What do you think?
Rate this book
Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament #5
The Word of the Lord: Seeing Jesus in the Prophets
A lot of people want to study the Old Testament, but don't know how or don't understand why it's relevant to the Christian life. The fifth book in the Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament series is the ideal solution as it leads readers in a Christ-centered study of the Old Testament prophets. Through 10 weeks of guided study, participants will explore the sacrifice of Isaiah's suffering servant, the stubbornness of Jonah, and more. Bible teacher Nancy Guthrie shows how all of the prophets, whether chastising or comforting, point forward to Israel's final redemption and ultimate hope. The Word of the Lord helps readers see Jesus, the true and living Word of God, in the Old Testament. Also available as a pack of ten and specially discounted for Bible study groups.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2014
71 people are currently reading
333 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Guthrie
81 books571 followersNancy Guthrie teaches the Bible at her home church, Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Franklin, Tennessee, as well as at conferences around the country and internationally, including through her Biblical Theology Workshops for Women. She is the author of numerous books and the host of the Help Me Teach the Bible podcast at The Gospel Coalition. She and her husband host Respite Retreats for couples who have faced the death of child and are co-hosts of the GriefShare video series.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
September 13, 2021
Loved it. Looking forward to Nancy coming to our church next year.
January 25, 2022
Nancy Guthrie’s Bible studies are so incredibly edifying. She has unbelievable wisdom and insight. I loved seeing the echoes of Christ through the Old Testament!
April 21, 2024
Nancy Guthrie does such a great job explaining OT history and culture and how it all ties together with the NT. She is a gifted writer and I really enjoyed this study and learned so much!
May 22, 2025
Absolutely loved this series. This last one was probably my least favorite of the 5, but I still learned SO much and enjoyed it deeply!
April 2, 2021
This book was an excellent resource for my friends and I as we studied many of the OT prophets. I appreciate Nancy Guthrie’s thoughtful questions and insightful teaching chapters. I will say that the teaching videos are the written teaching chapters almost verbatim, which we did not realize before starting the study. It’s neither a positive or negative - just something we didn’t know ahead of time, so I’m sharing for others who might not be aware. One of my favorite parts was just the fact that she structured it chronologically, so I felt like I truly followed, maybe for the first time, the progression of prophecies and prophets that led into and through the Babylonian exile. It makes me excited to read again and study afresh the prophets she didn’t have space to include in the study. I look forward to studying other parts of the OT in the future using her studies!
November 6, 2023
Such a rich Bible study, highly recommended to do with a small group.
May 19, 2015
This was a very good Bible study on the prophetic books of the Old Testament. I have the same issues with this Bible study as I did with the others in the "Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament" series, so you can look at those reviews! The main issue again, is that Guthrie tried to cover too much into 10 weeks. She easily could have split the prophetic books into two Bible studies as there were several books she didn't even get to!
But, overall, I learned a lot from this study and highly recommend it.
But, overall, I learned a lot from this study and highly recommend it.
April 25, 2023
The prophetic books are not easy to understanding but in working through this book (in conjunction with Nancy’s podcast on each book) I have a much great grasp of these important books. My faith has grown and I have found encouragement for the days we are living in.
April 1, 2024
As always, Nancy’s studies in the series ‘Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament’ were so helpful for unpacking many of the Old Testament books. She does such a great job of having you work through the scripture and shares insights in the teaching chapter to help put the pieces together
March 24, 2021
Last Bible Study book in a series of five written by Nancy Guthrie! I learned a lot and would highly recommend all five of them! Thankful that my church decided to do this series! What a blessing!
November 18, 2024
Once again I found that Nancy Guthrie's Bible Study allowed me the depth I look for in a study. Her approach always provides a way to take out of it what the reader/student is willing to put into it. This is the first time I led the study without the DVD. In the past that was more of a short cut to not read the "Teaching Chapter". I also only focused on the Discussion Questions during our weekly study and left the Personal Bible Study up to the reader / student to complete. We discussed any questions there may have been in that section but did not go through it question by question. Focusing on the Discussion Questions really allowed for more in-depth discussion than rote answers.
