Why The Old Testament Matters – Intro to the Torah

We are walking through the Bible together, focusing on the Old Testament and learning why it really matters. The Old Testament is ignored by some, treated as irrelevant by others, and viewed with confusion or boredom by many. But the Old Testament actually provides an exciting and important foundation for the Christian faith that you don’t want to miss. So stay with us. 

The first five books of the Old Testament are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Together, they’re often called “the law,” “the books of Moses,” “the Pentateuch,” or the “Torah.” And if you aren’t familiar with all of that, it probably sounded like a bunch of gibberish. So let’s simplify it. Today, we’ll refer to the first five books of the Bible as the “Torah,” which is Hebrew for “instruction” or “guidance.” The Torah is packed with so many good teaching stories that we couldn’t possibly cover them in this short commentary, so we’ll just cover a few intriguing elements and then send you off to enjoy digging in on your own.

Often people who haven’t been around the church or Christianity are still familiar with many of the stories in the Torah: Adam and Eve, Noah and the Ark, the Exodus from Egypt, and the life story of Moses. But you may be surprised to hear about some rather unusual stories that are in there, too: Balaam’s talking donkey, God wanting to kill Moses, the earth swallowing people up, and a bronze serpent that cured snake bites. The Torah has it all. 

If you get stuck on the procedures and the lists, you may miss the main focus of the books. They show us that we need to be holy to be close to God,

If you’re looking for exciting reading, Genesis and Exodus won’t disappoint. You will find romance, murder, intrigue, miracles, and prophecies. Then there are the more challenging books of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, which can be overwhelming if you can’t see the forest for the trees. If you get stuck on the procedures and the lists, you may miss the main focus of the books. They show us that we need to be holy to be close to God, how we just can’t meet the mark and need redemption, and how there has to be a sacrifice for our sins. Then there are elaborate details on types of sacrifices that seem so foreign to us today. But from a bird’s eye view, it’s amazing because we can see how it all foreshadows our need for Jesus as our Savior and perfect sacrifice. 

The Torah offers an amazing view of God, Creation, our Fall, and God’s promises to save humanity. It is where we find the foundation of our faith and several prophecies of Jesus. Within the Torah, we get to see how God made us, the wisdom He provides for us, the free will He allows us to have (to either ignore or listen to the wisdom He has provided), the poor choices we make, how we suffer, how He hears us when we cry out to Him, and how, in His amazingly faithful love for us, He plans to save us.

Even Jesus, who grew up in a religious household, studied and memorized the Torah—the very books that spoke about Him and that He came to fulfill. That alone should be enough to convince a Believer that the Torah is worth reading. It is where we first see the cycle of humanity and God’s love triumphing over all. 

Join us over the next few weeks as we take a closer look at hard-to-read books like Leviticus and Numbers.

If you have questions about the Bible or your faith, please feel free to reach out to us at experiencecc.com.