"Be like Abraham, not like Lot" -- This teaching from a beloved teacher created conflict for me. This kind of teaching makes me look at myself, instead of looking at Jesus, who is my way, truth, and life.
"Be brave like David" -- telling people not to be afraid is the most useless advice, once again causing people to focus on themselves instead of Love Himself, whose love casts out all fear in our lives, because His righteousness has removed all reproach.
"Consider the plight of Job, Jeremiah, and Joseph - we can learn from them.
This is unacceptable teaching all the way. Why should we settle for anything less than Jesus Christ Himself, and the work that He has done:
"Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the
prophets have spoken:
"Ought not Christ to
have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
"And beginning at Moses
and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things
concerning himself." (Luke 24: 25-27)
Jesus took the entire Old Testament, and expounded on Himself --
He is our life (John 14: 6), the one who lives in us (Colossians 1: 27) and He has come into us through His Holy Spirit:
"I am crucified
with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the
life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who
loved me, and gave himself for me.
"I do not frustrate
the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is
dead in vain." (Galatians 2: 20-21)
The Old Testament is not a parade of examples on how to live, or a place to find scripts on how to deal with the challenges and tragedies of life.
The Old Testament is a testimony of the types and shadows which point to the Substance: Jesus!: He is our righteousness, He is our grace, and the more that we receive of Him, the greater our victory an power in this life.
"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an
holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
"Which are a
shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ." (Colossians 2: 16-17)
and
"Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount." (Hebrews 8: 5)
and
"For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very
image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by
year continually make the comers thereunto perfect." (Hebrews 10: 1)
When pastors insist on expounding teaching for life based on the examples of the Old Testament saints, those examples are weak and beggarly elements, unless our teachers, our pastors, point to us Christ and Him Crucified in every verse, in every chapter, in every book of the Old Testament.
We are called to be like Him:
"Behold, what manner of
love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:
therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
'Beloved, now are we the
sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when
he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
"And
every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. " (1 John 3: 1-3)
God sees us, and He sees His Son, as well:
"Herein is our love
made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he
is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)
"As He is, so are we - -" so, instead of learning about Old Testament saints, let us use every bit of our time and energy and will learning about Him who died for us, who loves in us, who lives through us -- Jesus! See Jesus in every verse, story, account, and learn about the Great Love that God is and has for us.
"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." (2 Peter 3: 18)
Do this, and live evermore in Christ!
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