Is the Old Testament Necessary?

I was asked the following question;

"This year I decided to read through the Bible. I just finished up with Matthew's gospel, and now I am wondering, do I have to read the Old Testament also? I love reading about Jesus, but I don't like reading the Old Testament because it seems so harsh and commanding."

My encouragement to you is that you should read the entire Bible, Old and New Testaments. The Bible is clear that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Simply put, “all Scripture” is beneficial for spiritual growth and maturity in a believers’ life, and it helps equip and prepare us for every good work, and good works is what we have been created to do as believers (Ephesians 2:10).

When we read through the New Testament, we discover that it has a lot to say about the importance of the Old Testament for our lives.

For example, the Book of Romans tells us, “For whatever things were written before (in the Old Testament), were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4). What the Bible is telling us here is that the Old Testament was written for us so that we would learn. What is it that we are supposed to be learning from it?

1. The Old Testament comforts us and gives us hope (Romans 15:4)

Life is extremely difficult, and when we read about the difficult journey that God’s people experienced through the pages of the Old Testament, and how God protected them, provided for them, and guided them, we can be comforted in our own difficult situations in life, and find hope that God will do the same for us. In fact, the New Testament refers to the lives we read about in the Old Testament, as "a great cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 11:4-40), that are cheering us on and encouraging us to continue on in our race of faith (Hebrews 12:1).

2. The Old Testament warns us (1 Corinthians 10:11)

The Bible tells us that there are events in the Old Testament, like when the Israelites did “evil things” (1 Corinthians 10:6), practiced idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:7), committed sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 10:8), and were constant complainers (1 Corinthians 10:10), and because of this God severely punished them. Paul tells us that these events in the Old Testament, and the result of the Israelites disobedience towards God, serve “as examples” and “were written for our admonition” (1 Corinthians 10:11), so that we would not repeat the same mistakes as they did, by turning away from God (Hebrews 3:7-19).

3. The Old Testament affirms what we believe about Jesus (Acts 17:11)

When the Apostle Paul shared the gospel with the Jews living in Berea, the Bible records that they, “were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). Here we see, that when the Apostle Paul shared the gospel (Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection) with the Jews in Berea, they didn’t simply accept what he had to say to them. Instead they searched the Scriptures (Old Testament) to find out if what he was saying was true or not. The Old Testament affirms what we believe about Jesus.

4. The Old Testament Inspires us (Hebrews 11:4-40)

The Old Testament is full of spiritual food for the believer, that not only comforts us and gives us hope, but that also inspires us to take great steps of faith for God. There are many heroic stories in the Old Testament that are incredibly inspiring to read. In fact, the New Testament has an entire chapter devoted to this. In Hebrews 11, we read about the heroes of the faith from the OT, whose lives we look to for encouragement and hope (Hebrews 11:4-40).

5. The Old Testament Records our Spiritual Family History

Leaving the Old Testament out of our Bible reading would also mean we are erasing Jesus' Messianic lineage, as well as our family history, and such important historical accounts as Creation, the Flood, and the Tower of Babel. Our spiritual family begins in Genesis 12, when God calls a man named Abram (Abraham), who would become the father of our faith (Galatians 3:7). His walk of faith with God is crucial in helping us gain a better understanding of what a relationship with God is supposed to look like. The Old Testament also records the difficult, but inspiring journey that our spiritual family (the Israelites) took, prior to arriving in the New Testament.

6. The Old Testament Verifies that God's Word is Supernatural

The Old Testament is what verifies to us that God's Word is supernatural. The way that it verifies God's Word is supernatural is through the prophecies that are shared throughout it that have come to fruition. For instance, over 300 prophecies were fulfilled at Jesus' first coming alone.

In addition to this, the Old Testament has many other prophetic utterances. A few of the amazing prophecies are Isaiah's prophecy about Cyrus the Great. Isaiah foretold 150 years before Cyrus ever lived, that he would decree to free the Jews from captivity. Isaiah even calls him by name (Isaiah 45:1). In addition to prophesying about Jesus (Daniel 7:9-14; 9:25), Daniel also prophesied about the Mede's and the Persians conquering Babylon (Daniel 8:1-4), and then the reign of Alexander the Great (Daniel 8:5-7), and his untimely death at a young age (Daniel 8:8a). Upon Alexander's death, his kingdom as well as his authority would be divided between his four generals (Daniel 8:8b). These are only a few of the prophecies contained in the Old Testament that validate the supernatural origins of the Bible.

7. Jesus Points to the Old Testament (Matthew 5:17)

In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus teaches His disciples how to live for the Kingdom of God, and from the very beginning He makes it clear that one of the things He did not come to do was “destroy the law or the prophets” (speaking of the Old Testament), He came to “fulfill it” (Matthew 5:17). In fact, Jesus would refer to the Old Testament several times throughout His teachings in the gospels. Defending Himself against Satan (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10), instructing a healed leper (Matthew 8:4), inspiring His disciples about eternity (Matthew 8:11), rebuking the religious hypocrites for their hardened hearts (Matthew 15:8-9), pointing out the rich young rulers blind spot – his money (Matthew 19:18-21), and foretelling of His death and resurrection (Matthew 26:31-32), to name a few.

After Jesus resurrected from the dead, the Bible records a conversation He had with two men on the road to Emmaus, and how He taught them about Himself (Luke 24:13-26). The Bible then records, “And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27), which the Bible says caused a fire to burn within their heart because of what He taught them (Luke 24:32).

8. The Old Testament Points to Jesus

Lastly and most importantly, the Old Testament points to Jesus. From the moment the fall occurred (Genesis 3:1-7), God promised to fix it by sending a Savior, the promised “Seed” (Genesis 3:15). Throughout the Old Testament there are signs pointing ahead to a time when Jesus would come. Micah 5:2 informs us that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. Isaiah 7:14 tells us He would be born of a virgin. Zechariah 9:9 informs us that the day Jesus would announce He is Messiah, He would be riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. Daniel 9:25 predicts that exact date this would occur. Isaiah 53 informs us that He would have to die to pay for our sins, while Psalm 22 describes His death for us. Psalm 16:10 tells us that Jesus would rise from the dead. Daniel 7:13-14 informs us of Jesus’ Second Coming, while Daniel 12:1-3 informs us of the coming judgment.

The Old Testament Shares the Story of Jesus' life

We clearly see that the Old Testament informs us of Jesus’ entire life. His virgin birth, His life, His death, His resurrection, His return, and the final judgment, and yet, these are only a few verses from the Old Testament that point us to Jesus. There are several hundred more.

The Old Testament Reminds us of God's Faithfulness

There are so many other wonderful things contained in the Old Testament, such as God's redemptive plan, protective hand, and His faithfulness to His people. The Old Testament is a wonderful reminder to us that God is faithful, and He keeps His promises to us.

I hope I have peaked your interest a bit as far as the Old Testament is concerned, and though there are difficult things we must face when reading through it, it is no different than the life we live. There is both good and bad, pleasant things and unpleasant things. Even in the New Testament, there are some very harsh events that take place. For example read Matthew 2:16.

One thing that might help you as you read through the Old Testament is if you allow Jesus to take that journey with you. What I mean by that is this; when you read through the difficult stuff, remember that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Therefore, allow the gospel to be a part of your journey through the Old Testament. When you read about the harsh things that do occur, remember that the Old Testament is the epitome of a fallen world in need of a Savior.

I hope this helps.