What is the Old Testament? God’s “Law, Prophets, and Psalms” That Tutor Us Toward the Messiah
- The Old Testament is the 39 books that contain God’s covenant promises, covenant laws, and guidance for ancient Israel throughout their history.
- It served as a tutor by leading Israel to recognize their need for the coming Messiah, so its storyline and promises ultimately point forward to Jesus Christ.
- It is “God-breathed” Scripture (theopneustos) that unfolds God’s redemption plan—from the early promise of victory over Satan (Genesis 3:15) to God’s providential work in Israel’s history that brings salvation through Christ.
What is the Old Testament? I’d like you to think of it from this perspective:
The Old Testament is 39 books containing God’s promises, covenant laws, and guidance for ancient Israel throughout their history. It served as a tutor to lead Israel to recognize their need for a coming Messiah.
Ultimately, when we read the Old Testament, these 39 books are predictive of the coming of Jesus Christ, but they also function as giving Israel covenant laws and guidance for life under a sovereign God. Jesus himself refers to the Old Testament in a variety of ways, but one dominant way that is relevant to how rabbis celebrated the Old Testament is that he called it “the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms.” It was common for rabbis to refer to the Old Testament in this threefold division. 
The phrase “Old Testament” is not necessarily used in the New Testament, but Christians use that phrase as descriptive of the Hebrew scriptures, which they fundamentally believe were inspired by God. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (KJV), the Bible says, “All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” Right before that, Paul tells Timothy (in NKJV), “From childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation.” So when we speak about the Old Testament, we believe it is inspired.
The word inspired comes from a Greek word, theopneustos, which simply means “God-breathed.” It suggests that the scriptures come from God and that God is the source of all Scripture. Therefore, when we read the Old Testament, we believe that we are hearing the voice of God. Ultimately, when reading the Old Testament, we find the unfolding of the great scheme of redemption.
“When reading the Old Testament, we find the unfolding of the great scheme of redemption.”
We find that scheme of redemption explained in Genesis 3:15 (NKJV) in the form of a prophecy. Some call it the Protoevangelium, where God announces that he will provide victory over the works of Satan. He says, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise your head, and you will bruise His heel.” God will unfold that great prophecy and show that he will ultimately give victory over the works of Satan to his people, and that victory will be culminated in the work of Jesus Christ.
As you read the Old Testament, I want you to see it and enjoy it as a great story—His story—where God is showing his mighty hand in the history of Israel to bring Jesus into the world. Through him, God provides our salvation. We thank God for this portion of the book, and we hope that you’ll enjoy it as well. Read the Old Testament and see how God is unfolding his great scheme of redemption and ultimately governing Israel through his covenant.
This is Question #1 in Orpheus J. Heyward’s God’s Word: The Inspiration and Authority of Scripture. For the full book, click HERE