This is the fourth we have studied in the "Seeing Jesus In the Old Testament" series.
By not covering every single Prophet she whet the appetite for those who want to study more. We chose to take Isaiah to a deeper study and will be using another author's book for that. There were several to choose from and I chose one that will actually take 18 weeks because there's so much to understand in Isaiah.
This is the fourth we have studied in the "Seeing Jesus In the Old Testament" series.
By not covering every single Prophet she whet the appetite for those who want to study more. We chose to take Isaiah to a deeper study and will be using another author's book for that. There were several to choose from and I chose one that will actually take 18 weeks because there's so much to understand in Isaiah.
October 4, 2014
Title: The Word of the Lord: Seeing Jesus in the Prophets
Author: Nancie Guthrie
Publisher: Crossway
Year: 2014
Pages: 272
Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament
[Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book (e-book) via Crossway Publishers online. I was not required to write a positive review and I was not compensated in any way.]
Back in 2010 the publishers of Modern Reformation magazine decided to devote an entire magnanimous year to Scripture. Eric Landry wrote in an editorial, "The theme for this year was born out of the conviction that we all need to recover Scripture: in our churches, in our devotional lives, as the source of our theology, and as the living voice of God today" (MR, Jan/Feb 2010).
I actually happen to agree with Landry even if there are a plethora of points at which we might disagree concerning just how such a task might come about in our time. His thought reminds me of a young kind just ascended to the throne of Judah who wanted to make things right in the land. So he started with temple repairs when he was in the 18th year of his reign. Yet it was something else that ended up being the catalyst for renewal he was looking for. While the workers were working the high priest, Hilkiah, said, "I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord." Well, to be sure, it's not like the Book of the Law had ever been far from anyone, let alone the priest. And it has always struck me as odd that the book was 'found' just around the time the king asked for repairs to the temple, but that's another story.
My point is that here in America, not one of us is far from the Word of God and yet I suspect that most of us are a couple of miles away. Yet here we are in a land where more Bibles are sold on a yearly basis than we can scarcely imagine--and the publishing houses reap a windfall in Bible sales. Really it's a shame, but I suppose it is what it is.
This is all so much segue into my thoughts on Nancy Guthrie's book The Word of the Lord: Seeing Jesus in the Prophets. What disturbs me about many of the books I read and review from Christian publishers is that the books typically claim to be about the Bible and then it turns out that the Bible is merely pepper on the pages, if we are lucky. What I like about Guthrie's book is that it is Scripture--front to back. She really digs deep and I appreciated it. She leaves no stone unturned and tackles hard questions that the prophets raise for readers.
This is not to say that I find perfect doctrine on every page nor is it to say that I particularly agree with every point she happens to make. There are times when I found the writing to be a little on the self-centered-American side. There are times when I found that she had a broader, more comprehensive swath of the church in mind. There were times when she fell into cliche and other times when she was downright prophetic like when she wrote this about God's word to a powerful king from Babylon: "He put impressive power and progress into perspective for us. The final word of history does not lie with a new and improved version of man or anything he has made or accomplished. Rather, it lies with something radical: a rock not hewn by human hands. This stone is going to put an end to Babylon and all successive powers, while establishing a kingdom that will fill the whole earth and never be destroyed" (158, NOOK version).
Those could very well be the best words in the book, the most powerful words in the book. I think that this is when Guthrie is at her best in this book: when she is writing as the prophets she is reading. I think she is at her worst when she is trying to persuade us of a theological system and this is, frankly, because the Scripture itself is not trying to persuade us of a particular theological formulation. It's trying to persuade us of what she wrote on page 158: The final word of history does not lie with a new and improved version of man or anything he has made or accomplished. I hear echoes of CS Lewis in this and I'm glad I here them: "For mere improvement is no redemption, though redemption always improves people even here and now and will, in the end, improve them to a degree we cannot yet imagine. God became man to turn creatures into sons: not simply to produce better men of the old kind but to produce a new kind of man" (Mere Christianity, 182).
