What is the difference between the Old and New Testaments? Let's look at the example of the lives of Saul and David . But everything is in order.
When we come to Church, we follow the Lord. He provides us with everything we need. All the reasons we come to Jesus are selfish. We come to have God bless us financially, we come to Him to receive healing, and so on. He said, “Come to Me and I will give you rest.”
Grace and truth
Real truth is the truth that exists now. We must be established in the present truth. There was a time when God said, “You must fulfill the law.” And now He says, “You need faith.” How to explain this? And we learn the way God teaches us now. There is a Palestinian covenant that concerns the land of Israel. There is the covenant of David, there are other covenants. We are concerned with the covenant of law and the covenant of grace.
The Sinai covenant is the Law.
The New Testament is grace.
The Bible is divided into the Old and New Testaments. So we come to the real truth - the New Testament, in which we now find ourselves. This is the Covenant of Grace.
What does the Old Testament describe?
The first part of Holy Scripture consists of 4 large subchapters. The Old Testament begins with the Pentateuch; in Judaism it is called the Torah. The Pentateuch is dedicated to the Law of Moses. The Pentateuch itself consists of 5 chapters; they describe the events that took place before the world was created. Subsequent books are devoted to the history of the Jewish people. The Testament of the Old Testament includes a section that includes 5 books (Job, Proverbs, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs). The holy book ends with the Scriptures of the prophets.
Old Testament and New Testament, what is the difference
(Jeremiah 31:31) Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
Moreover, these words are repeated in Hebrews 8:8.
(Hebrews 8:7-8) For if the first covenant
was without lack, there would be no need to look for a place for another.
But the prophet
, reproaching them, says: Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
God says that they broke that covenant, although He remained in union with them. The Lord says that the New Covenant is not like the covenant of the Law. The New Covenant is not supposed to be the same as the Law.
(Jer 31:33) I will put My law within them and write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.
There are three things that God promises:
- I will do.
- I'll invest.
- God will put motivation in their hearts.
They can be called consequences:
- The Lord produces both will and action according to His good pleasure.
- God says, “I will be their God.”
This is a serious statement and this is what it means: if God says that He is our God and we are His people, then we are different from the people of this world.
You must believe that God is merciful to your wrong doings. You must also believe that He will no longer remember your sins and iniquities.
God says: “I am merciful to your unrighteousness and will remember your sins no more; you will be able to know Me.” And I will be your God. I will put My laws into your heart."
In other words, if you know that your sins are forgiven, you begin to love God and people. And love is the fulfillment of the law. People say that if we teach people the forgiveness of sin, then we are allowing them to lead a sinful lifestyle. Then you don't understand the New Testament.
Comparison
The Old Testament is the common holy book of Christians and Jews. The Jews call this book Tanakh. The Old Testament consists of three large parts:
- Pentateuch;
- Prophets;
- Scriptures.
In the Jewish tradition, the Tanakh (Masoretic Text) differs somewhat from most Christian editions of the Old Testament, but these differences are minor. In Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism, there are discrepancies between the various canons of the Old Testament. Orthodoxy has adopted a translation of the Tanakh, called the Septuagint (“Translation of the Seventy Elders”) - this is the oldest translation into Greek, made in Ptolemaic Egypt.
The Catholic canon is called the Biblia Vulgata ("People's Bible"), or simply the "Vulgate" (finally formed in the 16th century). And the Protestants, having subjected Catholicism to a radical revision, decided to “return to the roots.” They abandoned the ready-made Latin and Greek texts and re-translated the Tanakh from the Hebrew language. Texts present in the Vulgate, but not included in the Jewish canon, were called "Apocrypha" in the Protestant religious tradition.
As for the New Testament, this book, without any discrepancies, is common to all Christians. Of course, when translating text from ancient Koine into modern languages, inaccuracies may arise, but this is an error in any translation. This situation has arisen due to the ambiguity of the interpretation of foreign words in different contexts. If someone wants to familiarize themselves with the text of the New Testament without such “semantic fluctuations,” they will have to study the ancient Greek language. But the majority are content with translating the holy book into their native language.
Supper
On the night on which he was betrayed, Jesus took the cup and the bread. He said, "This cup is the New Covenant in My Blood." Blood is shed for the forgiveness of sins. In other words, today we do not live in the consciousness of sin.
(Hebrews 10:14) For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
Our sins are forgiven. We live the Christian life. If we believe this, we will be freed from our sinful conscience.
Many people think that the Old Testament does not need to be read. Necessary. And you need to get the grace of Jesus Christ from there.
Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to Cleopas.
(Luke 24:15) And while they were talking and reasoning with one another, Jesus Himself also drew near and went with them.
