It can be easy in our present day and age to feel as though the Old Testament is both difficult to relate to and understand. I would even challenge us to consider that our current view of the New Testament and all Christ has done for us on the cross can, at times, leave us feeling passive about learning and studying the Old Testament. Yet, Matthew 5: 17-20 tells us that Christ came to fulfill the law and even calls us to exceed the righteousness (through Christ alone) of those that followed the law. The Torah (Hebrew: תּוֹרָה) is defined as the first five books of the Bible including Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy and it includes the Law that God gave the Israelites through Moses. These first five books of our Christian Bible are paramount in understanding the ancestry of our faith. Most importantly they are paramount in understanding all Christ preached and fulfilled in the New Testament.
Crosspoint City Church (Cartersville, GA) did a sermon series called The Story that exposes the beauty and richness of the Gospel in light of the Torah.
For those of us that struggle with understanding the importance and relevance of reading the Old Testament here are a quick 10 Reasons the Old Testament is Important for Christians by Jason S. DeRouchie.
A simple yet very helpful resource for any Bible reading is The Bible Project. Their video series on the Torah is excellent. Here is a link to the first video in the Torah series "Genesis 1-11".
Another practical and easily accessible resource for Bible reading is the ESV Study Bible. It's important to know that the Bible is the inerrant and infallible Word of God. Commentaries, including the comments in a study bible are not. Nonetheless, they are a wonderful resource that can be used to help us read and study well.
Lastly, for anyone who just can't get enough of this stuff and would like to go deeper I recommend a book called The Torah Story you can purchase this book on Amazon or access an online learning course through Zondervan Online.
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