The (G)Old Testament

As I mentioned in a previous post, my sister and I have been reading through the Bible in a year. It has been a great experience on the whole, despite the slog of some of the books - Leviticus, the lists in Numbers and Chronicles and a few of the prophet-penned books. Common theme is.....? They are Old Testament books.

But just yesterday I read the first couple of chapters of Acts and Peter, in a very short space of time, quoted from the OT at least 3 times. He knew and loved those scriptures and could use them to great effect. I was challenged to think about the OT in a new way. Rather than seeing it as mumbo-jumbo, a slog, confusing or irrelevant (I mean when have I ever had to choose a dove for sacrifice or put a friend outside the camp because of leprosy?)...what has it said to me as I have read through so much of it this year?

I have learned that God is God...He is a planner, a creator, a lover and sustainer, a protector, a provider, a faithful God despite the unfaithfulness of His chosen ones. That's a God I want to spend my life with.

I have learned that human nature runs contrary to God's...even though we have the ability to live like Him because we have been created in His image. Just like so many of the OT people, I am rebellious, impatient, prideful, scared, selfish, jealous, difficult, disobedient...yet just as there was hope for them, there is for me. Thanks to this faithful God.

I have learned that the great rescue plan was always in place and motion. Jesus was there at the beginning and so much of the OT points not only to our desperate need for Him but also to His glorious coming and astounding sacrifice for us. Nothing happened by accident or without God knowing. Nothing happens by accident or without God knowing.

I have learned that God can do wonderful things through those who live lives of faithfulness and obedience, even if doubt or obstacles also exist. Think about Moses, Gideon, Esther, Ruth, Jacob, Hosea, Jonah, Daniel, David, Jonathan, Abigail....so many amazing lives and wonderful lessons to learn from their successes and their failures.

Lots of other 'learnings' along the way too, but there's just a few and ones that I don't want to forget any time soon.

Meanwhile, I appreciate how real the Word of God is. It speaks truth from the one who cannot lie Hebrews 6:18. It tells me the hard facts of life...there's no sugar-coating wars and famines and murder and death and waiting and suffering and ..... yet it provides the true message of hope for all who go through those tough times. It speaks of love and justice, of righteousness and punishment, of blessings and curses. And it reminds us that we all have the choice to follow truth or to run from it.

I have learned there is great value in all of the Bible...it is, after all, our God speaking to us. What a concept....what a REALITY!