Jesus Endorsed the OT

Its nature

It is divinely authoritative

• But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4)
• Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (Matthew 4:7)
• Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” (Matthew 4:10)
• He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying, (Matthew 22:43)
• The spirit of the LORD speaks through me, his word is upon my tongue. (2 Samuel 23:2)

It is imperishable (Mt 5:17-18)

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. (Matthew 5:17–18)

It is infallible (Jn 10:35)

If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’—and the scripture cannot be annulled— (John 10:35)

It is inerrant (without errors) (Mt 22:29)

• Why the Bible Cannot Err
  • The Bible is the Word of God
  • God cannot err [so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God would prove false, we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to seize the hope set before us. (Hebrews 6:18) in the hope of eternal life that God, who never lies, promised before the ages began— (Titus 1:2)]
  • Therefore, the Bible cannot err
• Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. (Matthew 22:29)
• Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:17)
• But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4)
• By no means! Although everyone is a liar, let God be proved true, as it is written, “So that you may be justified in your words, and prevail in your judging.” (Romans 3:4)
• Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:17)
• If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’—and the scripture cannot be annulled— (John 10:35)

It is historically reliable (Mt 12:40, Mt 24:37-38)

• For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:40)
• 37 For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, (Matthew 24:37–38)

Things Jesus and the Apostles Affirmed about the OT

The creation of the universe

• Genesis 1, see Bible
• All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being (John 1:3)
• for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:16)

Creation of Adam and Eve

• Genesis 1-2, see Bible
• 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. (1 Timothy 2:13–14)

Marriage of Adam and Eve

• Genesis 1-2, see Bible  
• 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; (1 Tim 2:13)

Temptation of the woman

• Genesis 3, see Bible
• 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. (1 Time 2:14)

Disobedience and sin of Adam

• Genesis 3, see Bible
• Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned— (Romans 5:12)
• for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:22)

Sacrifices of Abel and Cain

• Genesis 4, see Bible
• By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain’s. Through this he received approval as righteous, God himself giving approval to his gifts; he died, but through his faith he still speaks. (Hebrews 11:4)

Murder of Abel by Cain

• Genesis 4, see Bible
• We must not be like Cain who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. (1 John 3:12)

Birth of Seth

• Genesis 4, see Bible 
• son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God (Luke 3:38)

Translation of Enoch

• Genesis 5, see Bible
• By faith Enoch was taken so that he did not experience death; and “he was not found, because God had taken him.” For it was attested before he was taken away that “he had pleased God.” (Hebrews 11:5)

Marriage before the flood

• Genesis 6, see Bible
• They were eating and drinking, and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed all of them. (Luke 17:27)

The flood and destruction of man

• Genesis 7, see Bible
• and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. (Matthew 24:39)

Preservation of Noah and his family

• Genesis 8-9, see Bible
• and if he did not spare the ancient world, even though he saved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood on a world of the ungodly; (2 Peter 2:5)

Genealogy of Shem

• Genesis 10, see Bible
• 35 son of Serug, son of Reu, son of Peleg, son of Eber, son of Shelah, 36 son of Cainan, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamech, (Luke 3:35–36)

Birth of Abraham

• Genesis 11, see Bible
• son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of Terah, son of Nahor, (Luke 3:34)

Call of Abraham

• Genesis 12-13, see Bible
• By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. (Hebrews 11:8)

Tithes to Melchizadek

• Genesis 14, see Bible
• 1 This “King Melchizedek of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham as he was returning from defeating the kings and blessed him”; 2 and to him Abraham apportioned “one-tenth of everything.” His name, in the first place, means “king of righteousness”; next he is also king of Salem, that is, “king of peace.” 3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever. (Hebrews 7:1–3)

Justification of Abraham

• Genesis 15, see Bible
• For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:3)

Ishmael

• Genesis 16, see Bible
• 21 Tell me, you who desire to be subject to the law, will you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and the other by a free woman. 23 One, the child of the slave, was born according to the flesh; the other, the child of the free woman, was born through the promise. 24 Now this is an allegory: these women are two covenants. One woman, in fact, is Hagar, from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery. (Galatians 4:21–24)

Promise of Isaac

• Genesis 17, see Bible
• of whom he had been told, “It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named for you.” (Hebrews 11:18)

