The Old Testament, also known as the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, was written by various authors in a period roughly spanning from 1200 to 200 BC. There are some variations in the number of books it contains, ranging from 39 to 51, depending on which religious traditions and the canon it used. The first five books, starting with Genesis, are referred to as the Torah, Pentateuch, or Books of Moses. Here it tells about the birth of humanity, its childhood and gradual steps towards maturity. In these we find also the Mosaic Law, or Commandments, and for this they are the most fundamental of Old Testament books. When Jesus or the apostle Paul spoke of the Law, they were referring to these same books, as they were what regulated Jewish life ad society. After these five, there are more historical books, then the poetry ones, wisdom and finally the books of the prophets, though the order does vary in some Bibles.
Knowing the past is crucial for understanding the present and to discover what may come tomorrow. Without historical references we risk loosing sight of the road we are walking in, stop progressing in it and perhaps even begin to move backward. Thus the importance of knowing and understanding also the Old Testament, which I invite you to study, albeit with some foreword.
Two testaments, but the same God
The biblical word "testament" refers to a contract between God and man. For reasons which we have already touched on, and will now further develop, God replaced the old contract with a new one. The differences between the two, however, are so great that they lead also to differing images of God. Some have even raised the questioned if indeed the God of the Old Testament is the same as that of the New. The Bible itself leaves no doubt about that - it is the same God, the same landlord, you might say, but it is the contract that has changed, which determines a different relationship. Indeed, those who have accepted Christ's sacrifice, are no longer under a contract, but are wedded (a form of contract) to the owner (God) and have became heirs. This metaphor is not mine, but was used by the Apostle Paul to describe the paradigm shift from Old to New Testament. In fact, Paul wrote at length to explain why the New Contract, signed in the blood of Jesus, had replaced the Old one, but now we will step back and look at why there had to be the an Old Testament.
The beginning
Genesis, the first book of the Bible and perhaps the one studied the most, is a simple and concise account of the origins of life and of our world. Some look at it as a figurative, symbolic account, while others consider it historical. The two approaches are the cause of an intense debate that we will not discuss here, mainly because there is already ample material, in books, websites, etc. dealing with this subject. I recommend for anyone who’s interested to research it without prejudice. For a more informed choice, having probably already studied Darwin, I’d suggest getting familiar also with the scientific aspects of intelligent-design, or creationism. In any case, in this introductory study of the Old Testament, it is necessary for us to approach the book of Genesis in its traditional view.
I will not go into all aspects of that magnificent book, but I will highlight those that I consider necessary to a fuller understanding of God's plan. In Genesis, we see God (His Word) communicating with man and woman through a theophany, which means that He manifested Himself in a bodily form, walking and talking with them, as one of them. This direct contact may leave the impression that Adam and Eve were privileged by an enhanced understanding of God, but it was not so. Adam and Eve, though physically created as adults, were otherwise like children, just starting to experience and learn. Their limited scope is evidenced by what happened right after the fall - it is written that when they heard God approaching in his usual way, walking, they were afraid and hid themselves. The fear is understandable because of their disobedience, but the fact that they thought they could hide from him, reveals much about the missing elements in their understanding of God. There is a similar situation with Cain, who after killing his brother was met by God who asked him: “Where is Abel thy brother?” - obviously also Cain was seeing God in a theophany and could not understand about his omnipresence and omniscience, or he would have not answered "I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?” [1]. Further along we also read that "then began men to call upon the name of the Lord" [2]. From these examples we understand that initially humans had a very limited and childish idea of God. Only gradually and over time did they begin to realize that God was more than the bodily representation (theophany) some had seen, to the point that they finally understood that they could even call upon him (pray) without seeing him.