And this we learn about in the Scripture: that it is God's work, in and through the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, that makes new people. In my opinion, Guthrie does a beautiful task of drawing our attention to this Jesus as he appears in the prophets of the Old Testament.
All in all, I like this book very much. I don't think this is the sort of book one sits down and reads straight through--as I did for review purposes. I think this is a book that one must take their time reading: slowly, quietly, and thoughtfully. I do believe, however, that if one reads this book in such a way they will be blessed by the richness of God's Word and the depths to which Guthrie has mined it.
So much Bible prophecy is misunderstood because it is read under the covers with only a quick peek every now and again to see if God is watching. Or, worse, they are read by folks looking for clues about the future and all such 'end of the world' type stuff. But there is a passage in Luke's Gospel, near the end, which gives us an insight into a better way of reading the prophets: "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, Jesus explained to them what was said in all Scriptures concerning himself" (Luke 24:27; see also 24:44 and Acts 8). Here is the key to interpreting all prophetic utterance: it points to Jesus. I think Guthrie gets it right in this book. Again, we may quibble about specific points, but by and large, she gets it; she nails it; she reads the prophets as they are meant to be read.
I think Eric Landry was on to something 4 or so years ago when he suggested we needed to recover the Word of God. We need each and every person who calls on the name of the Lord to start taking the Scripture a little more seriously. Turn off the TV preachers. Turn off the TV 'prophets'. Throw away the worthless books about Me. And just start reading the Bible again. Like Josiah did. Like Nancy Guthrie did.
You will like this book.
5/5 Stars
Author: Nancie Guthrie
Publisher: Crossway
Year: 2014
Pages: 272
Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament
[Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book (e-book) via Crossway Publishers online. I was not required to write a positive review and I was not compensated in any way.]
Back in 2010 the publishers of Modern Reformation magazine decided to devote an entire magnanimous year to Scripture. Eric Landry wrote in an editorial, "The theme for this year was born out of the conviction that we all need to recover Scripture: in our churches, in our devotional lives, as the source of our theology, and as the living voice of God today" (MR, Jan/Feb 2010).
I actually happen to agree with Landry even if there are a plethora of points at which we might disagree concerning just how such a task might come about in our time. His thought reminds me of a young kind just ascended to the throne of Judah who wanted to make things right in the land. So he started with temple repairs when he was in the 18th year of his reign. Yet it was something else that ended up being the catalyst for renewal he was looking for. While the workers were working the high priest, Hilkiah, said, "I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord." Well, to be sure, it's not like the Book of the Law had ever been far from anyone, let alone the priest. And it has always struck me as odd that the book was 'found' just around the time the king asked for repairs to the temple, but that's another story.
My point is that here in America, not one of us is far from the Word of God and yet I suspect that most of us are a couple of miles away. Yet here we are in a land where more Bibles are sold on a yearly basis than we can scarcely imagine--and the publishing houses reap a windfall in Bible sales. Really it's a shame, but I suppose it is what it is.
This is all so much segue into my thoughts on Nancy Guthrie's book The Word of the Lord: Seeing Jesus in the Prophets. What disturbs me about many of the books I read and review from Christian publishers is that the books typically claim to be about the Bible and then it turns out that the Bible is merely pepper on the pages, if we are lucky. What I like about Guthrie's book is that it is Scripture--front to back. She really digs deep and I appreciated it. She leaves no stone unturned and tackles hard questions that the prophets raise for readers.
This is not to say that I find perfect doctrine on every page nor is it to say that I particularly agree with every point she happens to make. There are times when I found the writing to be a little on the self-centered-American side. There are times when I found that she had a broader, more comprehensive swath of the church in mind. There were times when she fell into cliche and other times when she was downright prophetic like when she wrote this about God's word to a powerful king from Babylon: "He put impressive power and progress into perspective for us. The final word of history does not lie with a new and improved version of man or anything he has made or accomplished. Rather, it lies with something radical: a rock not hewn by human hands. This stone is going to put an end to Babylon and all successive powers, while establishing a kingdom that will fill the whole earth and never be destroyed" (158, NOOK version).