Lot and Sodom

• Genesis 18-19, see Bible
• but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from heaven and destroyed all of them (Luke 17:29)

Birth of Isaac

• Genesis 21, see Bible
• 9 “The patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him, 10 and rescued him from all his afflictions, and enabled him to win favor and to show wisdom when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. (Acts 7:9–10)

Offering of Isaac

• Genesis 22, see Bible
• By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son, (Hebrews 11:17)

The burning bush

He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. (Exodus 3:6)

³⁷ And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. ³⁸ Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.” (Luke 20:37-38)

Exodus through the Red Sea

• The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. (Exodus 14:22)
• 1 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, (1 Corinthians 10:1–2)

Provision of water and manna

• Then the LORD said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. (Exodus 16:4)
• I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. (Exodus 17:6)
• 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness. (1 Corinthians 10:3–5)

Lifting up the serpent in the wilderness

• So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live. (Numbers 21:9)
• And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, (John 3:14)

Fall of Jericho

• 22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house, and bring the woman out of it and all who belong to her, as you swore to her.” 23 So the young men who had been spies went in and brought Rahab out, along with her father, her mother, her brothers, and all who belonged to her—they brought all her kindred out—and set them outside the camp of Israel. 24 They burned down the city, and everything in it; only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD. 25 But Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, Joshua spared. Her family has lived in Israel ever since. For she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. (Joshua 6:22–25)
• By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. (Hebrews 11:30)

Miracles of Elijah

• Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” (1 Kings 17:1)
• After many days the word of the LORD came to Elijah, in the third year of the drought, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab; I will send rain on the earth.” (1 Kings 18:1)
• Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. (James 5:17)

Jonah in the great fish

• 1 Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying, “I called to the LORD out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. 3 You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. 4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; how shall I look again upon your holy temple?’ 5 The waters closed in over me; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped around my head 6 at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the Pit, O LORD my God. 7 As my life was ebbing away, I remembered the LORD; and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. 8 Those who worship vain idols forsake their true loyalty. 9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Deliverance belongs to the LORD!” 10 Then the LORD spoke to the fish, and it spewed Jonah out upon the dry land. (Jonah 2)
• For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:40)

Three Hebrew youths in furnace

• Dan 3, see Bible
• quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. (Hebrews 11:34)

Daniel in the Lion’s den

• Dan 6, see Bible
• who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, (Hebrews 11:33)

Slaying of Zechariah

• 20 Then the spirit of God took possession of Zechariah son of the priest Jehoiada; he stood above the people and said to them, “Thus says God: Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has also forsaken you.” 21 But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him to death in the court of the house of the LORD. 22 King Joash did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father, had shown him, but killed his son. As he was dying, he said, “May the LORD see and avenge!” (2 Chronicles 24:20–22)
• so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. (Matthew 23:35)

It is scientifically accurate

• 4 He answered, “Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? (Matthew 19:4–5)

It has ultimate supremacy

• He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? (Matthew 15:3)
• So, for the sake of your tradition, you make void the word of God. (Matthew 15:6)

Inevitability— But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so.

• But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen in this way?” (Matthew 26:54)
• 39 “You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. (John 5:39)

Unity

• Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. (Luke 24:27)
• Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” (Luke 24:44)

Clarity

• Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! (Luke 24:25)

No accommodation to false teaching

Jesus rebuked those who accepted false teachings

• 1 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat.” 3 He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.’ 5 But you say that whoever tells father or mother, ‘Whatever support you might have had from me is given to God,’ then that person need not honor the father. 6 So, for the sake of your tradition, you make void the word of God. (Matthew 15:1–6)

He set his Word against false oral views about the OT

• 21 “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell. 31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. 33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one. 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; 40 and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; 41 and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. 42 Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ (Matthew 5:21–43)

He rebuked the Jewish Rabbi Nicodemus

• Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? (John 3:10)

He declared the Sadducees were mistaken

• Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. (Matthew 22:29)

 He denounced the Pharisees

• 16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.’ 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.’ 19 How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; 21 and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it and by the one who dwells in it; 22 and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it. 23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel! 25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean. 27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. 28 So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, 30 and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors. 33 You snakes, you brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to hell? (Matthew 23:16–33)

He cleansed the Temple

• 15 Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” (John 2:15–16)

His enemies recognized that he did not compromise.

