A Simple Reader's Opinion of the Bible

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

As I mentioned on the "What Are You Reading Now?" thread, I've been reading the Bible steadily now for some time. Some of it is familiar, some of it new; I'm acquainted with most of the major stories, though I haven't necessarily read them in detail until now. I'm really interested in getting into the Writings and the Prophets, since I've never actually partaken of them at all, really.

It may seem a bit sacrilegious, but I'm trying to figure out what sort of relevance the Old Testament has to today's society, not merely in a secular sense but for the Christian community. I mean, if the New Covenant supersedes the Old Covenant, then what is the purpose of the Old Testament? What can I possibly get out of it? More specifically, how important is the Law of Moses in light of the New Testament, and what purpose does it serve? Now these questions are slightly rhetorical, as I believe part of the answer may be the old adage that those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it, and I believe that all Scripture is divinely inspired; it's just still difficult for me to properly interpret it in light of Jesus.

Luckily, I'm reading from an Apologetics Study Bible, so I have extensive commentaries on many of the parts that would be quite tough for some to take in, as well as pointing out and correcting the perceived contradictions. I can't confess to a full understanding, but I admit that I've been given a greater insight into the many Biblical controversies.

As of this writing, I have reached 1 Kings. I'll give updates as I go along. If there's anything that you'd like to hear my opinion about in particular, let me know. I can't guarantee an answer, but I'll try.

[Raven]

Interesting questions, and a topic that could be discussed indefinitely.

One thing I would begin by saying is that though we are living under a new covenant in Christ Jesus, the nature of God and man's fallen nature have not changed since the old testament. We can view scripture as the story of how God created man, revealed himself to man progressively which came to fullness in Jesus, and redeems man and all creation in Christ. God has not changed since the old testament. Neither, really, have we as humans. I love the old testament, and I find the various stories, wisdom writings, and psalms to have a huge influence on my Christian walk.
I read the psalms for comfort, inspiration, and guidance in worship and praise.
I read the wisdom literature in order to live a better life and understand my human condition.
I read about Jacob wrestling with God and understand that we sometimes have to struggle in our encounters with God, and though we might leave with a limp, yet we can also leave with a new identity (Israel).
I read about Joshua stating, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord," and I understand something about what I am called to do as a man. The old testament is filled with shadows and forms of what was to come and be fulfilled in Jesus. Even the details of the tabernacle are meaningful, and the stories about how God gave certain men skill to accomplish the artistic designs. A friend of mine once asked if we as worship musicians should strive to have great skill, or if that really isn't so much what we should do as far as worship music. But I know from the psalms that we are to play skillfully to the Lord on our instruments. The prophets are full of the heart cries of humanity and the promises of justice and salvation.
The old testament is our need, is our pain, is our frail humanity grasping to cope with this fallen world and our fallen selves and reaching out towards a God we don't fully understand and a salvation that is desperately needed. When Job says, "Yet I know that my Redeemer lives, and in the end He will stand upon the earth, and though my flesh it will be destroyed, yet with my eyes I will see God," we see what faith in trial looks like. We watch Job go through immense suffering and we question along with the ancients, "why do bad things happen to good people?" Job even demands to meet God basically in a court of law, to make his case for his own innocence. But God does not arrive to Job with answers and arguments. Instead, God simply reveals Himself to Job, and when Job sees who God is, he repents of his challenge, saying "My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore, I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."
Like many of us who grow up hearing about God, in the face of our most desperate questions, what we need is to encounter God. Like Jacob, sometimes we wrestle and we don't let go until He blesses us. Like Job, we also find that sometimes healing comes in the end when we encounter who God is, and we reach outside of ourselves and pray for others. In Ecclesiastes we drink the wisdom that shows that in the world there is nothing that can ultimately satisfy, saying that God "has put eternity into man's heart, yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."
I'm skimming the surface on the old testament, barely scratching. It is full of guidance, counsel, truth, and the revelation of who God is and who we are. Through it we understand the fall and our condition, we understand God's holiness and power, we understand His eternal grace and mercy, we see how to worship and how to pray, how to walk in faith, and the cost of sin. Through it, we understand our need for Jesus, a Savior and a Redeemer, and we see that God is of such a character -- is such a mysterious, fervent, burning Love -- that He will send Him.

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

Just finished 1 and 2 Kings today. Either tomorrow or the next day, I hope to get through 1 and 2 Chronicles.