Those could very well be the best words in the book, the most powerful words in the book. I think that this is when Guthrie is at her best in this book: when she is writing as the prophets she is reading. I think she is at her worst when she is trying to persuade us of a theological system and this is, frankly, because the Scripture itself is not trying to persuade us of a particular theological formulation. It's trying to persuade us of what she wrote on page 158: The final word of history does not lie with a new and improved version of man or anything he has made or accomplished. I hear echoes of CS Lewis in this and I'm glad I here them: "For mere improvement is no redemption, though redemption always improves people even here and now and will, in the end, improve them to a degree we cannot yet imagine. God became man to turn creatures into sons: not simply to produce better men of the old kind but to produce a new kind of man" (Mere Christianity, 182).
And this we learn about in the Scripture: that it is God's work, in and through the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, that makes new people. In my opinion, Guthrie does a beautiful task of drawing our attention to this Jesus as he appears in the prophets of the Old Testament.
All in all, I like this book very much. I don't think this is the sort of book one sits down and reads straight through--as I did for review purposes. I think this is a book that one must take their time reading: slowly, quietly, and thoughtfully. I do believe, however, that if one reads this book in such a way they will be blessed by the richness of God's Word and the depths to which Guthrie has mined it.
So much Bible prophecy is misunderstood because it is read under the covers with only a quick peek every now and again to see if God is watching. Or, worse, they are read by folks looking for clues about the future and all such 'end of the world' type stuff. But there is a passage in Luke's Gospel, near the end, which gives us an insight into a better way of reading the prophets: "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, Jesus explained to them what was said in all Scriptures concerning himself" (Luke 24:27; see also 24:44 and Acts 8). Here is the key to interpreting all prophetic utterance: it points to Jesus. I think Guthrie gets it right in this book. Again, we may quibble about specific points, but by and large, she gets it; she nails it; she reads the prophets as they are meant to be read.
I think Eric Landry was on to something 4 or so years ago when he suggested we needed to recover the Word of God. We need each and every person who calls on the name of the Lord to start taking the Scripture a little more seriously. Turn off the TV preachers. Turn off the TV 'prophets'. Throw away the worthless books about Me. And just start reading the Bible again. Like Josiah did. Like Nancy Guthrie did.
You will like this book.
5/5 Stars
December 4, 2023
This, the fifth volume of the "Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament" series, marks a closure for our women's Bible study group. This amazing journey has taken us five years and I believe we would all agree that our minds have been renewed and our lives transformed as we have been made to better understand the narrative of the entire Bible which all points to the redeeming work of Christ.
The books of the Old Testament prophets have been intimating to me, and honestly I just have not had the confidence to try to understand them. Of course this is just a ten lesson study, so we were not able to dig deeply but Nancy Guthrie does a remarkable job of giving her readers and students a beautiful overview as she helps untangle our wrong thinking. She links each book together with ever unfolding themes. On completion, one is left with a better grasp of the genre of prophetic literature and how God uses it to tell His redemptive plan.
The books of the Old Testament prophets have been intimating to me, and honestly I just have not had the confidence to try to understand them. Of course this is just a ten lesson study, so we were not able to dig deeply but Nancy Guthrie does a remarkable job of giving her readers and students a beautiful overview as she helps untangle our wrong thinking. She links each book together with ever unfolding themes. On completion, one is left with a better grasp of the genre of prophetic literature and how God uses it to tell His redemptive plan.
July 16, 2025
Nancy walks you through the prophets of the Old Testament helping you to understand the timelines, locations, history, and their purpose in advising Kings. Admittedly, she confesses that the Bible prophets are very difficult to understand. Some are written in narrative form, while others might be sermons, poems, or even visions. This study was excellent and helped me gain more understanding of the Old Testament and how it relates to the prophecy of Jesus. Nancy points out that we struggle with the same sins they struggled with: "idolatry, disregard for God's law, empty religiosity, being in love with the world, hard-heartedness, greed, lack of concern for the poor, and lack of being in a covenant community." This study is very applicable to how we live today.