A Sacrificial Lamb
No matter how limited was that first human perception of God, sin had caused a great sense of loss and helplessness which then drove man to seek God. In return, God was already reaching out for him. In His foresight he had known that man would need this apparent separation, so he had not only allowed it to happen, but he had also prepared a way back, or rather a way to transform this apparently disastrous experience into a wonderful recreation. Abel’s lamb sacrifice was an illustration of that way, of a conciliatory mediation between man and God. It was the killing of an innocent animal which Abel, still vegetarian, probably carried out against conscience and probably only because God’s had asked. It was an irrational act of obedience, on pure faith in the suffering of another for his own sins, which pleased God and gave Abel the benefit. That simple act allowed him to receive that gift which already existed in God, but which had not yet been revealed in the earthly dimension - something incomprehensible, which could only be receive through faith, as manifested in the obedience of the Lamb sacrifice.
Cain, instead, reasoned with his own sense of religiosity, doubted the method and preferred to give his own suffering to God. He gave his sweat, his sacrifice, the fruit of his hands, rather than the blood of an innocent lamb. He believed that his religion, which is the root of all human religions, was better than the cruel one of Abel. Unfortunately, his “better” religion resulted in the first religious persecution and murder. From then on this has been the natural consequence of all religions based on man’s presumptuous self-effort, instead of on the work and grace of God.
Thus began, as described in the first chapters of the Bible, man’s adventurous journey towards its final destination, which the concluding chapters of the Bible tell us it is to be reborn, grow in His image and eventually become one with Him in love.
The development of a child
In its infancy humanity could only perceive God indirectly, through representations. As a child learns the things of adulthood by playing with toys that bear a resemblance to real things, so God gradually led humanity towards maturity through religious representations. The entire Old Testament is in fact a long string of historical, ritual and enacted illustrations of God’s spiritual truths. Events, sacrifices, tabernacles, temples, priests, prophets, altars, purification baths and holy feasts were as the stage, actors and props needed to represent God, who needed such to communicate with man within the limits of his understanding.
The symbol of Jesus from the beginning
The first thing God did for man and woman after they had sinned was to sacrifice some animals in order to clothe them with skins [3]. The first rite of mediation between man and God was also the animal sacrifice of Abel. In John’s Revelation Jesus is referred to as "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" [4]. It becomes obvious then that God had planned this redemptive sacrifice from the very onset. When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he exclaimed: "Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sins of the world" [5]. Jesus was that Lamb that was slain from the very beginning to clothe man and woman with new life. The ancient animal sacrifice was merely the enacting of a figurative play through which man could claim, by faith, the forgiveness and reconciliation promised by God, as in the case of Abel.
The fear of God and the Law
Through these representations man sought God, but more out of fear than of love, and certainly not yet in spirit [6]. God, knowing that man’s journey to spiritual adulthood would be long and arduous, watched over him, sometimes helping him, sometimes restraining him with a firm hand. The fear of God’s judgments was in fact an effective deterrent against all manner of evil. However, it is those divine judgments and retributions for wrong doing that sometimes cause us to see the Old Testament’s God as cruel and intolerant. The Laws that He gave to Moses, were also very severe and the infringement of many of them carried the death penalty.
The apostle Paul rhetorically asked: "Why then the Law?” then he answered his own question saying “It was added because of transgressions"[7]. So the Mosaic Law was not the original intent of God, the way in which He intended to relate to humans and Paul further explained its role as that of a guardian: "before this faith came, we were held in custody and carefully guarded under the Law in preparation for the faith that was to be revealed. And so the Law was our guardian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith"[8]. The severity of the Law had a temporary role in God's plan - that of preserving until maturity could be reached in Christ.
In the Old Testament, the fear of God and of the dire consequences for transgressing His Law, held back from evil, as defined by the Law itself. The law generated social order and individual rectitude, but because it operated through imposed behavioral requirement, the result were only superficial and not an inner regeneration of the human spirit. The law was therefore only a temporary necessity which could not fulfill God’s original and final intent.
Jesus fulfilled the original plan
It was Jesus’ sacrifice that paid the full price required by the Law for our sins and therefore fulfilled it. The Law’s mandate was thus complete and the believer was no longer under its yoke [9]. By loving us to the death, Jesus redeemed us from the legal constraints of external religiosity, that which controls through legalism and fear. Through Jesus, God’s outstretched hand grabbed the soul that sought Him, drawing it to Himself and causing it to be spiritually reborn. From then on came an invitation to a new, loving, free relationship with God, which was the original intent, since creation, but was not feasible before - not until man had matured in his heartfelt desire for spiritual communion with God [10], that same desire that causes him to recognize and accept God's invitation [11]. When that happens, for that soul, the Mosaic Law is no longer needed. The inhibitory power of the fear of God and of His judgments is no longer the right tool but is replaced by the liberating power of love for God and others. For the soul who has entered into this new relationship with God, the Old Testament is thus fully finished.
