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Q: What are the main things I should learn from the Old Testament? Like the “highlights”? It’s really long and very confusing and I need some help. Where do I look and what are the most important things to know?
There are some modern Christians who believe “all you need to know is the New Testament”.While I appreciate what they’re trying to say and agree that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, is central to everything we are, live and believe…the belief that the Old Testament is not important is, well…stupid (for lack of a better term).The better we understand the Old Testament, the more we will “get out of” the New Testament. The Old Testament points to Christ and only deepens our relationship with Him…and with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. Once you understand the “big story”...the smaller stories all start to make sense.It is impossible to do justice to all 46 books of the Old Testament.(That’s right, 46 books of the Old Testament…to read more go to “who put the Bible together and how”.And since we can’t do justice to the 46 books in one article I thought, instead, that I would throw out about twenty key events of the Old Testament and where you can read more about them.Here are just a few of the key stories and “highlights” of the Old Testament (as we discussed in our new book 100 Things Every Catholic Teen Should Know):The Old Testament is the history that led up to the coming of Jesus Christ. Here are a few key stories you should know, and why:Creation, Adam and Eve: If you don't know what happened at the beginning, what happens at the end will make no sense whatsoever. (Genesis 1-3) is profound and could be studied for years on its own.Noah's Ark: The story of the flood is a classic and reveals God's loving justice in (Genesis 6:5 - Chapter 9).Abraham and Isaac: God asked for an impossible sacrifice from Abraham, and this one man's faith leads to the birth of a nation (Genesis 22).The Burning Bush: The Moses call is a moving story of God calling out to one who is scared but faithful to God (Exodus 3).The Crossing of the Red Sea: This event was the biggest miracle of the Old Testament and the foundational act of God on behalf of the Israelites (Exodus 15).The Walls of Jericho: The battle that started the Israelites invasion of Canaan is idiotic military strategy, but a brilliant faith in God and the story behind some great songs (Joshua 6).Samson the Judge: Killing lions and Philistines, the strongest man ever revealed the might of God manifested through a human judge (Judges 13-16).David and Goliath: Faith in God through a young boy brought a mighty warrior to his knees, and began the public life of the greatest king in Israel's history (1 Samuel 17).Elijah on Mt. Carmel: God battled with the priests of a pagan god. Guess who wins? Read more about it (1 Kings 18).Esther and the King: God worked through the most unlikely of queens in order to prevent the total genocide of the Jewish people (The Book of Esther). Now, again, these are by no means “all you need to know”. These are, however, a really solid foundation for the rest of the Old Testament.In addition, there are other great images and very important moments to read more about…to name a few:The Fall - Genesis 3The Tower of Babel - Genesis 11Sodom and Gomorrah - Genesis 19Jacob’s Ladder - Genesis 28The Twelve Sons of Jacob, Joseph’s rise to power - Genesis 35-47The Ten Plagues - Exodus 7-12The Ten Commandments - Exodus 20The Story of Ruth - The Book of RuthDavid and Bathsheba - 1 Kings 1Jonah and the whale - Jonah 1-2Daniel and the Lion’s Den - Daniel 6These episodes are incredible. Hopefully you have a good Catholic Study Bible that can give you invaluable footnotes and insights as you go.Now, don’t feel bad if you get confused when reading the Old Testament. It can be challenging. Once you understand the “big story”, however, the smaller stories all start to make sense.I’m such a big believer in the need to understand the “big picture” of Scripture (especially the Old Testament) that I actually adapted/created an entire DVD Bible Study that walks you through the main characters and events of the Bible, putting them into their proper chronological/historical perspective.If you’re interested or want to learn more about it, it’s called T3: The Teen Timeline.And if you’ve already gone through T3 and want to go even deeper into the Gospel, check out the newly released T3 sequel, Thy Kingdom Come.I hope this helped!Keep reading…don’t ever stop – for when you read Scripture, you’re not just reading Christ, Himself…He is reading you.
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