Making Sense of the Old Testament: Part 3

Topic(s): Old Testament

Links to this entire series:

• Making Sense of the Old Testament: Part 1
• Making Sense of the Old Testament: Part 2
• Making Sense of the Old Testament: Part 3
• Making Sense of the Old Testament: Part 4
• Making Sense of the Old Testament: Part 5

The thrust of the Old Testament is to demonstrate the development of God’s plan of redemption, as such was worked out through the Jewish people and their interaction with other nations.  Old Testament history is, therefore, highly selective. The value of the Old Testament is seen in: its prophetic preparation for the coming of Christ (Gal. 3:24), its great moral lessons that are timeless (Rm. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:6, 11), and its cultivation of an awareness of the heinous nature of sin (Rm. 7:7, 13). The Old Covenant, as a binding legal system, was restricted to the nation of Israel (Deut. 5:1-5), and was abrogated with the death of Christ on the cross (Gal. 3:25; Eph. 2:11ff; Col. 2:14ff).

Poetical Books

There are five books in the poetry section of the Old Testament. This is not surprising in that by means of poetry man exposes the depth of his emotions. The poetic books of the Old Testament reveal much about God, and how intense human devotion for the Creator can become. The book of Job, largely poetical, has to do with a noble man of the patriarchal era who demonstrated that, in spite of the anguish of human suffering, the Lord is worthy of man’s devotion. Psalms is a collection of 150 songs (73 of which are attributed to David) that emphasize great truths about Jehovah, His redemptive interest in humanity, and the various authors’ relationship with the Lord.

Proverbs represents a collection of wise sayings (about 800 of which were authored by Solomon). They focus on the application of divine wisdom to various life experiences in a world tarnished by sin. The Book of Ecclesiastes, most likely written by Solomon, argues the case that earthly goals (e.g., the accumulation of human wisdom, wealth, position, power, accomplishment) lead only to frustrating dead ends. Real happiness is achieved in serving God. The Song of Solomon celebrates the joy of wedded love; it illustrates the value of marriage in cementing male/female relationships.  
—adapted from Wayne Jackson, Stockton, CA