• So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. (Matthew 22:16)

Its extent

OT as a whole

Jesus Cited OT as a whole

• Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. (Luke 24:27)
• “You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. (John 5:39)
• If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’—and the scripture cannot be annulled— (John 10:35)
• If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’—and the scripture cannot be annulled— (John 10:35)
• Jesus answered, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? (John 10:34)
• so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. (Matthew 23:35)

All Sections of the OT

• “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. (Matthew 5:17)
• “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets. (Matthew 7:12)
• Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. (Luke 24:27)
• He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” (Luke 16:31)
• Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” (Luke 24:44)

Most Books of the OT Quoted

Of the 24 books of the Hebrew OT all but three (Judges, Esther and Song of Solomon are cited by Jesus, and Hebrews (11:32) cites Judges. Note Jesus did not reject these books. He simply had no occasion to cite them.

Jesus’ Bible had the same books that are in the Jewish Bible. Josephus (First Century Jewish historian) said: For we have only twenty-two books, which contain the revelations of all the past times; which are justly believed to be divine; and of them five belong to Moses. The prophets, who were after Moses, wrote down what was done in their times in thirteen books. The remaining four books contain hymns to God and precepts for the conduct of human life. (Against Apion, 1:8)

Jewish Talmud (Pirke Aboth) This collection of Jewish teaching (from 200BC to AD 400) lists all 24 books of the Jewish OT which are in today’s Jewish Bible (The Tanakh)

The Protestant Bible has 39 books while the Jewish Bible has 24. This is because 1&2 Samuel is one book in the Jewish Bible as are 1&2 Kings, 1&2 Chronicles and Ezra and Nehemiah plus the 12 minor prophets are one book. So Both the Jewish and Protestant Bibles have the same content. When people say 22 books their version has Ruth with Judges and Lamentations with Jeremiah.

Why do Roman Catholics have 11 more books in their OT?

There are seven more in the Table of contents, they have 4 inserted in other OT books. One is added to Esther and 3 are inserted in Daniel (Chapters 3,13, 14)

These are the Apocrypha 14 books with 3 rejected by Rome.

• Wisdom of Solomon (30 BC)
• Ecclestiasticus (Sirach) (132 BC)
• Tobit (200 BC)
• Judith (150 BC)
• 2 Esdras (100 BC) 4 Esdras in Catholic Bible. Rejected
• 1 Esdras (150BC) 3 Esdras in Catholic Bible Rejected
• 1 Maccabees (110 BC)
• 2 Maccabees (110-70 BC)
• Baruch (150-50 BC) Baruch 1-5
• Addition to Ester (140-130 BC)
• Prayer of Azariah (2nd or 1st century BC) Daniel 3:24-90 rejected
• Susanna (2nd or 1st cent BC) Daniel 13
• Bel and the Dragon (100 BC) Daniel 14
• Prayer of Manasseh (2nd or 1st century BC)

Evangelicals reject the Apocrypha

They do not claim to be inspired by God nor are they written by prophets of God (1 Mac 9:27)

They are not confirmed y supernatural acts of God (Heb 2:3-4), and they do not always tell the truth of God. In one the practice of praying for the dead is accepted. (2 Mac 12:46) and another speaks about working for salvation (Tobit 12:9). The Apocrypha was not accepted by the people of God for whom it was written. It was not accepted by Jesus, the Son of God (Lk 24:37), it was not accepted as inspired by the Apostles of God. It was not accepted by the Early Church of God and it was not a it was not written during the period of prophets of God..

The Jewish historian Josephus said, “From Artaxerxes (4th Cent B.C.) until our time everything has been recorded, but has not been deemed worthy of like credit with what preceded, because the exact succession of the prophets ceased” (Contra Apon 1.8)

The Jewish Talmud states that with the death of Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, the latter prophets, the Holy Spirit ceased out of Israel: (Tos.Sotah 13:2)

Tests of Which Books Belong in the Bible

• Was it written by a prophet of God?
• Was the writer confirmed by acts of God?
• Does the message tell the truth about God?
• Did it come with the power of God?
• Was it accepted by the people of God?
• The Apocrypha fail all these tests.