Syncretism of the two Testaments
Because of some wide differences between the two Testaments and the near impossibility of harmonizing the two texts, there have been cases in history when some Christian movements thought to exclude the Old and keep only the New. Granted, having two different Testaments in the same book does in fact create some confusion, especially for those who are jus starting in their faith journey. In fact, it is rather common to meet folks who place both Testaments on the same value scale, mainly due to unawareness of the differences and reasons for the passage from Old to New. Many fall into the most common of errors in Christianity, that of taking elements from both Testaments and creating a sort of syncretism of the two. The best known is that of mixing the Laws of Moses with the teachings of Jesus, as did the Jewish Concision, which Paul repeatedly opposed in his epistles. But as Paul made use of the Old Testament to present his case in favor of the New, we also must use it. It’s true that the Old has passed, as an expired contract, but unless we know it and understand it, neither can we know and understand the significance of the New. This is why it was included in the Bible and why we must also study it.
Being balanced in
I must warn, however, that a constant reading of the Old Testament could bring about a spiritual imbalance. It can, for example, lead to a religiosity that gives more importance to outward rituals and rules, rather than a personal relationship with God and living by the principles of love Jesus taught. Or it could lead to the justification of war, racism, or other violent acts which may appear sanctioned in the Old Testament. As I said, it is not uncommon to meet those who attribute the same importance to the Old Testament as to the Gospels, but Christian means a follower of Jesus Christ and He never condoned violence, revenge and aggression towards others - indeed, He taught exactly the opposite.
Concluding remarks
If Christianity consists only of the New Testament, some might ask, then why hold on to and read the Old? Firstly because, as we have seen, it is the same God and if we can search and understand His reasons for the past, we can also understand His reasons for the present and future. We’ll understand why the New replaced the Old and why a new Law of Love replaced the old one of fear, so that not as children, who must have guardians, but as grown ups we could freely become one with Him. Then shall we begin to see also the final goal of God’s program.
In the Old Testament man partook of a temporary reconciliation with God through the lamb sacrifice. As the sprinkling of the lamb’s blood on the doors saved the Israelites from the angel of death, so now the blood of Jesus saves us from death and brings us to God. The difference is that in the Old Testament there were representations, "a reflection of things to come "[12], as Paul called it, but in the New Testament, Jesus is the ultimate and original sacrifice that makes all previous representations obsolete.
Like a woman who no longer plays with dolls when she marries, conceives and becomes a mother, so even a Christian no longer plays at religion, with its childish representations, once he’s met the real thing. The ancient religion has terminated its preparatory purpose and has given place to true life with God.
Human religiosity
In his natural state, before entering into a real relationship with God, man is subject to various images of God. Unable to enact a maturation and closeness to God by his own efforts, man clings to what he usually perceives visibly as religious. In this condition even the New Testament can revert to the Old. Certain practices from it can be turned into rituals, some admonitions can be turned into a new Pauline Law, certain recommendation into a new priesthood, temples and so forth. It is, therefore, quite possible to be reading the New Testament but still live in the Old one.
Like Cain, who was very religious, and wished to sacrifice, but had his own idea of how he could find favor with God, by working hard. Like some who thought that with the Mosaic Law they could make themselves perfect, just by trying hard. God, instead, had given it to contain iniquity, and it could not produce spiritual life, and neither can any religious effort and practice, but only God.
Paul even said that the Law strengthened and defined sin "I wouldn't have known sin if it had not been for the law. For I wouldn't have known what it means to covet if the law had not said, “You must not covet"[13]. Even in the Old Testament, forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God could not be obtained by adherence to Law, but only through animal sacrifice [14]. This involved an act of faith in something inexplicable, rather than a laborious adherence to a religious discipline. It originated long before the law, with Abel, continued with Abraham, was confirmed by Moses and was always an illustration of the sacrifice of Christ, of that New Testament which, although not yet manifested, had been established from the start.
