“Ogres are like onions.”
Who doesn’t know where this quote is from? In 2001, Shrek taught moviegoers everywhere ogres are more than just scary monsters. They have layers.
“Layers. Onions have layers. Ogres have layers. Onions have layers. You get it? We both have layers.”
To many Christians, the Old Testament is seen as the ogre of the Bible. It’s old, violent, and full of expired laws and practices, and the struggles of a people many can’t identify with.
And so, it’s written off as nothing more than outdated stories and left alone.
But, like the ogre, the Old Testament is so much more than it first appears. It has layers.
Within the 39 books, there are layers of history, law, poetry, biographies, prophecy, and, most importantly, a testimony to be believed.
This testimony is of the one true God. It is insight into His heart, and tells the love story of a Creator and His chosen people. The Old Testament captures a God who is faithful, compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and full of love. These traits are repeated at least seven times (Exodus 34:6-7, Numbers 14:18, Nehemiah 9:17, Psalm 86:25; 103:8; 15:8, Joel 2:13, Jonah 4:2) in the Old Testament, and list examples of these qualities throughout history.
It would be a shame to leave out this great demonstration of love, and not experience the heart of God.
If only I would seek God where He was already speaking
In this month’s LifeTrac article, Planting Boiled Potatoes, Robyn Roste writes of the time she realized the Old Testament is about so much more than stubborn desert-wanderers and who-begat-who.
Read how she discovers being distracted by the details was keeping her from resting in the truth, and how she came to learn what the Old Testament is really about.
By Robyn Roste
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