The Old Testament Witness to Christ and His Kingdom, Mentor's Guide, MG09

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T H E O L D T E S T A M E N T W I T N E S S T O C H R I S T A N D H I S K I N G D O M

After reciting and/or singing the Nicene Creed (located in the Appendix), pray the following prayer: O everlasting God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, grant us thy grace that we may study the Holy Scriptures diligently, and, with our whole heart, seek and find Christ therein, and through him obtain everlasting life; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Nicene Creed and Prayer

~John W. Doberstein, ed. A Lutheran Prayer Book . Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1960. p. 102.

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Scripture Memorization Review

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Are We Using the Right Book in the Wrong Way?

One of the ongoing issues and problems associated with the mastery of the OT is its misuse by so many interpreters, both conservative and liberal. The OT is such a diverse library of literature that many OT scholars no longer seek to provide us with a coherent, unified OT theology. In place of a single unity, it is seen as a heavily edited (redacted) text that covers many centuries, dozens of authors, and one which provides no consistent or unified message for the interpreter. Even for many evangelical Christians, the Bible remains a closed book. Used primarily for devotional readings in the Psalms and Proverbs, large portions of the OT remain unpreached and unread by many evangelicals. What is the reason that these dear saints who love the Bible give for their systematic neglect of the OT? It is simply too hard to understand and use. For them it is seldom referred to because it is unintelligible, filled with difficult passages, and too heavily concentrated in portions of ceremonial law and/or symbolism and imagery. Frankly, for the new or growing Christian it is easier to focus on the NT and read the Epistles, and, if one is so bold, go to the Gospels and read the words of the Lord. But, in terms of understanding

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