Book Review: Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament series by Nancy Guthrie
And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.—Luke 24:25-27 (ESV)
Book Information:
Author: Nancy Guthrie
Series: Seeing Jesus in the Old Testatment, 10-week Bible Studies
Book 1: The Promised One (Genesis), 288 pages, 2011
Book 2: The Lamb of God (Exodus through Deuteronomy), 272 pages, 2012
Book 3: The Son of David (history), 272 pages, 2013
Book 4: The Wisdom of God (wisdom), 272 pages, 2012
Book 5: The Word of the Lord (prophets), 272 pages, 2014
Publisher: Crossway
I first heard Nancy Guthrie speak at the CCEF 2018 conference, and I was fascinated. In my many years as a believer, I had not heard of biblical theology before. And this made my understanding of the Bible shallow.
But after I listened to Nancy share this workshop, which you can listen for yourself for free, I had to see for myself. Is this really true? And if so, how come no one ever told me this before?
I started out with Even Better Than Eden, which gave a more general treatment of biblical themes. I shared about this book in another post, so I won’t reiterate it here. I loved this book so much that I had to share it with others at my church.
After finishing this study together, a group of us wanted more. So, we began working our way through Nancy’s 5-volume Bible study series, Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament. We have completed four of them and are just getting ready to start the final book.
Each book covers one section of the Old Testament, with Genesis, the foundational book for all the others, getting its own treatment. Though it is focused on the Old Testament, one of the key features of each of the Bible study chapters are questions that show the link between Christ and the section being studied. At the end of each chapter is a box that shows how this book’s message will be fully fulfilled in Revelation.
Though these studies can be completed in 10 weeks, there are suggestions for how to turn this into a full-year 20 week study. For our group, even this was too much, so we have opted to spend one month per chapter. We thought it better to slow down to have time to soak in the ideas rather than going through it quickly.
Each chapter consists of three parts. First, there is a detailed and in-depth Bible study, which takes about 40-60 minutes to complete. You could do it in one sitting, but I usually would take a few days to think about things.
Second, there is the teaching chapter, building on the Scripture introduced in the Bible study. I love the way she opens each of these sections with a personal experience or observation in culture and ties it to the chapter’s focused book. Each thoughtful chapter took me about 40-60 minutes to read—and definitely with pen in hand!
Lastly, there are questions for discussion. Each starts with a fun opener question, then proceeds to discussion of the ideas and concepts. They end with a question for personal application and an opportunity to consider how this book fits into the Bible’s overarching Story. These help form the basis of a Bible study discussion with a group but I also found them helpful in personal reflection.
Reflective Summary:
I’ll be honest. After reading and studying the Bible, by myself and with others, I found my attitude toward reading Scripture becoming a bit stale.
It was also becoming a bit disjointed. I love to dig in deep with a passage, but I can get lost in word studies and chasing rabbit trails. I was beginning to treat the Bible as a work of literature to be dissected for class.
Even though I was trying to be accurate in my study, I was only zooming in, not zooming out. And even if I was trying to understand the passage in the context of the book, I realized I was actually not zooming out far enough.
But once I was awakened to the fact that the passage I was studying fit into not just the book’s themes but also into the theme of the entire Story of the Bible, it began to come alive again. I began to see that strange references that seemed out in left field, or even contradictory, actually now made sense if I remember the bigger picture.
As I have worked through these studies I have grown in my understanding of how God’s Word truly is inspired. While each book in the Bible is written by a human author, remembering that they all tie together in one overarching story reminded me that God is the Author behind all of them. These studies have helped me to dig deeper and appreciate the beauty and unity of Scripture from beginning to end.
As a biblical counselor, these studies have served to help me access parts of Scripture that I would not otherwise think about using. As I studied each section or book, I marveled at how they spoke into very contemporary issues because the human heart is the human heart. And God, our Creator, knows what is best for us.
I found this series to be a wonderful way to deepen my own understanding of Scripture—without having to enroll in seminary! In the past, I would avoid using Bible study guides because I found the questions lacking. After I learned how to study the Bible on my own, I quit using them.
But this one is worth it because it has explored the Bible with a larger perspective. I have grown to see God in a new light—to see His greatness more. Who else could put together such an amazing book?
Through these studies, I have come to know and understand who God is, the beauty of the Gospel, and the supremacy of Christ. God has used this series to awaken my heart as He has become greater and bigger in my understanding.
As I begin to see Him for who He is, I also see myself properly. I learn to love others as He intended. It has been a humbling journey—one that has impacted my heart and grown a love for His Word.
A Quote and a Question:
“Sometimes, when we think we’ve got Jesus all figured out, we simply can’t hear or can’t see that our understanding is distorted or diminished. And sometimes we think we have Jesus figured out when really all we’ve done is create in our own minds the Jesus we want, the Jesus we can be comfortable with. We read the Bible and take what we want, shaping ourselves a Jesus who is passionate about what we are passionate about, and skeptical about we are skeptical about, condemning what we want to condemn.”—from The Promise, chapter 1
Where is it easy for you to see Jesus in the Old Testament? Where do you struggle to see any connection?
Read Luke 24:13-35. Here, Jesus demonstrates to the confused and grieving disciples how the Old Testament has paved the way all along for His suffering (vv. 25-27). Though they were surprised and shocked, He used Scripture to challenge their small view of Him. In what ways have you also been guilty of shaping Christ to conform to your image of Him instead of letting Him define Himself?
Will you confess the ways you have formed an image of a false Christ and repent by letting Him reveal Himself to you as He really is through His Word?
