Hill Andrew E. - A Survey of the Old Testament

Why study the Old Testament? This question has echoed down through the centuries of church history, ever since the new covenant of Jesus Christ made the old covenant obsolete (Heb. 8:13). The apostle Paul faced the question, and he responded that the Old Testament was written for the instruction and encouragement of the Christian church (Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:10).

We have found the study of the Old Testament a truly exciting enterprise, and we desire to help you enjoy that same exhilaration of discovery and benefit from divine instruction. In Amos 3:8 the prophet proclaims, The Sovereign L ORD has spokenwho can but prophesy? Exposed to the revelation of God, Amos felt compelled to respond. Although none of us has the privilege Amos had, to function as Gods mouthpiece, our response to Gods revelation of himself should be no less compelling.

A proper understanding of the nature of the Old Testament helps us gain that fresh excitement and resolve our questions. In approaching the Old Testament as Gods self-revelation, we seek to make the Word come alive. To achieve this we could not be content with literary anatomyhistory of scholarship and summary of contentas important as that is. We have attempted to go beyond that and capture the living spirit that makes these books more than good literature.

Too often survey books fill their pages with summaries of what the Bible says. Unfortunately this leads many to read the survey instead of the Bible itself. This book is intended to be read along with the Bible and not instead of it. We have focused on what the Scriptures intend to communicate. Why does the Old Testament say what it says? Why does it include what it includes? How are genealogies and laws, for example, part of Gods self-revelation? As we begin to address these questions, we can become comfortable poring through previously obscure, difficult, or neglected portions of the Old Testament to discover their meaning and value.

Sometimes we may be surprised at what we find. We should also be encouraged when we occasionally meet the unexpected in Scripturethat is, when the Scriptures convince us of the truth of something that changes our minds or leads us down paths once hidden from view. If we acknowledge the authority of Scripture, we must be willing to submit to it by being open-minded about our opinions. Gods Word is the final word.

The authority of Gods Word is an essential ingredient to our study. We are committed to it and therefore believe that the content of Gods Word is true. God has revealed himself in Scripture, and the act of divine inspiration guarantees the authority and integrity of that revelation. These convictions define us as evangelicals. And as evangelicals we are heirs to a long legacy of biblical interpretation by those who were similarly committed to the authority of the Bible. In this we are blessed, and we hold in high esteem those who have preceded us. Nonetheless, we must not become confused about the object of our loyalty. In the end, our commitment is to Gods Word, not to the traditional interpretations of it by those who have blazed the trail we follow. We must always be ready to reevaluate our interpretations to ensure that we are attending to the Word rather than being inextricably bound to tradition.