So it’s been about a year since I started blogging through the 2nd Book of Samuel.
And you know what?
Now is as good a time as ever to remind you of an important truth.
You’ll never gain a proper understanding of the New Testament without understanding the Hebrew Bible that came before it.
That’s right, homie.
The so-called “Old Testament” is the foundation for the New.
If you wanna understand why Israel needed a king…
What the Law is…
The priesthood…
And the concepts of sacrifice and atonement…
You have to go to the “Old” Testament.
Because those ideas and terms are simply not explained in the New Testament.
The New Testament assumes you already possess that knowledge base.
Let’s not forget that the entire Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, was written within a Hebrew cultural context.
It was meant to be read by Hebrews.
Ya feeling me here?
That’s why a Jewish believer who comes to Christ has such an insane advantage over any gentile believer.
Am I saying that if you’re a gentile, the cultural gap is too big to traverse?
No.
With effort and study, you can catch up.
But you ain’t gonna bridge the gap by…
Relegating the first two-thirds of your Bible to the trash bin…
Skipping over parts you find too difficult to understand…
And relying on the teachings of Western Europeans who treat Scripture like some Anglo-Saxon document.
So if you’ve ever wondered where the gentile church gets its unkosher doctrines from…
ESPECIALLY their flawed interpretations of Paul’s letters…
The reason is simple.
They’ve skipped over the Hebrew Bible and gone directly to the New Testament.
As one Rabbi said, if your theology on the Old Testament is wrong, your theology on the New Testament is going to be ten times worse.
And thus ends my little reminder/rant for today.
The bottom line is that the Hebrew Bible is the foundation for the New Testament.
When you ignore or disregard this foundation, it gives birth to all kinds of theological ills that can only lead to disobedience and lawlessness.
Next time, we’ll dive right back into the text study of 2nd Samuel.
And speaking of foundations, the Books of Samuel, in addition to the incredible spiritual truths they contain, pave the way for a clearer understanding of the words of the prophets and the timing of their oracles.
See ya next time!
Stay frosty.
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