Beginning from Moses 5.4.2023

     I am preaching through Acts this Spring. In this week’s text from Acts 8, I will read and comment upon Philipp preaching about Jesus, beginning with Isaiah 53. This text is somewhat similar to Luke 24.27 wherein Jesus corrects and comforts His traveling partners; “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27 ESV)

      The similarity of these two texts is resonating for me right now because my next two series will be from the Old Testament. What Phillip does on the Gaza Road and what Jesus does on the road to Emmaus remind us of what we must constantly do when preaching from the Hebrew Bible. Using the text before us we must tell the redeeming story of Jesus.

I will make this an emphasis of this Sunday’s message and I will keep the fundamental procedure in mind as I prepare for the following 8 weeks. Our job is to tell the story of Jesus. The text(s) of Scripture and the stories contained are stories we know, and love. Ultimately find their value in Christian preaching as a means to explore the grace of God in Christ Jesus. When we approach Old Testament texts, particularly the ones we know well, we need to understand how they function in relationship to the New Testament. 

Pallet

    The Hebrew Bible, particularly in the Greek translation known as the Septuagint (LXX) provides the basic pallet used by New Testament speakers and authors in creating and communicating the story of Jesus. Color, tone, vocabulary, concepts, and theology do not spring out of thin air. The Apostles had heard Jesus preach and followed His example with respect to interpreting the Hebrew Bible. The earliest Church reformulated and recast their received Scriptures in light of the resurrection of Jesus. 

    Consequently, our reading and preaching from the Old Testament must be informed by this pallet of expectations as articulated in the New Testament. As Christians, we honor all Scripture as inspired, but it is not all inspired the same way and to the same purpose. Paul’s words to the Corinthians should serve as a constant reminder.

“Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.” (1 Corinthians 10:11 ESV)

This does not diminish the truthfulness of the Old Testament but helps us to properly contextualize it for our own times through the fullest expression of God’s intent—the New Testament.

Plan

    We need to understand the plan of God from Creation to Consumption but that understanding needs to be formed by the New Testament as the final statement of that plan. 

    What the Old Testament hints at, the New Testament discloses. Where the Old Testament can seem meandering, the New Testament tends to be more direct. Both Testaments exhibit variety in genre and style, but the Old Testament is far more diverse. 

    In short, the Old Testament articulates a plan that is not fully formed. The New Testament discusses the plan not only as fully formed but as completed by Jesus in His death, burial, resurrection, and formation of the Church.

Plot

    As diverse bodies of literature, it can be difficult to discern the plotline of the Testaments. There are, however, certain refrains in each. Fall, repentance, call, restoration. These Old Testament themes resonate in both the Pentateuch as well as the post-exilic literature. This plot is also found in some of the Psalms as well as touching on some of the events in books like Ruth and Esther. 

    As preachers, we are always looking to bring the plot of scripture to its proper resolution in the complete work of Jesus Christ. There are times when individuals experience this resolution when they come to faith and obedience. Other individuals build upon this resolution when, in finding their spiritual gift, they perceive a call to specialized ministry. Churches experience this resolution when they commit to being explicitly Biblical in choosing and executing the local mission of the Church. 

    When we lose the plot of scripture, when we focus too much on the OT preparation rather than the NT realization, we lose our identity. Everyone has a story. A well-rounded person understands their story and how it is unfolding. When Christians lose the plot of Scripture, we lose our sense of self. 

Promise

    The final theme is promise. The Old Testament describes promises made to Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Israel, and many others. The author of Hebrews makes the following statement in Hebrews 11 as he begins his remembrance of the heroes of faith:

“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” (Hebrews 11:13 ESV)

As in the 1 Corinthians passage, I cited earlier the author acknowledges that perfected faith and the realization of the promises of God—all of them—is found in Jesus.  

    Pictures are painted from pallets of color with the artist giving form to the colors. In stories, plots are resolved. Achievement occurs because plans are followed. Promises are remembered mostly because they are kept. My intent in this essay was not to write an OT Theology or a guide to the OT and yet guiding theology is what we wind up with when we properly contextualize the Old Testament in the light of the cross and empty grave.