November 11, 2024
Our Women’s Bible Study has complete all five books in the series “Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament.” Nancy’s theological training and understanding bring deep truths to light and you can be confident in her faithfully handling the Word. Biblical Theology helps one trace God’s one story that begins in Genesis 3 and ends in Revelation—that of preparation for the at the right time sending Jesus to save His people. This study, in fact this whole series, will encourage you, warm your heart and educate your mind, so that you will glorify God and enjoy Him forever. (The book includes the transcript of her videos.)
November 27, 2023
Nancy Guthrie helped me understand the prophets and how their books fit into the grand story of Christ's redemption plan that threads throughout the old and New Testaments! She helps the reader see where each prophet fits (in chronological order) in ancient biblical history. This is not an easy read, but the challenge is well worth it!
August 27, 2017
This whole series of books was very good. I would have given it five stars except there were a lot of typos in the book. In some cases a Bible passage to look up did not related to the topic. But overall it was good. I would recommend it.
August 30, 2021
I learned so much from this Bible study. Each week is an overview of a different minor or major prophet. There is a personal Bible study section, a teaching section (essentially a commentary), and group discussion questions. I loved this one!
September 28, 2023
I always enjoy Nancy Guthrie. I like the concept of a book on seeing Jesus in the prophets, but weeks where we read major prophets felt rushed. I definitely prefer reading a book of the Bible from start to finish without feeling like I'm having to hop around.
November 15, 2024
This 10 week study helped me take a fresh look at how the prophets point to Jesus. The videos that go with the study helped the Biblical information sink into my understanding and will continue to inspire my in the future.
November 14, 2018
I really loved the last question! What a great way to end this book and study!
January 22, 2019
Excellent study! I learned so much, and I will definitely use other studies by Guthrie. She is an excellent theologian and expositor of the Word
November 18, 2023
Nancy Guthrie consistently makes difficult scripture passages clear and applicable, and points to Christ in all of the Bible.
December 20, 2023
So solid and encouraging
August 23, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
My only complaint is that some of the major prophets could have used more than a week to go through because those chapters felt a little rushed, but overall I really enjoyed this study!
My only complaint is that some of the major prophets could have used more than a week to go through because those chapters felt a little rushed, but overall I really enjoyed this study!
August 19, 2020
Great teaching that explains themes of the books and always connects it to Jesus. I found the homework and discussion questions to be just okay. Maybe if the homework questions included more reflection/application questions rather than only putting them in the discussion section.
July 19, 2016
This has be one of the best book I’ve read for quite some time. Although the Prophets may take up an substantial portion of the Old Testament, they are often neglected. Many reasons can be attributed to this, first we don’t hear much preaching on them, second, we often don’t really understand the prophets even if we tried to study them. Too often, we’ll just give up thinking it’ll be a futile attempt.
This is where the “The Word of the Lord” comes in. Not only will it help us see the importance of getting us to read and study the Prophets, it also tells us how each of them ultimately point us to Christ.
Nancy first introduces us to the world of the Prophets, one of the reason why we find it so difficult to understand the Prophets is because we do not really know the context of these prophesies. Who are the prophets prophesying to? When they are prophesying? Is it before or after the destruction of Israel/Judah? Is it during the exile? Or is it after they returned from exile? Next, our unfamiliarity with the geography often hinder us from “catching” what would be obvious to the original audiences.
Each of the prophets would then be studied in the following format, “Personal Bible Study, Teaching Chapter, Looking Forward and lastly, Discussion Guide”
In the Personal Bible Study, Nancy slowly brings us to study each of the 9 prophets with some guidance questions. These help us to get a feel of the text itself, we are made to discover each of the prophets, letting us see from the text what the book is about. Often we are led to see that Christ is already present in the prophets, we just need a push in the right direction.
