At the Bible stand...
Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition.
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
1 Corinthians 10:11; Romans 15:4
At the Bible stand at an exhibition, a young man asks for a New Testament. He adds that he doesn’t want to buy a complete Bible, because the Old Testament, he says, is outdated. Outdated? Really? True, some pages of the Old Testament were written over 3,000 years ago. But Jesus Christ Himself taught us how to read it.
On one occasion, two disciples were returning from Jerusalem to their home village of Emmaus, discouraged. On the way, the Lord Jesus encouraged them again: He explained to them that the whole Old Testament points to Himself in a figurative way.
Even though the Bible consists of a multitude of books and is divided into two “testaments”, it nevertheless forms a whole. The “silver thread” is the person of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament we find many characters that show clear parallels to the Lord Jesus, for example Isaac, Joseph and David. Institutions for worship also have a strong symbolic meaning – like “the sanctuary” with its furnishings and the various sacrifices that were offered.
Then in the New Testament, we see the deep significance of some events or objects in the Old Testament, in the way that they point to the life of Jesus, His redemptive work on the cross, and His ascension. When we consider the Old Testament as an illustration of the New Testament, we grasp its spiritual message and get the complete picture. That is why the Old Testament is also of great importance to us.
Today’s reading: Ezra 6:1-12 · Proverbs 6:12-19
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