9 Principles for Understanding the Old Testament

The Old Testament can often seem a bit confusing and harsh. Even as a Christian, I’ve certainly struggled with some of the passages in the OT and I think many others do as well.  I hope this blog helps us better understand the Old Testament in light of context, culture and the finished work of Christ. 

Much of this has been inspired by Paul Copan’s book on the topic*.

1) We have to remember that the ideal vision of God was always that of the Garden of Eden. The Fall of humanity (after their rebellion against God) shattered everything good. Everything after the Fall was basically a process of God working with sinful humanity to get them back to that ideal. This will eventually happen in the New Heaven and the New Earth (ultimately because of the work of Christ). 

2) One of the most important principles to understand is that of the distinction between the Old Covenant (or Testament) and the New Covenant (or Testament). The Old must be read with the eyes of the New or else we will never really grasp it. 

The Mosaic Covenant (i.e. the Law) is described in the Bible as inferior to the New. Through His work on the cross Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law. Much of the Law (the ceremonies and civic rules) do not apply to us anymore. The Ten Commandments are now written in our hearts and we are aided to keep them by grace, faith and the power of the Holy Spirit

3) Although some of the laws of Moses seem very harsh to us, we have to realize that the Ancient Near East (of which Israel was a part of) was a brutal culture far removed from today’s western society. In contrast to the laws of the surrounding culture, the laws of Moses were less harsh and valued the dignity of human life much more. 

4) The New Testament says that the Law of Moses was a tutor to bring us to Christ. However, even before the Law was given, Abraham was proclaimed righteous by faith and grace (Romans 4:16, Gal 3:18).  OT people were still ultimately saved by faith and grace.

5) In Matthew 19:8 we read Jesus’s words: “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.” Herein is a principle whereby we understand that God sometimes accommodates humanity in their sinful condition but it wasn’t that way in the beginning and God will not leave them there (for Jesus clarifies this in the New Testament). 

6) Just because something is recorded in the OT does not necessarily mean it is endorsed by God.  If we think of some of the atrocities committed in the Book of Judges, we can see that this was a record of history not a prescription on how to live. 

7) The language of the OT and of the Ancient Near East (ANE) must be considered as well. Hyperbole (exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally) were in common use in the ANE. For example, the OT describes the total annihilation (men, women and children) of the Canaanites and yet it also records that the Canaanites continued to live in the land after this war. It’s a bit like one sports team saying they ‘utterly destroyed’ another team – we understand this to be hyperbole.  

Another note – when God judges in the OT it is not in regard to ethnicity but in regard to sin.  God judges both Israel and the surrounding nations in measure of their sin.

8) It is ironic that we in the modern West look down our noses so much at Judeo (and even Christian) ethics and values when, in fact, our society was really built on them. We certainly do not live under the OT anymore but even in the OT those ethics and values were forming.

9) It often seems like God is very harsh and judgemental in the OT. It helps to remember that God is gracious and merciful and only judges when greatly provoked. “As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?” Ezekiel 33:11

We must also realize that in Jesus we also see the true nature of God. He is the perfect image of what God is truly like (“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” John 14:9). So look to Jesus. 

• “Is God a Moral Monster: Making Sense of the Old Testament God” by Paul Copan Copyright 2011 by Baker Books.  Although the title sounds somewhat alarming this is actually a claim made by the New Atheists who mock God. Paul Copan answers this claim well in the book. 

The Logos and the Gospel

In the first verse of his Gospel, John the Apostle uses a striking word, full of meaning and recognizable to any Greek person at that time.   

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1

John’s “Word” is translated from the original Greek “Logos”.

Dane Ortlund explains that the term “Logos”: “…referred in Greek thinking to Reason with a capital ‘R’, the great organizing principle of the universe, the impersonal rationality behind all that happens, that which injects coherence and stability into the universe.”  

John purposely uses this pregnant word to describe Jesus Christ. He was stating that this all-powerful Logos was not just an “organizing principle” but very creator God.  