Next comes the Teaching Chapter, this I feel was the gold mine of the book. Nancy is able to do good exegesis, always pointing out what the text is saying and what it meant. Not only so, each and every chapter is immediately applicable for us in our current context. Although they might be written thousands of years ago, they are still relevant to us today. The same struggle they had, is the same struggles we have to deal with everyday.
In Looking Forward, we are made to see how the prophets (often) in their failures points us repeated to the ultimate Prophet - Christ himself. Please do not be mistaken, this is not the only portion that shows us how Christ can be seen in the Prophets, Nancy has sprinkled these like gold nuggets within the teaching chapter itself also. As you read, you will find yourself nodding and wondering why how you managed not to see Christ while reading the prophets.
In the Discussion Guide, Nancy sums up what was learn and often also hits home with simple application points that is equally useful for individuals or groups using the book to study the Prophets.
The book is highly recommend for every christian, especially for preachers. This book would really help preachers see how they can preach the text faithfully, with a Christ-centered focus and also have practical day to day application of the text in the believer’s life. Rarely have this been done, but this is a great place to start.
There was only 2 drawbacks for this book. First, not all the Prophets are covered, hopefully one more volume would be published to cover the remaining prophets. Second, this book really helps us have a “Big-picture” view of the 9 prophets, and this book IS the place to start for the preacher. But for the preacher who intends to preach through the whole book, you will have to refer other the other materials reference within the book itself. Notwithstanding these 2 minor points, this is still a really excellent book that deserves to be widely read and I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
As you read this book you will, like the disciples on the Emmaus road feel your heart burning within you while you see the Scriptures opened up (Luke 24:13-32).
Lastly, this is my sentence summary for the nine prophets mentioned in this book.
Jonah - Dealing with those who have no mercy
Hosea - Dealing with the unfaithful wife
Micah - Dealing with the one who trumps the poor
Isaiah - Dealing with unholy people
Habbauk - Dealing with self-righteous people
Jeremiah - Dealing with sinful hearts
Daniel - Living as strangers in another land
Ezekiel - Waiting for the better temple
Malachi - Dealing with a people dull with God
Rating: 5/5
This is where the “The Word of the Lord” comes in. Not only will it help us see the importance of getting us to read and study the Prophets, it also tells us how each of them ultimately point us to Christ.
Nancy first introduces us to the world of the Prophets, one of the reason why we find it so difficult to understand the Prophets is because we do not really know the context of these prophesies. Who are the prophets prophesying to? When they are prophesying? Is it before or after the destruction of Israel/Judah? Is it during the exile? Or is it after they returned from exile? Next, our unfamiliarity with the geography often hinder us from “catching” what would be obvious to the original audiences.
Each of the prophets would then be studied in the following format, “Personal Bible Study, Teaching Chapter, Looking Forward and lastly, Discussion Guide”
In the Personal Bible Study, Nancy slowly brings us to study each of the 9 prophets with some guidance questions. These help us to get a feel of the text itself, we are made to discover each of the prophets, letting us see from the text what the book is about. Often we are led to see that Christ is already present in the prophets, we just need a push in the right direction.
Next comes the Teaching Chapter, this I feel was the gold mine of the book. Nancy is able to do good exegesis, always pointing out what the text is saying and what it meant. Not only so, each and every chapter is immediately applicable for us in our current context. Although they might be written thousands of years ago, they are still relevant to us today. The same struggle they had, is the same struggles we have to deal with everyday.
In Looking Forward, we are made to see how the prophets (often) in their failures points us repeated to the ultimate Prophet - Christ himself. Please do not be mistaken, this is not the only portion that shows us how Christ can be seen in the Prophets, Nancy has sprinkled these like gold nuggets within the teaching chapter itself also. As you read, you will find yourself nodding and wondering why how you managed not to see Christ while reading the prophets.
In the Discussion Guide, Nancy sums up what was learn and often also hits home with simple application points that is equally useful for individuals or groups using the book to study the Prophets.