Why did Jesus decide to join them? From Jerusalem to Emmaus 11 km. ways. They were depressed, dejected. And then the Lord appeared. But they did not recognize Him. The Lord did not allow them to recognize Himself. A dialogue began. They say: “We thought.” But they didn't think according to the Scriptures. That's why they were sad. And then the women came and said that He had risen, but they did not believe it. And how Jesus gently brought them out of this unbelief.
(Luke 24:27) And beginning at Moses, of all the prophets, he explained to them everything that was spoken about Him in all the Scriptures.
The entire Bible, from the first chapter to the last, points to Jesus Christ.
And we talk about the Old Testament to show Jesus in it. Apparently Jesus told Cleopas about David. After all, Jesus was born from the line of David. Mary was from the family of Nathan, son of David. Royal blood flowed in her. As for Joseph, Jesus did not have his blood. Jesus was born of a virgin. But Joseph was His earthly father.
Probably the Lord spoke to Cleopas about David as His prototype.
The story of David and Goliath
David killed Goliath in the Elah Valley, which is located several kilometers from Jerusalem. David took the severed head of Goliath to Jerusalem and buried it in Jerusalem on Mount Gilead.
A comment!
Over time, this mountain became a hill. There was the skull of Goliath. If we look at history, we see how the name changes over time - Golgotha (Gilead), which means the place of the skull. Whose skull? Goliath. It was here that one of David's greatest sons hung on the cross. And when Jesus was crucified, he destroyed Goliath, the enemy of our souls.
Structure of the Bible
The Bible is a collection of texts that were written over a period of one and a half thousand years by representatives of forty generations. The authors of this book were ordinary people, kings, governors, scientists and philosophers. This is a storehouse of wisdom from which people should draw knowledge. The two main parts of the Bible are the Old and New Testaments.
The Old and New Testaments are two components of the Bible, the holy book of Christians
Since there are a number of faiths operating in the world today that have certain differences, the Bible of the Orthodox, Catholics, Protestants and Jews is somewhat different. There is such a thing as canonicity, that is, recognition. Thus, the Orthodox recognize 50 books out of all those written as canonical, Catholics - 45, and Protestants even less - 39.
The Jews, as we know, did not accept Jesus as their Messiah, so they do not recognize the New Testament. The Hebrew Bible includes the Pentateuch of Moses, the Prophets and the Writings. As for the structure of the New Testament, this part consists of the four Gospels, the section of Acts and the Apocalypse. There are also apocrypha - this is that part of the texts that is not included in the canonical ones, but is also of interest to scientists, as it describes real historical events.
Read about the Gospels:
- Gospel of Matthew
- Gospel of Mark
- Ostromir Gospel
Representatives of dissident movements put forward the hypothesis that clergy do not intentionally want to reveal to believers the full version of the teachings of Christ. In response to such attacks, clergy retort that, first of all, it is necessary to determine whether what is written can really be considered the Gospel, and only then include it in the Holy Scriptures. In this way, inexperienced parishioners are protected from heresy and their spiritual search for truth is made easier. However, the official church does not prohibit familiarization with the information contained in the apocrypha. But such a teaching cannot be considered a guide for a Christian in everyday life.
Important! For Christians, the rules of the Old Testament are not binding, since Jesus Christ, by his sacrifice, delivered humanity from the severity of sins, for which only death could be atonement, and gave the New Testament. But without the Old Testament foundations, it is difficult to understand the meaning of everything said in the New Testament, therefore, they are valuable for believers.
Old Testament and New Testament
David and Saul
David was the anointed king whom God chose. But he did not receive the position of king immediately. At that time there was another king - Saul. But God moved away from that king. This was a king who followed his own path and led Israel to defeat. His spirit wandered in the darkness. He was a lawyer. Saul was constantly angry and disobeyed God. Therefore, the Spirit of God left Saul and came upon David. And then Saul began to pursue David, so he had to hide in caves and deserts. People began to come to David in the Cave of Adullam.
(1 Samuel 22:1-2) And all who were oppressed, and all who were in debt, and all who were sorrowful in soul, gathered to him.
Three categories of people:
- Oppressed.
- Debtors.
- Saddened at heart.
They all came to David and became brave men.
(2 Samuel 3:1) David grew stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul weakened more and more.
Saul and David are like the Old Testament and the New Testament. Here is the difference between them. Saul (law) was constantly chasing after David (grace). But David did not fight Saul. David grew stronger and stronger. Saul grew weaker. Once upon a time, Saul was the anointed one. And now David has become the anointed one. We must understand what the real truth is. And follow what the Lord is doing now in the New Testament. Who is God's Anointed One now? Our Lord Jesus. This is why we must come to Him and follow Him.
