BY Lawrence O. Richards From his
THE TEACHER’S COMMENTARYOld Testament OverviewOne series of Sunday School lessons for older children tells them to look at parts of the Bible as a myth, a “story made up to explain something mysterious in days when people knew no science, and did not know the cause of things like thunder or mountains.” According to this view, much of the Old Testament is legendary or mythical, particularly Genesis. The same writer dismisses the Flood story and explains the rainbow “myth” by saying, “We now know what causes rainbows and we do not think of God as a warrior with a great war bow. But this story shows us how the Jews, a very long time ago, tried to explain this mysterious thing they saw at times in the sky.”
To that lesson writer, the difficult elements in the Old Testament are to be dismissed as myth or legend, or as true-to-life, but made-up stories.
Man’s Word, or God’s?Such a view of the Bible is not unusual. Many people start from the assumption that Scripture is best viewed as human groping after God, or even as the best insights of truly religious people. But those who hold this view must also hold open the possibility that the writers of Scripture were wrong, that their ideas might be false, and their stories fiction. If the Bible merely represents man’s best efforts to understand the universe, there is no real reason why the Scriptures have any authority now.
But are the Scriptures simply human documents? Certainly the authors of Bible books did not think of Old or New Testament writings as merely the thoughts of men. Over 2,600 times in the Old Testament alone the writers claim to be speaking or writing not their words, but God’s! “The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah…. Thus saith the Lord…. Hear the word of the Lord.” These men had no doubts about what they were reporting. They firmly believed that they recorded messages from God to man.
This is the view of the New Testament as well. One passage says it plainly. In 1 Corinthians 2:9-13 we’re told that God has communicated to us what we could never discover for ourselves, or even imagine. God has revealed His very thoughts through His Holy Spirit.
This certainly was Jesus’ view. He spoke of Creation and the Flood, of Jonah, and of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. And He viewed them as historic events, not as myths. What’s more, He saw events reported in the Old Testament as having a living, vital message for persons of every era, every age.
There’s another striking thing that sets the Scriptures apart from the myths and legends that make up the folklore of other peoples. Not only are the sacred writings of the Jews historically accurate and factual, not only are these documents which trace Israel’s heritage understood as divine revelation rather than human speculation, but these sacred writings are a living heritage. Through the Scriptures the God who spoke to men then speaks to believers today.
In a very special sense, our heritage in God’s Word is contemporary as well as historical. To understand the Word of God and to be enriched by it, we have to come to the Bible as truth to be understood, and as a living Word from God addressed to us now.
The Old Testament is a vital part of our Christian heritage. It is the very root of our faith and our understanding of God as He reveals Himself to men. The Old Testament is a vital part of our living heritage. It is designed by God to speak to you and me, to transform our lives as we respond to Him.
This is the emphasis of the Apostle Paul, as he looked back at one Hebrew generation and said, “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come” ( 10:11). God ministered directly to that Old Testament generation. Now, in the record of those events, God ministers to us too.
In all that God said and did, in all that men of old experienced, we mine our own rich heritage. The Old Testament record was made and preserved across the millennia, for us.
Not Myth, MessageThis, then, is the conviction we share as we prepare to teach the Old Testament. Each book is a message to us. Each book, including Genesis, is historical, reporting accurately events which actually happened in space and time, in the reality of our own universe. It is at the same time a focused revelation. The events recorded have been purposefully selected. The details included—and those left out—have been carefully chosen. The reasons behind the choice, the criteria of selection which gives the Old Testament its focus and which guides us as we plan to teach it, is the criteria of its message. God through His Word speaks carefully and clearly to you and me.
What the Bible records is history, but it is more than history. The events recorded, God’s mighty acts as He intervened in the world, show us who He is and tell us of His ways. The Scriptures even go beyond reporting events: they explain in words the intentions and purposes, the emotions and concerns, which moved God to His acts. In this way the Bible is an important blend; it shows us God in action, then reveals His very thoughts and intentions.
When we realize this, we come face-to-face with a great wonder. The Bible involves both propositional revelation (objective statements of truth expressed in words) and personal revelation (contact with God Himself, not merely with ideas about Him). When we read or teach about what God has done in history, and when we learn His thoughts and motives, God Himself meets with us. We are introduced to Him; He speaks to us. Through His Word faith draws us into personal relationship with Him. As we respond in obedience, our relationship grows and deepens even more.
So the message of Scripture involves communication of truth about God and revelation of God Himself as a Person. As you and I trace God’s dealings with His people across the centuries, we come to know Him better. And we can come to know Him well.
Because of the nature of God’s Word our approach to both study and teaching is dramatically affected. As we study we remember that:
The Old Testament is to be approached as the very Word of God. It is not a record of human speculation, but is a divine, verbal (in words) revelation.
The Old Testament is to be approached as living history. The events recorded are historical. But the record speaks to you and to me today.
The Old Testament is to be approached as God’s message. Everything here is focused, selected to tell us about God and His intentions. We are to look for the message in recorded events.
The Old Testament is to be approached as God’s personal self-revelation. We not only find truth about God; we meet God face-to-face in His Word. We are to open our hearts to Him, eager to see His face, ready to respond as He speaks to us.
The Old Testament is to be approached from the vantage point provided by Christ. The New Testament is a divine commentary on the Old. We need to see the Old Testament as true, yet not complete. It is Jesus and the New Testament which bring the Old Testament into perspective.
What happens when we take the stand of faith and adopt these perspectives in studying and teaching the Old Testament?
What happens is that we discover our heritage. We find identity in the faith we share with all who have trusted God. We sink our roots deep into the realization of who God is. And, knowing God better, we are strengthened to live each day with joy. All this is our heritage. All this is our ministry, as we teach the Old Testament to children, to youth, and to adults.