The book is highly recommend for every christian, especially for preachers. This book would really help preachers see how they can preach the text faithfully, with a Christ-centered focus and also have practical day to day application of the text in the believer’s life. Rarely have this been done, but this is a great place to start.
There was only 2 drawbacks for this book. First, not all the Prophets are covered, hopefully one more volume would be published to cover the remaining prophets. Second, this book really helps us have a “Big-picture” view of the 9 prophets, and this book IS the place to start for the preacher. But for the preacher who intends to preach through the whole book, you will have to refer other the other materials reference within the book itself. Notwithstanding these 2 minor points, this is still a really excellent book that deserves to be widely read and I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
As you read this book you will, like the disciples on the Emmaus road feel your heart burning within you while you see the Scriptures opened up (Luke 24:13-32).
Lastly, this is my sentence summary for the nine prophets mentioned in this book.
Jonah - Dealing with those who have no mercy
Hosea - Dealing with the unfaithful wife
Micah - Dealing with the one who trumps the poor
Isaiah - Dealing with unholy people
Habbauk - Dealing with self-righteous people
Jeremiah - Dealing with sinful hearts
Daniel - Living as strangers in another land
Ezekiel - Waiting for the better temple
Malachi - Dealing with a people dull with God
Rating: 5/5
April 29, 2014
Many people avoid the Old Testament prophets because they can’t relate to them or find them strange. But author and Bible teacher Nancy Guthrie says in her new book, The Word of the Lord: Seeing Jesus in the Prophets, that “the whole Scripture is ‘breathed out by God’” and we shouldn’t leave out the prophets just because they might be difficult.
In The Word of the Lord: Seeing Jesus in the Prophets, Guthrie leads readers through a ten-week Bible study focusing on the Old Testament books of Jonah, Hosea, Micah, Isaiah, Habakkuk, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, and Malachi. Each week’s study includes personal Bible study, a teaching chapter, and a discussion guide for small groups. Additionally, each week’s study ends with a special section Guthrie titled, “Looking Forward” which helps readers see how what they studied offers insight into what they can look forward to when Christ returns. (Readers will be glad to know that teaching videos are available for purchase separately.)
In the introduction Guthrie helps readers understand Old Testament prophetic literature. She points to the many references throughout the Old Testament Prophets when “the word of the Lord came” to a prophet, and she defines prophets as men “called by God to be spokesmen for God.” Guthrie goes on to help readers overcome some difficulties to reading the Old Testament and understand why reading the prophetic books is important.
In The Word of the Lord: Seeing Jesus in the Prophets, Guthrie provides readers with a biblically sound Bible study. She includes challenging questions that stretch readers and make them dig deeper into God’s Word. Obviously one of her goals is to get readers to study the Old Testament Prophets themselves and not simply spoon feed them. I appreciate that, because we live in a generation that seems to be biblically illiterate. The only way to remedy that is to learn to study the Bible for ourselves and put in the hard work it takes. Guthrie certainly helps readers to do that. I also appreciated the fact that Guthrie focuses on Jesus throughout the book. As New Testament believers, we do interpret the Old Testament in light of Jesus, and she gives readers a great example of how to do that.
Additionally, Guthrie’s teaching chapters are biblically sound, and she helps readers see things they might not have noticed before. She brings fresh insights straight from God’s Word, staying away from her own ideas and opinions. Finally, I find the discussion questions at the end of each chapter to be ideal for getting discussions started and encouraging readers to interact with the biblical text while interacting with other Bible students. God designed us to live in community and the discussion guides help make the most of that time together in small groups.
The Word of the Lord: Seeing Jesus in the Prophets is part of the series, “Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament” which also includes:
The Promised One: Seeing Jesus in Genesis
The Lamb of God: Seeing Jesus in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy
The Son of David: Seeing Jesus in the Historical Books
The Wisdom of God: Seeing Jesus in the Psalms and Wisdom Books.
A free leader’s guide is available for download at: http://www.SeeingJesusintheOldTestame....
