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The Importance of History
Why do we learn history? Is it just to memorize names, dates, and important events? Is it just a class we are forced to take in school? Or is there a greater purpose to it?
It is said that those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. We can look at major eras throughout history and see where humanity has failed and where it has succeeded. A positive example we can look at is the stock market crash in the late 1920s and early 1930s. A large majority of people had not invested any of their money leading to the banks eventually failing, and people lost their entire life savings. The economy crashed and poverty rose.
The lesson we learned was to not let banks fail and to have an insurance policy for when poor economic times happen. This led to people saving more money and buying more products which led to an economic boom later.
We can look at these events and others to see how our present situations have been shaped by those past events, and how we should work to build a better future. But understanding history is not only beneficial for our physical lives, it’s also beneficial for our spiritual lives.
The Old Testament – What’s Its Purpose?
The Bible is split into two major parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. Many people focus on the New Testament because it contains the words of Jesus in the gospels, and the encouraging words written in the letters from Paul. And for Christians, that makes sense. Christians were created from Jesus Christ, so focusing on his words and teachings is most relevant for Christians. But some people wonder if we still need to read the Old Testament.
Simply put, yes, we do. Apostle Paul made it clear that the people and events of the Old Testament were written down for our benefit.
“Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.”
1 Corinthians 10:11
In the Old Testament, there are plenty of lessons for us to learn from the first group of God’s chosen people. From the fall of Adam to Noah and the flood, from Abraham’s unchanging faith to Moses and the Israelites, the Old Testament serves to give us both instruction and caution. We must do our best to understand what the Old Testament means for us today.
The Old Testament Gives Us Caution
In Exodus 19:5-6, God promised that if the Israelites kept the covenant they made with Him, then He would make them into a holy nation and a royal priesthood. And by being God’s holy nation, they would be able to teach others about God.
In Deuteronomy 28, God outlined what would happen if His people kept the promise they made with Him and what would happen if they didn’t. It clearly shows us the blessings and consequences that come with keeping or not keeping God’s promise or law.
What happens when we break a rule or a law? Consequences or discipline follows accordingly. Discipline isn’t meant to be harmful, but to help us change ourselves. It was the same with the Israelites too. God didn’t want His people to be harmed, but there were consequences for not keeping His law.
When the Israelites sinned and turned away from God, destructive events and circumstances followed as consequences. Since they turned away from God and left Him for other gods, God took His protection away from them. They experienced defeats as well as captivity.
God repeatedly sent prophets to tell Israel to repent and come back to Him. God showed His love in that way, too. He wanted Israel to see that they hadn’t kept the law, the covenant they had made. He wanted them to come back to Him and be with Him so that He could protect and care for them.
…So we as Christians living in this day and age should look back to our history in the Old Testament. We have to reflect on whether or not we are making the same mistakes that the Israelites made.
Why We Must Still Read the Old Testament
The Old Testament isn’t just a historical account of how God used to be angry or vengeful towards the Israelites. It details the history of Him wanting to create a people and kingdom that were holy and knew Him. Unfortunately, we also see how sin got in the way, in the form of idols and distractions, and caused God’s people to walk away from Him and fail in keeping the promise they made to God.
As with any lesson in history, we must not make the same mistakes our ancestors made. For us today, we must read these stories and examine our own lives today. Although we no longer live in the time of the Old Testament, it’s vital for us to know the mistakes that were made.
We must heed the warning and consequences we see from the Israelites when they turned away from God. Only then, when we understand what God’s heart was, to be with His people, to bless and care for them, can we strive that much harder to be those people He has desired from the beginning.
We can be those who never turn away from Him, who keep the covenant that Jesus made with us, and in the end, reunite with our loving Father.
Written by Kenny
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