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There are a lot of Christians out there who ignore the Old Testament. The biggest reason is that when Jesus comes and then the New Testament is written later, it nullifies the Old Testament. It’s not needed anymore.
But the truth is it is very much needed. There is so much richness and depth to the Old Testament. It foreshadows so much of what comes about in the New Testament. The Old Testament points to Jesus.
But even without that it’s a story – a history. It’s the history of God’s people. It’s the history of humanity’s relationship with God – and we are a part of that.
An important part of the OT is that it’s filled with examples of humanity failing God.
The Old Testament is basically one really long huge sign that says,
“Don’t do these things! Learn from our mistakes. Seriously. It doesn’t end well for us.”
So of course what do we do? Ignore the advice and make the very same mistakes.
But Deepu, those stories are so antiquated, they don’t relate to me.
Oh really?
David saw a beautiful woman bathing, had not-so-appropriate thoughts and then made some really bad choices.
Sarah told her husband he could do something and she wouldn’t get mad. And then when he did it she got mad (been there before, am I right fellas? Beth I love you).
Jonah tried to run away from God and got swallowed up by a big fish (seriously, who hasn’t had that happen to them?!)
We keep fooling ourselves that we have it all figured out, and that everything the world has to offer will help us solve our problems.
But the truth is, God has given us (and continues to give us) everything we need.
And if you’re looking for a way to learn about some of those connections, check out the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament which constantly has references to the Old Testament
