The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament

by Concordia Publishing House

The Old Testament and New Testament and inextricably intertwined, meaning that one doesn’t exist without the other. Seeing how the Old Testament prophecies come true in the New Testament is easier said than done though. Follow along in this eight-session Bible study that works through all 39 books of the Old Testament and identifies crossovers between New Testament themes and ideas.

Genres: Nonfiction, Theology, History

204 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 11, 2022

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm actually quite disappointed that Concordia House published this book. I can't imagine how it made it through any kind of serious editing or inspection. The title promises something that it simply doesn't deliver. There is no stated author for this book, only an editor on the copyright page. I find that to be interesting.

I promise I didn't venture into this book with the intent of ripping it. It was offered by my church as a group book study, and I was asked to co-lead the study. But as I started reading, I ran across problems almost immediately. On page two, it declares, "All the events in the Bible took place on this earth in historical time." I'm sorry, but Creation did not take place "on this earth in historical time." And there are events in Revelation that have not yet taken place.

The book begins with a brief summary of the life of Christ, and then heads into the beginning of the Old Testament. The format of the book is that there are question boxes throughout the text, usually after some recommended Scripture reading. The book has the editor's answers to the questions in the back. While there are places where it points out clear references to Christ in Old Testament passages, there are also many, many places where the alleged connection goes beyond reaching to pure fabrication. It also makes numerous declarations that are questionable.

I gave one example of that above, but another occurs on page 13, when it says, "When offered God's protection and forgiveness, Cain refused it and turned his back to live without God or His promised Savior." I see nowhere in Scripture that says God offered Cain forgiveness. Nor is it clear that Cain "turned his back to live without God."

On page 38, in the section on Numbers, the books says that "the people begged Moses to send spies to check out the land . . ." According to Scripture, it is God who told Moses to do that, not the people. There is a brief mention in Deuteronomy 1, when Moses says that the people asked him to do that. But in Numbers, it specifically says that God told him to do it.

I was a little bothered (and amused) by a statement on page 34 that says, "Of all the judges, Samson stands out as one of the biggest wastes in the history of God's people." Now, I'm no great fan of Samson, mind you, and am still a little resentful of being told what a hero he was, back in childhood Sunday School. But to write such an opinionated statement in a Bible Study book seems ill-advised.

The book only addresses less than a handful of the Psalms (it does cover Psalm 22, which is a great foreshadowing of Christ's crucifixion), and completely ignores Psalm 118, which speaks of the "stone that the builder rejected," and declares of the day of Jesus's crucifixion, "This is the day that the Lord has made."

It does get a bit better in the session on Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel, as there are many clear references to Christ in those "major prophets," but then goes back to some extreme reaching and stretching to make connections in the minor prophets.

Overall, this book is a huge disappointment. Again, I find it disappointing that Concordia even published it. I would not recommend this book to anyone.

[Michael Heidle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great overview of Christ in and through the Old Testament Scriptures. There were places I wished the author(s) would have gone into more depth and explanation; but it is a great overview! I especially appreciated the regular 'connections' to the life and passion of Jesus in the Gospels to indicate parallels, prophecies with fulfillment, and explanations of the connections between Christ and His life and the golden thread throughout the Old Testament that provided the setting into which Jesus came to save us! The study questions were clear and helpful.

[Paul Meier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Christ-centered overview of the Old Testament. A lot of material to pack into each session, usually had to split one lesson into two sessions. Hit the major Messianic prophecies, though sometimes some of the Bible citations seemed a bit forced to connect specifically with Jesus. If you're looking for a brief OT overview Bible study to whet a student's appetite to read more of the OT, I would strongly recommend it.

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent overview of Messianic promises and types in the Old Testament. I was hoping for a bit more depth in some books, but I found the study questions helpful for someone looking for an introduction to this topic.

[Paul]

Fantastic book. Easy to read and accessible to all. Really shows how the Old Testament and New Testament tie together.