The old Testament is often a source of confusion for most people. It seems like a conglomeration of individuals with partial victories and great losses ,disobedient and rebellous sinners,messy ,not the ideal examples,and bipolar often.
How does one approach the Old Testament?
I stumbled upon bible project in the net and I have been doing the study ever since.
The Hebrew bible from which the Old Testament originates is divided into three parts Torah,Neviim, and Kethuvim.
Torah is the Pentateuch ,Genesis ,Exodus,Numbers,Leviticus and Deutronomy.
Neviim is the prophets Isaiah,Jeremiah,Amos,etc.
Kethuvim are the writings like psalms,proverbs,etc.
The difference between the old Testament and the TANAK(As the Hebrew bible is called ),Is the way the different books in the bible have been put into different categories and unlike the Hebrew bible the prophets are placed at the the end of the old Testament whereas the writings are placed last in the Hebrew bible.
In the 1940s, The dead Sea Scrolls were stumbled into in the Qumran caves in the Judean desert in the northern shore of dead Sea in the West Bank.The scrolls dated back to more than 2000 years old . These scrolls contained all the books of the Hebrew bible as seen in the Old Testament except the book of Esther and Nehemiah.
As one studies these books minutely it is fascinating to see how each of these books are hyper linked with each other.
Jesus Christ studied the TANAK and so did the apostles.
The question arises what did Jesus Christ and the apostles see in the TANAK.
Luke 24vs 26 and27
On the road to Emmaus when the disciples are walking discussing among themselves about the crucification ,the risen Christ comes amongst them and starts talking to them. The disciples do not recognise Him but Jesus continues to remind them of the old Testament writings about Himself.
“Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?”
And beginning at Moses and all the prophets,he expounded on to them and all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
The gospel of Luke 24 vs 40 -49 explains clearly what is in the Scriptures according to Jesus.
Apostle Paul in 2nd Timothy chapter 3 verse 15 says,“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures , which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
Both Lord Jesus Christ and apostle Paul are referring to the Hebrew bible.
The question is do we see the Old Testament in the light of what they saw.
On the road to Emmaus,it was Jesus’ breaking of the bread that opened the disciples eyes to see Jesus for who He was.
In the bible project we observed that the key to the Old Testament perhaps lay in the Lord’s supper.
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