One of the sad realities for many Christians is the lack of understanding of the Old Testament. Too often as Christians we look to the Old Testament and are intimidated. As we read the Old Testament we do not see how it applies to us or more tragically how it applies to Christ. Far too often we look to the Old Testament as purely a moral book, or we look to the Old Testament and make the various characters into heroes we are to follow. While without question there are morals we need to learn in the Old Testament, and while the book of Hebrews gives us a list of Old Testament characters who should inspire us to live by faith, the Old Testament is much more rich than we give it credit for. Shortly after the resurrection Jesus met some men on the road to Emmaus. As Jesus talked with them he showed how all of the Old Testament was ultimately a book about him.
Over the next several weeks during our Thursday Theology class we will be doing an overview of the entire Old Testament. We will learn the context in which each book was written, the different genres of literary styles used, the events taking place during the history of the Old Testament, various key themes throughout the Old Testament, and how each book points us to Jesus. It is our prayer that through this class we will all have a greater appreciation of the Old Testament and a greater appreciation for the glory of God and the gospel.
The class gathers every Thursday at noon at the Lakefront on Langdon in the Memorial Union. While it is not necessary to be at every class it will be beneficial to be at as many classes as possible to see how the various books fit together. The only thing you need to bring is your Bible and a pen to take notes.
I look forward to studying the Old Testament with you!
Sola Scriptura,
Aaron