The Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament series is a series of Bible Studies that I am a big fan of. We took our Sunday School through the first book, The Promised One: Seeing Jesus in Genesis, a few months back and I was excited to see this new one, The Word of the Lord: Seeing Jesus in the Prophets, come about. As I read the introduction I was struck by one quote, a point that applies as much or more to me than anyone else. Being April I, of course, have abandoned my efforts to read through the entirety of the Bible, yet again. While I have no struggles with Genesis and Exodus and only relatively get bogged down in Leviticus, Numbers, and Chronicles, I am forever struggling when it comes time to study the Prophets. Guthrie was speaking of me, and maybe you, when she wrote, “Many of us would say that the Bible is the most important book in our lives, and yet there are parts of it we’ve been content to not really know about. But we want that to change.” But we want that to change! And hopefully this is a resource that will be successful in seeing this problem vanish from the lives of many.

What sets this study apart, and this series as a whole, from other Old Testament studies is the concerted effort to find Christ in the text. Guthrie does not resort to allegorizing or finding a type in every bush, but she guides the reader to every place that Christ would be found. She shows the readers predictions Jesus fulfilled, problems he solves, people in whom Jesus was prefigured, and patterns that Jesus superseded.

This is a guided tour of the Old Testament prophets with eyes set on the person and work of Christ. Guthrie guides the reader through Jonah to see “the compassion of Jesus, who ran toward those under judgment rather than away from them”; Hosea where we “see Jesus as our faithful bridegroom”; Micah where the person and work of Christ is shown in a clever, court-room scenario to be the answer to Micah’s “What does the Lord require?”; Isaiah where Christ reveals himself prophetically as suffering servant and divine king and coming conqueror; Habbakuk where Christ’s imputed righteousness is foreshadowed and shown to be needed; Jeremiah where the new covenant is promised; Daniel where the Son of Man is prophesied to be king eternal; Ezekiel where the presence of God is promised in a city called “The Lord is There”; and in Malachi as THE one who makes it possible for those who are united to him to stand when he appears.

Guthrie leads the reader through multiple reasons we struggle with the prophets and multiple reasons we would, should and could benefit greatly from and enjoy the study of the prophets. This book is set up just like the rest in the excellent series with a personal Bible study before a teaching chapter with discussion questions at the end of each teaching chapter. It is perfect for small group or personal Bible study and, after enjoying the teaching chapters, I am looking much forward to going through the Bible study sections in depth and maybe even taking a group through this wonderful resource.


I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.
( )