You do not get very far into the New Testament before you are referred back to the Old Testament (Matt. 1:1). Who is David? Who is Abraham? What is their relationship to Jesus Christ? The phrase “son of David” is found ten times in Matthew; six times in the rest of the New Testament. Obviously, the phrase is significant for Matthew’s purpose in writing his gospel. In contrast, the phrase “son of Abraham” is found only four times in the New Testament (once in Matthew, here) and one of those refers to Christians (Gal. 3:7).
That brings us to the theological background, that is, the Old Testament background and broad theological themes. It is too easy, as we Christians read and study the New Testament, to simply look over Old Testament quotations and allusions. We might acknowledge they are such but not go into any depth in studying why the author quoted or alluded to such a passage. For the serious Bible student, such is unacceptable.
Let’s look at some examples…
PSALM 118:
Jesus sings with His disciples after the Passover (Mark 14:26). This may very well have been Psalms 115-118, which means Psalm 118 may have been the most recent thing on Jesus’ mind when He exits the upper room to be sacrificed.
All four Gospel accounts make use of this Psalm (cf. Mark 11:9-10) at the Triumphal Entry. Jesus applied the psalm to His suffering in Mark 12:10-11 (cf. Acts 4:11). Read Psalm 118 with the idea in mind that this is the song that Jesus sang the night He was crucified, the night the cross became the crown.
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Consider another example…
ROMANS 15:7-13:
Verse 9 quotes Psalm 18:49. (See also verses 3, 46). This is a messianic psalm that looks forward to the universal kingdom of the Messiah. In verse 10, Paul quotes Deuteronomy 32:43 and in verse 11, he quotes Psalm 117:1. Finally, in this short paragraph, in verse 12, Paul quotes Isaiah 11:10. What all these quotations have in common is their broad theological themes! What is that theme? God wants all people to be saved! Isn’t that relevant for us today?
It enriches our study – it will enrich your study – if you will take the time to consider the OT context of the quotations and/or allusions in the text you are studying. Then ask yourself, What is the broad theological theme? When you discover that theological theme, especially in the Old Testament, then you’ll have that passage’s (or book’s) message for you today.
–Paul Holland
