For most, interpreting the initial three fourths of the Bible, the Old Testament, is a challenge. To help alleviate this problem, in 2017 I wrote How to Understand and Apply the Old Testament. Now, I am condensing each chapter from my book into a blog series on Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s “For the Church” initiative. In total, there will be thirteen entries summarizing the introduction and each of the twelve main chapters the detail the journey from exegesis to theology. You can access the first post here. In this summary I lay out in broad terms the task of interpreting the Old Testament, the presuppositions that guide biblical interpretation, and reasons for why the Old Testament is important for Christians. I then overview the remainder of the book. This summary’s conclusion is my invitation to you:
Come with me on this journey of discovery and skill development. The following nine posts focus especially on the process of exegesis, whereas the final three posts will address theology. God-honoring worship is both the fuel and goal of every stage of biblical interpretation. So may your study result in practice and overflow in teaching that is filled with praise and proclamation—all for the glory of Christ and the good of his church among the nations.
You can access this blog here.
DeRouchie, Jason S. “How to Apply and Understand the Old Testament: Introduction,” For The Church, 14 September 2020, https://ftc.co/resource-library/blog-entries/understand-apply-ot/.
For other posts and resources related to How to Understand and Apply the Old Testament, see:
- Andy and Jason Drive It Home: How to Understand and Apply the Old and New Testaments (May 18, 2017)
- How to Understand and Apply the Old Testament: Twelve Steps from Exegesis to Theology (May 31, 2017)
- Podcast Interview for How to Understand and Apply the Old Testament (Sept 6, 2017)
- Lectures on How to Understand and Apply the Old Testament (June 24, 2019)
