The Old Testament can be difficult to understand and is often neglected today.
We may find it confusing, harsh, full of rules, laws and prophecies, strange events or just plain difficult to navigate. We want to get on to the good stuff in the New Testament! But Jesus himself stressed the importance of the Old Testament–and it is in studying the Old Testament that we understand his person and work more fully.
The entire Bible is God’s message about his Son, our Saviour–the whole Bible finds meaning in him. If we are to be gripped by the unfolding historical drama of the Old Testament, thrilled by the evidences of the providence and purpose of God or enthralled by the developing picture of the promised Messiah, we need to first understand the flow of Old Testament narrative and how it fits into God’s redemptive purposes. Author Gareth Crossley encourages the people of God with an Old Testament survey that focuses on this thread. The patriarchs, the nation of Israel, the kings and prophets, the widow and the poor, all have great purposes in God’s unfolding plan of salvation.
In its history, poetry and prophecies, the Old Testament is a glorious message of hope–of looking forward, of seeing God move in both ordinary and miraculous ways as he shows himself to be a gracious and promise-keeping God–and whose Son comes to bring salvation to sinners everywhere and in every age!
What a welcome survey and overview of the Old Testament! Written to encourage reading of an often overlooked part of Scripture, Dr. Crossley provides an orderly, systematic, clear view of each book, using tables, figures and maps to guide the reader. The Glory of Christ in the Old Testament should prove helpful to lay readers as well as to church leaders in their preparation for teaching and preaching. May it receive wide circulation around the world.–Dr. Paul Engle (USA), professor, pastor, author
