That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour. 2 Peter 3:2
Can you remember how many books are in the Bible? There is a simple method to teach children how to remember this important number. Ask the children how much are three nines. They will answer 27 (well, maybe they don’t teach that in schools anymore, shame on them). 3 x 9 = 27. Thirty-nine books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New. 39 + 27 = 66. That’s a simple, little memory technique that is impressive for how it links the numbers of the Old Testament to obtain the numbers for the New Testament. However, when we delve into those 66 books, we find the links between the Old and New Testaments are deep, rich, and fascinating.
Peter reminds us in today’s text of the unity of Scripture. He speaks of putting the saints in mind of the words of the holy prophets; surely they all acknowledged this is the Word of God. But he directly links the prophet’s words with the words spoken and written by the apostles. This too, he declares, is inspired. Is it any wonder that critics of Scripture are frustrated when they are unable to find inconsistencies in it?
As young Christians, we were particularly encouraged to study the Gospels and the epistles, that is, to get a good grounding in the New Testament. But we were also urged to get to know the Old Testament because of its vast storehouse of treasures that could be unlocked by using the keys found in the New. The two sections are united through prophecy and its fulfilment, through quotations of the Old by writers of the New, by principles and truths that are clearly paralleled in both, and many other aspects. Had we no Old Testament, we would lose all the wonders of God’s purposes behind the sending of His Son. Had we no New Testament, we would lose all proofs of the fulfilment of God’s purposes. We need both.
Do you have a favourite book in the Bible? Most of us do. May I suggest you adopt a favourite book in each of the Testaments, and spend a little time probing the links between those two favourites. Regardless of the books, you will find them, because every book in the Bible stands solidly on the foundation of the other 65.
Do you accept all of Scripture with an equal weight of trust? As Peter says, be mindful of all its words. -Jim MacIntosh