By Alec Motyer, Edited by John Stott
Ross-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus Publications, 2009.
What are Christians to think of all those wars in the Old Testament, when the New Testament teaches us that Jesus is the Prince of Peace? What are Christians to think of all the commandments in the Old Testament, when the New Testament teaches us that we are not under law but under grace? Is it possible that the God who destroyed the earth with the flood and commanded his people to annihilate the Canaanites is the same God of love presented in the New Testament? If you have wondered about any one of these questions, Rootsis the book for you.
In just under 400 pages, Alec Motyer provides readers with a solid framework within which to read the Old Testament, and then goes on to give a helpful overview of its various divisions. What Motyer intends to do is provide Christians (lay and clergy alike) with both an introduction to the Old Testament and a survey of Old Testament theology which are concise, readable, and applicable to everyday life. In this he succeeds brilliantly.
I believe what sets Motyer apart from the average Old Testament scholar is not only his long and distinguished academic career including several well-respected commentaries, but his pastoral heart. For him, the Old Testament is not a dead book existing solely for disinterested academic inquiry, but rather it is the living Word apart from which we will not be able to understand the God who came to save us through the incarnation of Jesus Christ, among other things. To help his readers toward this understanding of the Old Testament, Motyer gathers the best of scholarship, breaks it down into bite-sized pieces, mixes it with New Testament connections, heats it with prayerful theological reflection, and serves it in an attractive format that actually makes this book difficult to put down.
Throughout Roots, the reader will find gray boxes that contain valuable information on topics such as the meaning of sacrifices, chronology and key dates, revelation and inspiration, the “seventy weeks” of Daniel, and more. These boxes provide deeper insight into the Old Testament for those who are interested, but do not interrupt the flow of the book for those who want a less-complicated survey. Additionally, each section of the book ends with a list of excellent resources for those who want to go even deeper in regards to a particular theme or book of the Old Testament. Finally, Motyer includes an exhaustive scripture and subject index that make this book imminently usable for teaching preparation or even as a supplement to your personal Bible reading.
If you find yourself neglecting the Old Testament in your daily Bible reading because it seems irrelevant or too hard to understand, I invite you to pick up Roots. It will not answer all of your questions, but after reading it you will find yourself standing on a solid foundation from which you will have the freedom to explore and enjoy the Bible as Jesus knew it.
Be First to Comment