The scriptures provide us patience and comfort through the troubles and trials of life. When it talks about things being written afore time, it is talking about the examples given to us in the Old Testament.

Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Patience and Comfort

The scriptures provide us patience and comfort through the troubles and trials of life.  When it talks about things being written afore time, it is talking about the examples given to us in the Old Testament.  We need to learn from those examples of how to have patience and make it through life.  As you read through the Old Testament, there is likely an example that deals with almost any problem you might encounter in this life.  As we see the Old Testament saints make it through and pass on to glory, that provides comfort.  We see that they made it, so we know that we can make it too.

Written for Our Learning

We are to learn from the examples of the Old Testament.  We learn from the mistakes of David of how to get right when we sin.  We learn from Abraham of how to live by faith and then get right when we have our wife lie for us to save our own neck.  We learn from Boaz how to have grace on a Moabite girl and then be blessed of God.  We learn from Noah about patience as he builds an ark for 125 years when the whole world is against him.  The Old Testament saints went through all kinds of trials and troubles.  They made it to the other side.  They went through the humiliation of having all their mistakes recorded for all time and eternity in the Word of God.  We better learn from them.  They paid a great price for us by being an illustration for us of how to live and make it to heaven.

Photo by -Jeffrey-