In this way, we follow the actual things that the Lord is doing. God will give us strength and everything else. They may mock us, they may persecute us, just as they persecuted Him. Even today His name is blasphemed. But you shouldn't be ashamed of it. There were people who were ashamed of David, and they were with Saul. When the time came for David to be blessed, they were not there.
The Old Testament lays the foundation for the teachings and events presented in the New Testament. The Bible is progressive revelation. If you skip the first part of any good book and try to read it to the end, you will find it difficult to understand the characters, the plan and the outcome. Likewise, the New Testament can only be fully understood when it is seen as a continuation of the events, characters, laws, sacrificial systems, covenants and promises recorded in the Old Testament.
If we only had the New Testament, then starting to read the Gospels, we would not know why the Jews were so expecting the Messiah (King-Liberator). Without the Old Testament, we would not understand why this Messiah had to come (see Isaiah 53), and we would not be able to identify Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah from the many detailed prophecies about Him, such as His birthplace (Micah 5:2 ), how He would die (Psalm 21, especially verses 2, 8-9, 15-19; 68:22), His resurrection (Psalm 16:10), and many other details about His ministry (Isaiah 52:19; 9: 2).
Without the Old Testament, we would not understand the Jewish customs that are mentioned in passing in the New Testament. We would not know how the Pharisees distorted the Divine law by adding their own traditions to it. We would not understand why Jesus was so angry when he cleared the temple court of the money changers. We would not know that we can draw wisdom from the same well as Christ, many times answering His opponents.
The Gospels and the book of Acts record the fulfillment of many prophecies that were written hundreds of years earlier in the Old Testament. In the events of Jesus' birth, His life, His miracles, His death and resurrection, as described in the Gospels, we find the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies relating to the first coming of the Messiah. This is what strengthens Jesus' claim that He is the promised Christ. Additionally, even the prophecies in the New Testament (most of which are found in the book of Revelation) are based on previous prophecies that we find in the Old Testament books. They refer to events leading up to the second coming of Christ. About two out of three verses in Revelation are based on or related to the Old Testament.
Additionally, because revelation in Scripture is progressive, the New Testament focuses on doctrines that are only mentioned in the Old Testament. The book of Hebrews names Jesus as the High Priest and describes how His sacrifice supersedes all previous animal sacrifices, which were nothing more than prototypes of it. The Old Testament gives law in two parts: the Ten Commandments and the blessings/punishments that depend on obedience or disobedience to these commandments. The New Testament makes clear that God gave these commandments to show people their need for salvation; the commandments were never the means of salvation in themselves (Romans 3:19).
The Old Testament describes the sacrificial system given by God to the Israelites to temporarily justify their sins. The New Testament specifies that this system pointed to the sacrifice of Christ through whom alone salvation is possible (Acts 4:12; Hebrews 10:4-10). In the Old Testament, paradise was lost; The New Testament shows how paradise was restored to humanity through the second Adam (Christ) and how it will one day be restored. The Old Testament declares that man is separated from God because of sin (Genesis 3), and the New Testament declares that man can renew his relationship with God (Romans 3-6). The Old Testament predicted the coming and life of the Messiah. The Gospels primarily record the life of Jesus, while the Epistles provide an interpretation of His life and recommendations for how we should respond to all that He did.
Without the Old Testament, we would not understand the promises to the Jewish nation that God still had to fulfill. Thus, we would not be able to correctly understand that the Tribulation period is a seven-year period during which He will work in a special way with the Jewish nation, which rejected Him at the first coming, but will receive Him at the second. We would not understand how the future thousand-year reign of Christ fits into His promises to the Jews, nor what the role and fate of the Gentiles would be in connection with it. Likewise, we would not see how the ending of the Bible relates to the beginning of the Bible, restoring the paradise that God created the world to be.
Thus, the Old Testament was intended to prepare the Israelites for the coming of the Messiah, who would offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). The New Testament describes the life of Jesus Christ and then discusses His ministry and how we should accept His gift of eternal life and live in gratitude for all He has done for us (Romans 12). Both Testaments reveal the same holy, merciful and righteous God who condemns sin but wants to bring the fallen human race of sinners to Himself through the forgiveness that is only possible through the intercessory sacrifice of Christ. In both Testaments, God reveals Himself to us and how we can come to Him through Jesus Christ. In both Testaments we find everything we need for eternal and godly life (2 Timothy 3:15-17).
(2 Samuel 23:8) These are the names of the brave in David
Isbosef came to David's army in debt. The spirit of David came upon him and he became strong. When we follow Jesus, His Spirit comes upon us, so we become strong. David was a giant killer, and they became giant killers.
When reading such things, we must understand that these were only images. And the essence itself is now with us. Today we must go, say the word and 800 people will not die, but will be saved.