No, I don't believe that God has changed. That's one of His chief attributes. Still, I can tell that I am a person who definitely prefers the New Testament over the Old, and I feel that I've set up a stumbling block for myself. It's not like I'm going to disregard the entire OT, but in my very secular life (meaning that I've been FAR less devoted than some people, particularly the present company), I believe I fail to see "what the big deal is." Basically, I feel that I'm riding in dangerous territory, and a lot of it I can attribute it to my person - who I am, my temperament, my attention span, my likes and dislikes, etc. I seem tailor-made for being the most un-Christian I can be, totally set apart from the things of God. It seems cowardly to just blame Asperger's for everything, but I feel as if my own personal wiring prevents me from progressing any further in spiritual matters.

I can't say what I've gleaned from the Old Testament so far. I'm unsure about the exact interpretation of the Genesis account (join the crowd) and what the laws and rituals of Leviticus and Deuteronomy mean today, to name a couple things. The Temple and Tabernacle designs sort of flew past me, but then, I have extreme difficulty putting mental pictures together from what I read, which may account for why my reading is always rather slow. Also, I'm very wary and hesitant to just pick a single verse and suddenly build a philosophy and/or doctrine out of it; I think a lot of disagreement between Christians today comes from taking verses out of context or assigning more meaning to them than what is intended. As such, to my disappointment (and probably to those of genuine Christians everywhere), I'm yet to find anything that I feel is particularly quoteworthy or meditative, but then, as I've said, I'm in a read-through right now, and more contemplative study can come later, though I doubt I could do it on my own.

I rather envy the deeper satisfaction that others can get from it while I seem to get little. Again, sadly, I chalk a lot of it to just the way I am. Still, it's worth talking about, and I'll continue to do so.

[Raven]

None of us are really geared, in our natural fallen selves, to be what God has called us to be. That's why it is supernatural and He has sent us the Holy Spirit. My recommendation is to begin to pray to Jesus and the Holy Spirit to fill you up with the Holy Spirit and give you insight. Before you begin to read the scripture, ask the Holy Spirit to give you insight and to let you see. When you finish, ask the Holy Spirit to cause you to apply it to your life. If you rely on your own faculties to understand scripture, then you may end up "seeing but not perceiving and hearing but not understanding." Couple your scripture reading with prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to open the scriptures to you. We can't do it ourselves. The Holy Spirit wants to reveal the truth to you, I believe. Ask believing He can and will.

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

I'll keep that in mind.

As for what I thought of the other books, it's been some time now, but I'll see what I can do:

-Genesis was a bit cryptic, particularly in the beginning, as the Creation and Flood accounts are disputed by modern scientists, but it was still good; of particular interest to me are the stories of Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph.

-Exodus was wonderful as the story of Moses, and in ways I wish I could be like Moses, but I couldn't withstand the responsibilities. The plagues of Egypt, the covenant at Mt. Sinai, and the construction of the Tabernacle were the highlights.

-Leviticus was actually interesting, as it's mostly the book of rituals and laws; it's fascinating how many complicated traditions had to be maintained simply to have a relationship with God, and I'm glad that today is much simpler.

-Numbers is basically the sequel to Exodus, displaying the Israelites as "a stiff-necked people" with shaky faith. It's basically the natural course of action, being a downward spiral of constant disobedience.

-Deuteronomy is a recapitulation of everything that's come before, restated and summarized. It too isn't as boring as I was worried it might be.

-Joshua is the conquest of Canaan and basically reads as a fulfillment of the commands of the Pentateuch.

-Judges shows as Israel in constant chaos without the rule of law, consistently falling into the traps that they were warned about. Of particular interest to me were the stories of Gideon and Samson.

-Ruth seems like an extra episode, but I guess it serves a purpose as an establishment of the genealogy of David.

-1 and 2 Samuel's narratives are driven by the failed kingship of Saul and the rise and reign of David.

-1 and 2 Kings shows the turbulent reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah, the latter being considerably more faithful. Of note are the narratives of Elijah and Elisha, as well as the reigns of Solomon, Hezekiah, and Josiah.

-1 and 2 Chronicles was interesting in that it was focused primarily on the kingdom of Judah and subsequently reported things not touched upon in Kings, as well as leaving out some details of its own. The primary theme seemed to be faithfulness, its ideals, and the consequences of unfaithfulness.

I wish I could say more of what it meant to me, but that's all I got right now. That is not to say, however, that it means nothing to me. I believe in the Bible, and I am glad to be reading it as faithfully as I can. I'm not sure of what I need, save for your recommendations, and I'll certainly work on it.