The Christian and the Old Testament (Part 6) - The Prophets, Psalms, and Proverbs; How to Use the OT; Objections

For a master copy of the outline, click here: The Christian and the Old Testament 4. What about the prophets, psalms and proverbs? A. The part of the Old Testament in our Bible which is specifically abolished is the law of Moses which included the old covenant and the commandments which were given to Israel. i. 2Co 3:13 - And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: ii. Gal 3:19 - Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. iii. Eph 2:15 - Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; iv. Col 2:14 - Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; v. Heb 7:18-19 - For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. 19) For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God. vi. Heb 8:13 - In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. vii. Heb 10:8-9 - Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; 9) Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. B. The prophets and psalms contain parts of, or references to, the law of Moses and commandments specific to Israel, so therefore those parts of them are abolished, such as: i. Commandments for the priesthood in the prophets (Eze 44:17-22). ii. References to animal sacrifices and holy days in the Psalms (Psa 66:15; Psa 42:4). iii. Commandments to worship God with musical instruments in the Psalms (Psa 150:3-5). iv. This is why the prophets and psalms are sometimes referred to as "the law" in the NT. a. The prophets are referred to as "the law" (1Co 14:21 c/w Isa 28:11-12). b. The Psalms are referred to as "the law" (Joh 10:34 c/w Psa 82:6). C. Prophecies in the law, prophets, and psalms. i. Many of the prophecies of Christ in the law, prophets, and the psalms are fulfilled; for example: (Deu 18:18-19 c/w Act 3:22-23; Isa 53:5-6 c/w 1Pe 2:24-25; Psa 2:1-2 c/w Act 4:25-27). ii. There are some prophesies which are still awaiting fulfillment such as prophecies of the Second Coming and of the new heaven and new earth (Isa 59:16-18; Isa 65:17). iii. The prophecies (fulfilled and unfulfilled) and the historical accounts in the OT are not abolished; they are there for our learning, admonition, and example (Rom 15:4; 1Co 10:11-12). D. The psalms contain many prayers and instructive experiences of the lives of the OT saints and are there for our learning and comfort (Rom 15:4). E. The proverbs are pithy sayings concerning observations which are generally true in life. i. Proverb n. - 1. a. A short pithy saying in common and recognized use; a concise sentence, often metaphorical or alliterative in form, which is held to express some truth ascertained by experience or observation and familiar to all; an adage, a wise saw. ii. Human nature was not abolished with the law of Moses, and therefore the proverbs which speak to it are not abolished either. iii. The proverbs are quoted many times in the NT (Pro 25:21-22 c/w Rom 12:20; Pro 26:11 c/w 2Pe 2:22). VIII. How should the Old Testament in general be used by New Testament Christians? 1. It prophesied of Christ. A. The Old Testament contains hundreds of fulfilled prophecies of Jesus Christ which is strong evidence for the divine inspiration of the Bible and for the truth of the Christian religion. B. The entire OT spoke of Christ (Luk 24:44). C. This fact alone makes the OT priceless to a Christian. 2. It showed the necessity of salvation by grace. A. The law of Moses proved that all men are sinners under a curse (Gal 3:10; Jam 2:10). B. The law proved that men could never make themselves righteous by keeping it (Gal 2:21; Gal 3:21; Act 15:10). C. The law points us to our need for Jesus Christ who redeemed us from its curse (Rom 8:3; Gal 3:13). 3. It is a good commentary on the NT which provides greater details and examples of laws that are included in the NT such as commandments forbidding idolatry, etc. 4. It has many historical accounts which demonstrate human nature and God's dealings with men. 5. It gives the story of creation, the flood, the tower of Babel, etc. which are key to understanding world history. 6. We should learn and receive comfort from it (Rom 15:4). 7. We should be admonished by the things that happened to Israel and others who lived under it (1Co 10:11-12). IX. Objections 1. Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (Joh 14:15), which means we have to keep the commandments in the law of Moses. A. Jesus fulfilled the law of Moses (Mat 5:17). (See Section V,7) B. The law of Moses is abolished (2Co 3:6-7,11,13). (See Section V) C. Jesus is the mediator of the New Testament in His blood which went into effect when He died (Heb 9:15-17; Luk 22:20). D. Therefore, Jesus' commandments that we must keep are the commandments in the New Testament which He gave. (See Section III) 2. Timothy was circumcised after Paul said circumcision availeth nothing (1Co 7:19 & Gal 16:15 c/w Act 16:3). A. This objection is basically saying that there is a contradiction in the Bible, which is nonsense. B. Act 16:3 tells us why Paul circumcised Timothy: "Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him BECAUSE OF THE JEWS which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek." C. Paul circumcised Timothy, not because God's law required it (which it didn't), but because of the Jews in that area who would have given them grief because they knew that Timothy was not circumcised since his father was a Greek. D. Paul was having Timothy become as a Jew, that he might gain the Jews (1Co 9:20). E. On the other hand, Paul did NOT have Titus circumcised because Titus didn't want to be, nor did he need to be because he had liberty in Christ under the New Testament (Gal 2:1-5). 3. The sabbath was made for man, not just Jews (Mar 2:27). A. This verse has nothing to do with who the sabbath was given to, but rather that the sabbath command is subordinate to the preservation of the life of man (Mar 2:23-28). B. Furthermore, the sabbath was only ever given to the Jews (Exo 31:12-18). For a master copy of the outline, click here: The Christian and the Old Testament