People sometimes ask why we spend time studying the Old Testament or why we even have it in our Bibles at all. Their reasoning is that since we are not under Old Testament law any more it serves no purpose to study it. While it is true that the old law including the Ten Commandments was nailed to the cross of Christ (Colossians 2:14; Ephesians 2:15) and that if we try to keep any of the old law we are “a debtor to keep the whole law” (Galatians 4:21-5:3) a study of the Old Testament can still be valuable.

The prophecies made and fulfilled in the Old Testament are one of the strongest proofs of the inspiration of the Bible. The Old Testament answers one of the two most important questions of life, “where did we come from”. Also, the New Testament tell us that a study of the Old Testament can be valuable to us. In Romans 15:4 the apostle Paul wrote, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” His point is that through a study of the Old Testament scriptures we can see how God has dealt with man in the past and that those who follow His commands will triumph in the end. In 1 Corinthians 10:11 Paul, speaking of the Israelites, says, “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” In other words, if we are able to learn from the example of other people, we should study the example of the Israelites and avoid making the same mistakes that they made. We should, “not lust after evil things as they also lusted”, and we should not, “become idolaters are were some of them”, we should not, “commit sexual immorality, as some of them did”, “nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted”, “nor complain, as some of them also complained” (1 Corinthians 10:6-10). The Old Testament is a valuable resource when used properly to help us learn from the examples of others and “take heed lest we fall”.