It was the same spirit of Cain’s religion, fueled by religious presumption and legalism, to which the law gave an excuse, which finally killed the sacrificial Lamb of God. Just like the simple faith of Abel humbled Cain’s religious self-efforts, Jesus also humbled the futile pretense of the religionists to save themselves by their religious rules. The natural man loves religion, instead of God, because religiosity exalts his desire for goodness, righteousness and holiness. Religiosity is often the method by which men attempt to spiritualize themselves. Jesus is the end of outward religiosity, the end of fake holiness and sanctimonious pretense. Jesus is the return to God in truth and in spirit [15], without the artificiality of human religiosity.
Human religion shed the blood of the true Lamb of God, Jesus, thus fulfilling God’s plan of redemption. The circle was complete on the day when men hated God so much that they decided to kill Him, and God loved men so much that He died to save them. The greatest evil against infinite love, and love won. The price for our sins was paid and the law, which required it, was fulfilled and superseded. Now, through Jesus, every person who so wishes can be forgiven and is fully accepted by God.
The thread
Some might argue that in this section we have not addressed sufficiently the Old Testament, but have talked instead about other things. As with previous sections, I reiterate that the purpose of these introductory pages is not that of providing a summary of Bible contents, which should be studied directly on the Bible. As always, my intention is only that of supplying some interpretative keys, some elements than can hopefully make whichever Bile section we are dealing with more understandable. My other intent, especially in this case of the Old Testament, was also to show the one thread running through the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, and beyond. Jesus, the theophany and Lamb of God is that running thread. He’s the beginning “In the beginning was the Word” [16], the heart “and the word was made flesh” [17], and the end of the Bible “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and last, the beginning and the end” [18]. We see Him in the garden of Eden, then with Abraham, Moses, in the furnace with Daniel’s friends, in the manger, hanging on the cross, and one day we will see him returning in the clouds, then finally in that wonderful wedding feast of the lamb [19].
The Bible, including the Old Testament, is the most fascinating love story ever written. A loving God created others to love and share himself with. He placed them in a temporary dimension, where he knew they would turn away from him, as well as ultimately return to him. He purposely remained hidden, not interfering with their choices and watched them grow. He saw them making right and wrong choices, which he knew would inevitably and eventually prepare them for a final destiny with him. In this way and in this dimension, they partake in their own creation, deciding their eternal being through their choices. They are self-determining, until, as free entities, they will seek him and discover that he had always been there waiting for them, courting them and preparing them for an eternity together that goes beyond all imagination. It is the greatest adventure there is, with none to compare with, and the ending is extremely happy [20].
Some will say, "but not for those who go to hell," but there is hope for them as well, and we’ll look at it in a future study.
At this point I would wish you a happy reading of the Old Testament, but considering the length of it I know that for some it will be rather daunting and not that happy a task. I would, therefore, recommend using a bookmark and read it is small portions, like one or two chapters per day. The first part, the historical one, is full of adventure and compelling stories and is therefore the easier part, except for those chapters containing the genealogies and the actual Mosaic Laws. History, however, is great reading, even for those moments when one is a bit tired and wishes not to think too much. The psalms, instead, are perfect for when one feels a bit 'down. The proverbs contain wisdom which never expires. The prophetic books, instead, are a bit more complex, requiring a good knowledge of history. We will address these, though briefly, in the next section.
1. Genesis 4:9
2. Genesis 4:26
3. Genesis 3:21
4. Revelation 13: 8
5. John 1:29
6. John 4:23, 24
7. Galatians 3:19
8. Galatians 3:23:24
9. Romans 10:4
10. John 4:23
11. John 1:12.13
12. Hebrews 10: 1
13. Romans 7:7
14. Leviticus 17:11 and Hebrews 9:22
15. John 4:23, 24
16. John 1:1
17. John 1:14
18. Revelation 22:13
19. Revelation 19:7, 9
20. Revelation 21:4
