Abraham said unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. Luke 16:29
As we read our Bibles, we have the privilege of handling any of 66 books, from Genesis to Revelation. We can appreciate the broad range of material from which to draw our spiritual nourishment, and in which to find our foundational truths for our lives. We particularly like to point new Christians to the Gospels, where they can learn precious and simple truths from the life and the teachings of the Lord Jesus. We also point to the epistles for our teaching regarding Christian and Assembly life, and to the Revelation for the assurances of God’s hand on coming events. We find the Gospel message presented clearly in the New Testament, and often assume that this message is to be found only there. But if we had been living during the time of Jesus’ ministry, we would not have had all these resources; they were not yet part of the canon of Scripture. But people in Jesus’ day did read the Bible. They had the Old Testament that the Jewish people treasured and preserved. And as our text makes plain, the way of Salvation is found in the Old Testament, too.
We often tell others that our text is pointing to the need for sinners to read and heed the Bible, and that the Scriptures will be more powerful than a voice from someone returning from the dead. This is very true. The reading of the Word of God and the preaching of the Gospel are the means ordained by God for us to hear about and receive the gift of eternal life, and to share it with others. But even before the New Testament began to be written, people still had the Scriptures, all of the Scriptures required for them to learn about God’s plan of Salvation. The rich man who landed in hell had the Old Testament from which he could learn of his need for salvation and from which he could learn of God’s provision to cover his sins. It is all that Lazarus had, and Lazarus was saved. It is all that the Old Testament saints had, and we know that we will share Heaven’s glories with them.
As much as we appreciate the Gospel message as presented in the New Testament, we ought also to appreciate the Gospel message as presented in the Old. We have the lovely illustrations of the Gospel as told in such accounts as Abel’s offering, Noah’s ark, the sacrifice of Isaac, and so many more. We have the teachings of God’s provision as contained in the definitions of the offerings and the ordinances of the tabernacle and the temple. We have the words of the prophets as they foretold a coming Saviour and Messiah. All of these remind us that God always had a way of Salvation available for those who sought it.
From Moses and the prophets, we can learn much of the wonder of God’s plan of Salvation. Let us not ignore this great treasure for our souls. – Jim MacIntosh