Rediscover the Old Testament

“The Old Testament is boring.” If you’ve ever thought or heard this, you’re not alone. Many Christians feel this way, and it can lead us to think that the first part of the Bible isn’t as important or interesting as the rest. Sure, the Old Testament can be tricky to understand at times, but when we stop seeing it as outdated or dull and start looking at it as a way to explore our history and discover God’s love for us, we can find exciting and timeless truths that have been waiting for us all along. 

Although I have been reading my Bible regularly for 20 years, I spent much of that time struggling to engage with the Old Testament, feeling like because it didn’t clearly apply to my own life, it must be automatically less important. And the books at the very beginning, Genesis through Deuteronomy, are often referred to as the “Bible graveyard,” where Bible reading plans go to die. (This did not help my motivation.) These books certainly start off promising, but reading about law after law and rule after regulation becomes a slog—it’s confusing and perhaps even boring. After all, you can only read so many genealogies filled with names! But the truth is, God gave us the Old Testament along with the New Testament for a reason: for our good. Proverbs 30:5 NLT says, “Every word of God proves true,” and that includes the first couple hundred pages of the Bible.  

And so I think it’s high time for a collective perspective shift. Sure, Genesis through Deuteronomy is filled with a lot of details, story, and law, but it is our history. These books, also referred to as the Pentateuch or the Torah, anchor us in a historical, yet transformational, narrative. And in each verse, we learn more about God’s chosen people. And while those people were the Jews in the Old Testament, if you follow Jesus today, you are a part of that lineage as well! 1 Peter 2:9 NLT explains that “…you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession.” When we read the Old Testament, we learn about how God guides, protects, and cares for His people. The laws found here reflect the goodness God wants for His people, His love for us on display both then and now.  

Every law in Genesis through Deuteronomy (and in the whole of the Bible for that matter) tells us something about God’s character. These laws reflect His holiness, righteousness, and love. Consider the Ten Commandments (found in Exodus 20)—each one tells us something about our God. When God says, “You shall have no other Gods before me,” He is reminding us that He is the one true and holy God, the only One worthy of our worship. This is echoed in Deuteronomy 6:4 NIV, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” When God says, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy,” we are reminded of how He modeled rest to us in Genesis 2 when He finished His glorious work of creation in six days and took a Sabbath rest on the seventh day. This law tells reminds us that we are not inexhaustible, we need to rest and reset. 

And unlike us, God doesn’t tire or grow weary (Isaiah 40:28-31). When God says, “You shall not steal,” He is demonstrating His giving nature, one that we emulate by loving and giving to others rather than taking. The Psalmist praises this same generous God in Psalm 105 ESV, saying, “Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!” The law is not meant to confuse or restrict us, but to give us deeper insight into the heart of the God we follow. 

And, as we read and understand the Old Testament more deeply, we see that a lot of the laws for the people of Israel were radically countercultural for the time. One of my favorite examples of this is the Year of Jubilee. In Old Testament times, the Jewish people celebrated this Jubilee every 50 years. During this time, they would take a whole year off farming, free slaves, return land to its original owners, forgive debts, and practice Sabbath rest as a community (more details in Leviticus 25). This was a extreme and unprecedented reset, and it served as a beautiful reminder of God’s favor and great plan for His people. Other examples of the goodness of God’s laws are the designation of the cities of refuge (Exodus 21:12-14, Numbers 35:9-34, and Deuteronomy 4:41-43), caring for the poor and others in need (Leviticus 19:9-10, Deuteronomy 7, and Deuteronomy 15:10-11), and the command to love your neighbor (Leviticus 19:18). 

Matthew 5:17 ESV reminds us that Christ came to fulfill the law found in the Old Testament. He says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Christ affirms what we now know—the Old Testament law is important, and it is fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. When we rediscover the beauty Genesis through Deuteronomy holds, we are reminded of God’s character, God’s plan, and the unfolding of our history as His people. As Psalm 119:105 NLT says, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” May that be true for each of us today. 

PRAYER Dear Lord, Thank You for Your Word—every part of it. I ask that You give me a love for the Old Testament and space and time to rediscover You in those pages. Thank You for Your goodness and love toward me. Amen. 

Dive deeper in God’s Word with your own copy of DaySpring’s NIV Illustrating Bible featuring the books of Genesis -Deuteronomy. This edition of the Illustrating Bible allows you to journal, doodle, and draw as you journey through the first five books of the Bible—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These foundational narratives define the fundamental characteristics of the relationship between God and man. In this edition, you can explore everything from the creation of the world to God’s people being freed from slavery and arriving at the Promised Land.  

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This article was written by Ellen Wildman. She holds firm to the belief that everyone is a theologian. Outside of her writing and speaking engagements, she is dedicated to her full-time job in Bible publishing where she strives to diversify the industry and produce life-changing resources. Ellen lives in Nashville and holds a B.A. in Bible and Ministry to Women from Moody Bible Institute and a M.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies from Denver Seminary. She is the author of the devotional Single and Not Sorry.