Furthermore, much of Greek philosophy thought that there was a major distinction between what is material and what is spiritual. The material was evil and the spiritual was good – and never the twain shall meet. 

John shocks them again when he says in verse 14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…”

Here in a stunning and counterintuitive move, the Logos (that which is spiritual) came to earth and took on flesh and blood (that which is material).  This was no “impersonal rationality” but a very personal God. Such a notion would wreak havoc and wonder on the understanding of the day. 

“The Greeks wished to shed the flesh and fly up to heaven; John says that heaven put on flesh and came down to earth.” (Ortlund). 

Not only is this Logos the creator God but he has also taken on flesh and dwelt with humanity – and would soon suffer, die and rise again to redeem them.  

John takes an enormous Greek thought and uses it to share the Gospel of Jesus in a thrilling manner.  In this gospel, the Logos is far more than a principle, He is a Person; not just a rationality but a Redeemer.

5 Facts about Marc Andre Leclerc and the First Solo Ascent of the Emperor’s Face (Mount Robson)

 

Heads up - The following contains spoilers for “The Alpinist”.

 

 

Mt. Robson's Emperor Face at twilight. Berg Lake, Mt. Robson Provincial Park, B.C. [Photo] Jeffrey Pang/Wiki Commons

 

The Man

Marc Andre Leclerc was born in Nanaimo, BC on October 10^th, 1992 and died in Alaska in 2018. During his brief life he gained a reputation as an unassuming yet fearless mountain climber. He was especially known for his free solo (no ropes) ascents of many peaks around the world.  His life is the subject of the 2020 film, “The Alpinist”.

 

The Mountain

Mount Robson rises nearly 10,000 feet above the Yellowhead highway for a total of 12, 972 feet (3,954 M) above sea level. It’s Emperor’s Face stands tall at about 8,000 feet of ice, rock and snow. 

The Emperor’s Face was first ascended by climbers in 1978 but had never been free climbed solo by anyone until Leclerc.  In 2002 Barry Blanchard and 2 other climbers ascended the route known as “Infinite Patience”.  Leclerc would eventually follow this same line up the face.

 

The Reason

“I was being drawn toward the mountain in a search for adventure, by a desire to explore my own limitations and to also be immersed in a world so deeply beautiful that it would forever be etched into my memory.” Marc Andre Leclerc

After getting to know the Canadian Rockies by climbing in Alberta for a time, Leclerc felt he was ready for Mount Robson and it’s Emperor’s Face. In April of 2016, he hopped on a bus out of Jasper back towards his native British Columbia.

He later commented: “When the bus dropped me off on the side of the highway, I saw Mt. Robson for the first time. It towered above the road like no other mountain I'd ever seen. The summit felt incredibly distant, as if it were located on another planet.”

 

No Limelight

Leclerc had never liked the spotlight. He simply didn’t care if anyone knew what amazing things he was accomplishing.  In fact, he had actually been filming The Alpinist with directors Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen, when he abruptly “disappeared” from the filmmakers and went off on his own.  

It was during this hiatus that Leclerc climbed the Emperor’s Face.  He later explained to the directors that it just didn’t feel like a solo attempt if other people were there – even if they were just filming. He eventually agreed to do the climb again in order for them to capture it.

 

The Summit

Leclerc used the Infinite Patience route to summit the mountain. On his first climb of the face he made it to the top and later wrote - “I stumbled onto the top of Mt. Robson at sunset, and was rewarded with a breathtaking view: snow and ice extended as far I could see in all directions. Robson seemed to be so much taller than any of the surrounding peaks— it was like a platform in the sky that looked down on the rest of the world.”

Leclerc had to sleep on top of the summit due to weather conditions where he endured a miserable night of freezing cold winds and little sustenance but eventually made it down safely to ensure the first ever free solo climb of Mount Robson’s Emperor’s Face.

For a description of the ascent in Marc Andre’s own words see this Alpinist article.

“I'm happy to say that my visit with the Emperor was a truly special experience. At first I was intimidated by his strong aura, but in the end we became friends and the King generously shared his wealth, leaving me a much richer person.” Marc Andre Leclerc