Bible Tip: How to Understand the Old Testament Better

Do you wish you could make more sense of the Old Testament?

Here’s a little tip that I use myself: read the Old Testament alongside the New Testament.

Pick one Old Testament Book and one New Testmanet book to read for the month, then, read one chapter from each book each day.

For example, this month I am reading 2 King and Mark. Each day I aim to read one chapter from each book, meditate on it, and do it. I’ve found that doing this helps me connect the Old and the New Testament together, helping me see similiarities, connections, fulfilled prophecies, and key characteristics about God and life.

Reading the Old Testament is going to feel awkward at first if you aren’t used to it. But the more time you spend in it (and the better you understand the overarching story of the Bible), the more you will understand the Old Testament and enjoy the Bible.

If you want to dig deeper and grasp the biblical story better (and make more sense of the Old Testament), here are some books I recommend checking out (affiliate links):

• Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church by N.T. Wright
• The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible by Scot McKnight
• Living By the Book Workbook: The Art and Science of Reading the Bible by Howard Hendricks
• Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading by Eugene Peterson
• How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart

Remember, be patient and take your time reading.

Read, study, reflect, pray, meditate, read out loud, read with family and friends, and – most importantly – do/apply what you read. Never forget the Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:24-25:

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, an the floods cae, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.”

Question: What helps you understand the Old Testament better? Share any tips with us in the comments below!