It is remarkable WHO (in the NT) quotes WHAT from the OT, pointing US to everlasting truths.
EXAMPLE:
Jesus quotes THIS verse (actually points to the TENSE of this verse!) to confirm the principle of resurrection from the dead:
Exod 3:6
6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father– the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
(Here’s Jesus quoting that passage):
Matt 22:31-33
31 “But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying,
32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
33 And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.
Are you kidding me????? Deuteronomy 3:6 is a proof-text for RESURRECTION – because God did not say: “I WAS the God of Abraham……..”??
Rabbi Jesus, the Living Word of God, understood/understands that EVERY WORD is truth. Its meaning, its tense, its everything.
We would do well (better than we’re doing, in fact) to understand that as well.
Here’s another example:
Lev 11:41-45
41 ‘And every creeping thing that creeps on the earth shall be an abomination. It shall not be eaten.
42 ‘Whatever crawls on its belly, whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet among all creeping things that creep on the earth– these you shall not eat, for they are an abomination.
43 ‘You shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creeps; nor shall you make yourselves unclean with them, lest you be defiled by them.
44 ‘For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate ourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
45 ‘For I am the LORD who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
Peter reflects back on this verse (the only OT scripture portion that comes up in a search for the term “…BE HOLY FOR I AM HOLY”) to declare that holiness-charge to the NT saint.
Peter, by the Holy Spirit, goes back to a specific command regarding not eating caterpillars etc. to declare to the NT saint (no longer under any such dietary restriction) that the charge to holiness extends forward, into our time and our lives, way beyond a dinner of creeping things.
1 Pet 1:13-16
13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;
15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
Wow. It becomes even more apparent why our enemy would hate us recognizing the eternal validity of the entire Word, both testaments. We are of course free from having to fulfill the righteous requirements of the Mosaic Law. That was fulfilled in Christ, thankfully. Eat a creeping bug if you’re so inclined, but be holy, for He is holy.
We remain both-testament-accountable to a holy God – to know Him, know His Word, and to live accordingly. Extending beyond not eating creepy things, and even beyond the truth of resurrection from the dead, is the global biblical principle that the whole bible remains the complete and active word of God, for us to address, study, and by His grace fulfill.
Embrace the entirety of the Word of God, its accountability, its significance in your life.
1 Pet 1:12
12 To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven– things which angels desire to look into.
The OT was written for us. The Holy Spirit told that to the OT prophets, as they were writing it.
We are called to eat the whole scroll, folks.
Ps 1:1-3
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.
All scriptures NKJV.
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