I have a great love of the Old Testament. And this little book titled, Loving the Old Testament by Alec Motyer, has just increased in a straightforward and simple way my appreciation for how the stories, characters, and truths taught in the Old Testament point us to Jesus Christ.

I regularly teach the Old Testament on Sunday mornings in Adult Sunday School and preach on it when the opportunity arises, because a greater understanding of the Old Testament gives us more insight into the truths of the New Testament.

The pictures, shadows, and types of the Old Testament help us understand the heavenly realities that are revealed to us in the New. In fact, the New Testament assumes you have at least a basic understanding of the Old.

An example of this is given by Motyer early in the book in pages 26-30 regarding the English word “redemption.” He spends three pages describing the nuance of three different Hebrew words that are translated “redemption” in our English Bible, and these three Old Testament words describe what it means for Jesus to:

1. Pay the penalty for our sin by dying in our place as our substitute
2. Ransom us out of slavery to sin
3. Provide a covering, or atonement, for our sin

It is from these Hebrew words in the Old Testament that these New Testament realities spring, giving us a deeper and more full understanding of what it means to be redeemed by Jesus.

Motyer talks about the four aspects of the meaning of God as Creator in the Old Testament on pages 33-37, and notes that Psalm 121 describes the comfort that is ours since God is: “the God who initiates, maintains, controls, and directs everything in his whole creation. What a comfort! Every threat that comes to us in the world, arises and exists by his will, is controlled within his sovereignty, and is designed to achieve his purpose.”

We are thus safe in his sovereign hands.

While Motyer focuses on some details as I’ve described above, he gives his greatest emphasis to the unity of the Bible, both Old and New.

He invites us to see the Old Testament not as a Jewish book, but as a Christian book that moves in a straight line from the promises of God to Adam and Eve, through Abraham, to Moses, to David, and then to the prophets; all culminating in the coming of Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of the promises given by and to them all.

In doing so, Motyer shows us the great unity of the Bible in progressively revealing to us how the One Book written by the One God tells us about the One Way of Salvation told through One Story that culminates in One Messiah, Jesus Christ.

I highly recommend expanding your understand of the New Testament and gaining a greater understanding and love of the Old Testament by reading Loving the Old Testament by Alec Motyer.