About the Author
Nancy Guthrie teaches the Bible at conferences around the country and is currently pursuing graduate studies at Covenant Theological Seminary. She and her husband, David, are the co-hosts of the GriefShare video series used in more than 8,500 churches nationwide and they also host Respite Retreats for couples who have experienced the death of a child. Guthrie is the author of numerous books including Holding on to Hope and Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow, and is currently working on the five-book Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament Bible study series.
* Note: I received a copy of the book from the publisher for this review. However, the opinions expressed are my own.
In The Word of the Lord: Seeing Jesus in the Prophets, Guthrie leads readers through a ten-week Bible study focusing on the Old Testament books of Jonah, Hosea, Micah, Isaiah, Habakkuk, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, and Malachi. Each week’s study includes personal Bible study, a teaching chapter, and a discussion guide for small groups. Additionally, each week’s study ends with a special section Guthrie titled, “Looking Forward” which helps readers see how what they studied offers insight into what they can look forward to when Christ returns. (Readers will be glad to know that teaching videos are available for purchase separately.)
In the introduction Guthrie helps readers understand Old Testament prophetic literature. She points to the many references throughout the Old Testament Prophets when “the word of the Lord came” to a prophet, and she defines prophets as men “called by God to be spokesmen for God.” Guthrie goes on to help readers overcome some difficulties to reading the Old Testament and understand why reading the prophetic books is important.
In The Word of the Lord: Seeing Jesus in the Prophets, Guthrie provides readers with a biblically sound Bible study. She includes challenging questions that stretch readers and make them dig deeper into God’s Word. Obviously one of her goals is to get readers to study the Old Testament Prophets themselves and not simply spoon feed them. I appreciate that, because we live in a generation that seems to be biblically illiterate. The only way to remedy that is to learn to study the Bible for ourselves and put in the hard work it takes. Guthrie certainly helps readers to do that. I also appreciated the fact that Guthrie focuses on Jesus throughout the book. As New Testament believers, we do interpret the Old Testament in light of Jesus, and she gives readers a great example of how to do that.
Additionally, Guthrie’s teaching chapters are biblically sound, and she helps readers see things they might not have noticed before. She brings fresh insights straight from God’s Word, staying away from her own ideas and opinions. Finally, I find the discussion questions at the end of each chapter to be ideal for getting discussions started and encouraging readers to interact with the biblical text while interacting with other Bible students. God designed us to live in community and the discussion guides help make the most of that time together in small groups.
The Word of the Lord: Seeing Jesus in the Prophets is part of the series, “Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament” which also includes:
The Promised One: Seeing Jesus in Genesis
The Lamb of God: Seeing Jesus in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy
The Son of David: Seeing Jesus in the Historical Books
The Wisdom of God: Seeing Jesus in the Psalms and Wisdom Books.
A free leader’s guide is available for download at: http://www.SeeingJesusintheOldTestame....
About the Author
Nancy Guthrie teaches the Bible at conferences around the country and is currently pursuing graduate studies at Covenant Theological Seminary. She and her husband, David, are the co-hosts of the GriefShare video series used in more than 8,500 churches nationwide and they also host Respite Retreats for couples who have experienced the death of a child. Guthrie is the author of numerous books including Holding on to Hope and Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow, and is currently working on the five-book Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament Bible study series.
* Note: I received a copy of the book from the publisher for this review. However, the opinions expressed are my own.
November 12, 2014
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.
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.
October 7, 2015
The Word of the Lord
Seeing Jesus in the Prophets
by Nancy Guthrie
Crossway
Christian
Pub Date May 31, 2014
The Word of the Lord by Nancy Guthrie talks about the prophets and the prophetic books of the Bible. In this book Nancy Guthrie reminds us that we are indeed subject to God's judgement. We are reminded that in the prophetic books we will see predictions that Christ fulfilled.
The Word of the Lord by Nancy Guthrie offers a ten week Bible Study on ten prophetic books of the Bible, this book would be a great addition to a group Bible study on the prophets and the prophetic books of the Old Testament. Each week covers one of ten prophetic books and is eager to follow.
I give this book five out of five stars.
Happy Reading
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews