A Christian's Guide to Studying and Applying the Old Testament

First off, let me say that this post is in no way comprehensive on this topic. Entire thick books have been written on it, and this will but scratch the surface. However, I want this to be a quick, easy place to turn for some simple principles.

1. There are two major things for the Christian  to be careful of when studying the Old Testament:
• God's promises to His people in the Old Testament (Israel) consistently do not directly translate to the church
• Exodus 19-24 is a record of God's promise directly to the Israelites
• Lamentations 3:22-23 is a statement about God and His faithfulness which is universal; however,
• God's commandments to the Israelites consistently do not directly translate to the church
• Circumcision was a requirement of Judaism in the Old Testament (per the Abrahamic Covenant), but it is not to Christians in the New Testament (Romans 3:30-31 and 1 Corinthians 7:18-19, as two examples amidst many)
• Note, however, that many of the things in the Old Testament are repeated in the New Testament, such as 9 of 10 "Ten Commandments"
2. Jesus Christ can clearly be seen in the Old Testament
• While Jesus was not identified by that name in the Old Testament, there are many prophecies and revelations about Him there. From Genesis 1 to Isaiah 64 (see Acts 8, especially verse 35), Jesus is there. Look for Him to know Him more.
3. The Old Testament is full of principles that carry over to today
• Proverbs 6:16-19 tells us that there are six sins the Lord hates and seven that are an abomination to Him. God does not change, so these things are still terribly offensive to Him.
4. The Old Testament does speak of the us today as Christians, albeit not in that terminology
• For example in God's covenant with Abraham, He said, "in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Genesis 12:3, NKJV)." It is through the coming of Jesus Christ, a descendant of Abraham, that this blessing primarily occurred, and it is Christianity that comes from Jesus.
5. The New Testament liberally quotes and alludes to the Old Testament
• Scholars debate exact numbers, but there are roughly 230 quotations and between 442 and 4105 allusions to the Old Testament in the New Testament
• This should remind us just how important that the Old Testament Scriptures are for us today
6. The New Testament should be given priority of study for doctrine
• Simply put, the New Testament was written directly for Christianity and the Old Testament for Judaism. The Old Testament is inspired by God and totally accurate; however, it was not written specifically with the New Testament church as the audience