What can you discover from reading the Old Testament?

Answer 1

You can discover little by reading the Old Testament casually or superficially. To really find anything useful in it, you must read in context and with cross-reference to other books of the Old Testament. If you are really serious, you need to seek guidance in publications by theologians or biblical scholars. The essential difference between a theologian and a scholar is that the role of the former is to defend religion and the role of the latter is to seek the truth in religious texts, although it is indeed possible to be both a theologian and a scholar.

By reading the Old Testament, it is possible to learn about the history of the Jewish people, as they understood it to be.

By reading the Old Testament, it is possible to discover the ways of God. If you so choose, you can also discover that the ways of God differed from author to author, even within the same book if it had multiple authors, leaving you to form a view as to the authenticity of the various accounts.

By reading the Old Testament, it is possible to discover the original meaning of passages often believed to foreshadow or prophesy the life of Jesus, and therefore arrive at an informed view as to the extent of prophecy involved.

Answer 2

The Hebrew Bible tells the history of the ancient Israelites, as well as giving the teachings of such prophets as Moses, Isaiah and Jeremiah, the stories of kings like David and Saul, and the ethics and beliefs of the Jewish religion.Tradition states that the Hebrew Bible is from God (Exodus 24:12), serving to provide knowledge, guidance, inspiration, awe and reverence, advice, law, comfort, history and more. It is the basis of Judaism.
It provides optimism and comfort through the prophecies of redemption, inspires us to strive for holiness, and informs us how to pray and to approach God's presence.

See also:

How has the Hebrew Bible influenced Western society?

What is the history of the Hebrew Bible?

Answer 3

One must realize that the only 'Scripture' written at the time of Christ was the Old Testament. These scrolls served the Jewish communities and guided their entire society with a structured history and law. God's promises and prophecies are mostly found in these writings.

Many today consider the Old Testament - old and obsolete or worn out - and therefore has been replaced by the New Testament. Realize that the word 'testament' is also the word for 'covenant.' So one can think of it as the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. If one went back 2000 years ago and asked any of the Apostles about the Old or New Testament, they wouldn't have any idea what you were talking about. These terms are coined by men long after the biblical books were written.

Most of The Bible consist of the Old Testament, with the vast majority of God's word in the Hebrew Scriptures - nearly 80% of the 773,000 words. Indeed, the New Testament has over 600 quotations from and references or allusions to the Old Testament - Jesus and Paul most often.

So there is a wealth of knowledge/information one may glean from a reading of the Old Testament as it contains over 3/4ths of God's inscripturated revelation with a massive amount of biblical teachings. Disregarding or not reading the Old Testament will leave the reader with an imbalanced view of the word of God.

Answer 4

Reading the Old Testament can provide insights into ancient Jewish history, culture, laws, and religious beliefs. It contains stories of creation, the patriarchs, the Exodus, the kings of Israel, and the prophets. The Old Testament also lays the foundation for the Judeo-Christian faith and provides moral teachings and guidance for believers.