Christians & the Old Testament

Have you ever tried to read through the entire Bible in a year? This was one of my resolutions for the new year of 2013 and so far, I have managed to keep it up. Because I’m a math person, I decided to create my own reading plan rather than go off of someone else’s reading plan. This was probably not the most brilliant idea I have ever had since I ended up reading in Job, Isaiah, and Jeremiah (in addition to a daily Psalm) for about a month at the end of the summer.

As modern-day Christians living under God’s redeeming grace, we are generally more comfortable with reading the New Testament than we are with the Old Testament. Late one night after I had finished reading four very dreary, long chapters I thought, “this is miserable- hopeless, even”. Yes, parts of the Old Testament are pretty miserable and hopeless, but maybe that’s the point God is trying to make. Remember that this time in history is when people still had to be under the law. The Old Testament was before grace really became the main part of how God related to individuals. The point is that under the law that God gave to Moses we fail miserably. There is absolutely no way we can make it to God without His help. That’s why parts of the Old Testament are so miserable.

Like in any good adventure or romance story, just when everything seems completely lost and hopeless the Hero shows up, saves the day, and makes everything right. After all the major and minor prophets have come and the people of Israel are left wicked, wounded, and waiting- waiting with the little hope they have left for the promised Savior. Finally, He comes (not at all like they thought He would) and finishes the work He was sent to do, rescuing all who are willing to come through His free grace.

I believe that Christians should not ignore huge chunks of the Old Testament simply because they are hard to understand or unpleasant to read. The Old Testament gives us a very humbling picture of the righteousness, justice, and complete holiness of God. Don’t treat God like a throw pillow (soft, comfortable, and nice to look at) because His wrath is fierce. Reading through the Bible in a year is a good experience to give a person a good overall picture of God and His character. However, there were many times when I wished I did not have to go so fast or read so much every day because I wanted to explore a passage or topic in greater depth. I would definitely encourage other Christians to read through the Bible in a year at least once every 2-10 years.