reading from His living, inerrant, infallible, and inspired book. It’s amazing what setting aside time each day to read the bible can do for your spiritual growth (along with it being a necessity of claiming to be a ‘Christian’). In order to say you follow Christ, or acknowledge yourself as a Christian, you should be reading your bible along with having a personal, on-going relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord. I’m not saying you have to be reading every single waking hour of every day–but getting in His Word should be a daily goal, along with prayer and thanksgiving (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Now let’s get into our topic for today: learning from the Old Testament.
June 2023 I started a bible reading plan to finish the bible in one year. Our first baby just turned one that May and I was due with our second in August. Did I finish reading the bible in that one year? Nope. But I kept going–and I’m still going! My goal is to have finished the bible, all sixty-six God-breathed books come June 2025. It will have turned into a two year reading plan, but hey, I’m okay with that! This is the Five Day Bible Reading Program I’m still doing, so check it out if you need a place to start. Since I’ve been a Christian, I found myself aimlessly reading the bible. I tried reading plans here and there, but always seemed to pick and choose books that I felt ‘comfortable’ with, and only going back and forth reading those. Through this bible plan, I will have completed the Old and New testament–cover to cover! But this plan doesn’t have you read through the bible chronologically per say. Instead, you are jumping back and forth between the Old and New Testament. It really bridges the two books together and you learn how many things overlap between the two. I’m so grateful to have found this program, so I hope it blesses you too! But I digress–again lol. My main topic for today is the Old Testament; specifically, how we can learn from how the Israelites kept forsaking God and turning their backs on Him.
There are countless things I have read in the Old Testament (OT) over my bible plan that have made me awe, gasp, cry, repent, and thank God for sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. God the Father sent Jesus His Son to fulfill the prophecy of the Old Testaments (read Isaiah 53:1-12, for just one example. You can also check out this link that shows 351 Old Testament Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus Christ; note: I did not personally fact check these, so please read your bible when cross referencing this to be sure it is accurate). Not only were prophecies fulfilled, but God the Father sent Jesus Christ to save us from our sins so we can have eternal life and shall not perish (John 3:16-17). The work of the Lord is truly miraculous! His plans were there from the very beginning (John 1:1). So what about the Old Testament? How can we learn from it if we don’t live under the Law? Since Jesus Christ has come, shouldn’t I only be concerned with the New Testament?
These are good questions to ask and necessary for us to answer. In reading the New Testament and all that Jesus accomplished in His earthly life (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), we see that He was preaching from the Old Testament. He quotes and references the Old Testament time and time again. A Christian should not neglect the teachings of the OT, but does that mean I need to abide by the many interesting and very-specific orthodox Laws written in Deuteronomy (for example)? Short answer, no. But the longer answer is: we need to seriously take note. In the NT, Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:37-40 what our commandment is to follow that covers the Law and the Prophets: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” That leads us to the next question, so can we just throw out the teachings of the Old Testament and neglect the very essence of it being a part of the bible? Absolutely not. We learn many things in the OT that are vital to the Christian faith. Just look at a verse from Deuteronomy that very much applies to what I just quoted, verse 6:5, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Living the Christian faith means believing in ALL that is written in the bible. If you don’t, then be warned (Proverbs 30:5-6 and Revelation 22:18-19). Friends, the Old Testament is so very important to our understanding of Christ, along with having correct theology as a Christian. Look at Genesis 1:1– time, matter, and space–of how creation came to be from our Almighty Creator!
The book I’m currently reading in the bible is Ezekiel. We read Ezekiel’s vision and prophecy from the Lord. Not only in this OT book, but in all the others, notice that when God speaks through a prophet, He is always saying “Thus says the Lord” before the prophet speaks. It is not the words of the prophet, but the words of God that are spoken through the prophet. Such a small detail that makes you look at scripture with more reverence. So in Ezekiel, God is talking about the Isrealites and their transgressions. I spoke at the beginning, how it’s important for us to seriously take note from the teachings and ways of the people in the OT–even though we are not under the law. Many sins that the Israelites fell prey to are things we see in today’s culture. Let me quote some scripture from Ezekiel chapter 20 to show you. (I could quote even more verses than this, but I’m only focusing on chapter 20 since this was the chapter I read today that inspired my blog post!)
“Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, throw away the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’ But they rebelled against Me and would not obey Me.” –Ezekiel 20:7-8
- In today’s culture, what is your idol? What is something or someone you put before God? This is walking in disobedience to God.
“And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them.”
–Ezekiel 20:11
- God told the Israelites what his commands were. If they followed them, then they would live. In today’s culture, the commands of the Lord can be found in the bible. Do you live by your bible? Or by the world?
“But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols. I am the Lord your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments,” –Ezekiel 20:18-20
- A warning to the children, that they should not follow in their parent’s footsteps and be defiled by their idols. Sound familiar to today’s culture? Parents are not always leading by example to give their children a biblical worldview. Children, be warned. Follow in God’s ways–not as your parents did.
“Therefore I also gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live; and I pronounced them unclean because of their ritual gifts, in that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire, that I might make them desolate and that they might know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 20: 25-26
- Actions have consequences. Rituals and child sacrifice are an abomination to the Lord. In today’s culture, we see both of these things happening.
“When I brought them into the land concerning which I had raised My hand in an oath to give them, and they saw all the high hills and all the thick trees, there they offered their sacrifices and provoked Me with their offerings.” –Ezekiel 20:28
- God still brought the Israelites into the land–yet the people forsook Him anyways and provoked Him. In today’s culture, mocking and provoking God can be seen every way you turn.
“And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face to face. Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you,” says the Lord God.” –Ezekiel 20:35-36
- God will not break His covenant with Israel. Thus He’s still trying to plead with His people. Do you see that in today’s culture? Or not?
“And there you shall remember your ways and all your doings with which you were defiled; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight because of all the evils that you have committed. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have dealt with you for My name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways nor according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel,” says the Lord God.’” –Ezekiel 20:43-44
- Once again, actions have consequences. God says that the people shall loathe themselves for what they did. That’s called having morality written on our hearts which is the ‘natural law’ seen in Romans 2. God makes the people realize all the wickedness they did in the sight of Him. In today’s culture, you have the opportunity RIGHT NOW to repent! Repent for all that you’ve done and where you have forsaken the Lord. Turn your eyes to Him. There will be consequences for your actions, but to have eternal life with the Lord is worth more than any riches this world can bring you!
This was just a snippet of unpacking one chapter, from one book, in the Old Testament. So much fruit and wisdom to be gleaned from scripture when you ask God to open your eyes to His Word. Glory be to God! I hope this post inspired you to dive deeper into the OT, and maybe even start this bible reading plan! I pray the Lord opens up to you and reveals Himself to you in a new way after reading through this post. May the Lord of Lord, and King of Kings, touch your heart, mind, and spirit to repent and seek Him through every single day you have left on in this broken world.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” –John 16:33
“I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.” –John 17:14-16
Peace be with you, and see you in the next one mamas, sisters, and friends!
Leave a Reply