![]() NOT learning about the future, particularly the “End Times”.NOT getting devotional or inspirational nuggets.Some of the alternative approaches represent pitfalls and should be avoided: They must begin with a basic understanding of what the OT is and how it works. If a group wants to truly engage the authoritative message of the OT, they must do so from an informed sense of what to do and what not to do. What are some of the pitfalls we should consider as we open up the Old Testament? We all have built-in biases from our families of origin and the culture we grew up in. As such, they easily mislead us into an unwarranted confidence. Our intuitions will not serve us well because they are modern intuitions. Any genre is open to misinterpretation if we are not familiar with its conventions and objectives. Other genres should be included only once an effort has been made to become informed about how that genre works. Notice the goal-encountering God’s story. That means that the narratives of Genesis, Exodus, and Joshua-Kings would be first. If a group wants to encounter God’s story in the OT, it is best to start with those books that provide the framework of that story. If you were coaching small group leaders, what are the sections or books you’d immediately steer a group toward? Are there books or genres within the Old Testament that the average small group should avoid? Even when that does not apply directly to us, it remains relevant to us. Yahweh is our God and this is his story-we would never want to “unhitch” ourselves from that, though we realize that part of his story is found in how he interacted with Israel. That is not the same as saying that the OT is not our Bible. It is understandable that we would “unhitch” ourselves from obligation to the Covenant and its Torah since it is not our covenant. On that note, a famous pastor recently suggested that since the Old Testament is the Jewish Scriptures it’s “not our Bible” and we should “unhitch” ourselves from it. We believe that Scripture is God’s revelation-why would we ever want to neglect any of God’s revelation, let alone a full two-thirds of it (represented in the OT). Many aspects of God’s story would be lost to us if we had only the NT. The Old Testament (OT) offers God’s story, which eventuates in the New Testament (NT) where we find the climax of God’s story as we encounter Jesus’ story. The Bible offers revelation of God’s plans and purposes, which have been in motion since creation. Given the challenges of studying a portion of the Bible well over 2,000 years old, why should a small group undertake this endeavor? Why study it? Why not just stick with the New Testament? John, thanks for participating in this interview. Always gracious and ministry-minded, John is the perfect person to help us sort out the role of small groups and the Old Testament. I regularly consult his work and when I’m particularly stuck I email him. ![]() ![]() Then, as now, I am struck by his love for Scripture and his love for ministry. I’ve known John for nearly 30 years, when I began my undergraduate studies at the Moody Bible Institute. John is a professor at Wheaton College and prolific author, notably of the popular series, The Lost World of…, which seeks to help modern readers wrestle with what the authors of the Old Testament were trying to communicate. I’ve asked John Walton, PhD., to answer some questions on this important topic. Many small groups have an uncomfortable relationship with the Old Testament, that is if they have any relationship at all. ![]()
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