What does the sword mean?
(2 Samuel 23:10) He stood and smote the Philistines until his hand grew tired and stuck to the sword.
The sword is the Word of God. We must treat the Word of God as if we were one with it.
Today we must listen carefully to high level anointed sermons about grace, about forgiveness, about redemption
The following man is one of David's soldiers:
(2 Samuel 23:11-12) After him was Shammah the son of Age, the Gararite. When the Philistines gathered in Thiria, where there was a field sown with lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines, he stood in the middle of the field and guarded it and defeated the Philistines. And then the Lord granted a great victory.
A field sown with lentils means Spiritual food. Do not allow the Word of God to be slandered. Protect him.
The people fled, but Shamma remained. He stood in the middle of the field and saved it. And he defeated the Philistines. Then the Lord granted a great victory. Even when you stand in your own field, it is not you who wins the victory, but the Lord who gives it to you.
This is what happened to the people who followed David. Today we follow the Lord and His Spirit works with us. He heals the sick. He can cast out demons. The Lord is abundantly merciful and He radiates light. If you look into the eyes of Jesus, you can see light. The light is coming upon you.
And if we follow God's anointing today, the greatest of the sons of David, our Lord Jesus, then His anointing will come upon us. Then we see three hundred people, 1000 people, being saved.
Joab
There is one name missing from this list of David's brave men. Joab's name is not there, why? Joab killed many enemies. He stood at the head of all these men. They followed Joab. Joab was a general.
(2 Samuel 18:2) And David sent the third part of the people under the leadership of Joab.
He was the first to lead the warriors. He was the one who captured territory for David. But why is his name not here? Because the Holy Spirit does not look at what people do without faith.
A comment!
You can be in the kingdom, but your heart does not strive for the heart of the King. You can take over territory in the name of Jesus and still not have a heart that goes after Jesus. There are people who serve the Lord for the sake of their name.
At that time, David became stronger and stronger. Many decided that it was more profitable for them to be with him. There are people who come to Church simply to find the necessary connections. But their heart never sought the Lord. Joab is one such person.
Apocrypha
During the development and formation of the Bible canon, many books that were originally included in it later found themselves “overboard” from church orthodoxy. This fate befell such works as, for example, “Shepherd Hermas” and “Didaches.” Many different gospels and apostolic epistles were declared false and heretical simply because they did not fit into the new theological trends of the orthodox church. All these texts are united by the general term “apocrypha,” which means, on the one hand, “false” and, on the other, “secret” writings. But it was not possible to completely erase traces of objectionable texts - in canonical works there are allusions and hidden quotes from them. For example, it is likely that the lost, and in the 20th century, rediscovered Gospel of Thomas served as one of the primary sources for the sayings of Christ in the canonical gospels. And the generally accepted letter of the Apostle Jude (not Iscariot) directly contains quotations with references to the apocryphal book of the prophet Enoch, while affirming its prophetic dignity and authenticity.
Old Testament and New Testament
(Rom 16:12) Salute Tryphaena and Tryphos, who labor for the Lord. Greet beloved Persis, who has labored much for the Lord.
Why is Persis called beloved, but Tryphena and Tryphos are not? And at the same time he says: “Who labored much for the Lord.”
So, the first two worked. And Paul noticed this by the leading of the Holy Spirit. And he calls Persis his beloved. And she worked hard. Persis worked hard for the Lord out of love. Jesus knows why you work. Even a cup of cold water given in the name of Jesus can be rewarded.
The New Testament differs from the Old Testament in that people will no longer be afraid, they will no longer despair, they will no longer live in lack. To God be all the glory and praise. Amen.
The main message of the two parts of the Bible
Particular attention in the Torah is given to the promise that Jehovah gave to Moses. God promised him and the people of Israel a land where they would settle. The prophets predicted the coming of the Messiah. He will have to erect a new kingdom that will never be destroyed. The New Testament places special emphasis on the coming of Christ as Savior. Christians believe that the Son of God will come again to judge the living and the dead. There is no concept of “Heavenly Father” in the Old Testament. The God described in the first part of Holy Scripture is angry, jealous and cruel. He demands animal sacrifices. But, as the Apostle Paul wisely noted, “the blood of goats and bulls does not wash away sins” (Heb. 10:4). The second part of the Bible speaks not about physical kinship, but about spiritual kinship. Jesus says: “Whoever keeps My commandments is My mother and brother.” Therefore, Christianity is a world religion, since it addresses its preaching to all people. Jews place great importance on holy places. If we compare the Old Testament and the New Testament, the God of Israel chose Jerusalem for himself so that sacrifices could be made to him there. True Christians do not need to idolize any places, since the Heavenly Father exists in the Kingdom.
