Shrouded in mystery, the ways of God are stitched into stories, carried on the smoke of a burning sacrifice, and sung from the heart with both joy and tears. Through promises and prophecies, God hints at a plan that will reel in rebellion and undo death and loss — until the silence of four hundred years falls like a veil between heaven and earth. Open to the page that falls between the Testaments and ponder long, for the Old prefigures the New, and the New reveals the Old in a way that could only be true if their message and their Object were one.
Nancy Guthrie traces the point and counterpoint between the Old and New Testaments with sixty devotional readings, each one demonstrating the Old Testament origin of a single concept and then following the dotted line of Truth directly to Christ. In Seeing Jesus: Seeking and Finding Him in the Scriptures, the reader lifts off in Genesis with its plural pronouns attached to a Creator God; touches down in John’s Gospel for the unmasking of the Living Word; and then arrives at the stunning conclusion (aided by the Apostle Paul) that Origin and Object are one, for everything that the Living Word spoke into being is shot through with the ultimate purpose of glorifying God. (1-4)
Filling All Things Everywhere
It should be no surprise, then, to find the psalmist’s certainty that God would fill the hungry is echoing anew in the Gospel writers’ assurance that God the Son would fill the wine casks and the fish nets, and then, again, in the Apostle’s confidence that He would “fill all things everywhere,” and that, one day, Jesus will fill and complete His Body, the church, filling the entire universe with Himself. (153-156)
Each reading traces the actions of God — at work to show Himself powerful through his protection of and provision for a tiny nation state — and then follows the narrative arc into a larger story that becomes massively redemptive and globally significant. Old Testament promises are fulfilled in Christ only to ricochet off the hard-packed streets of first-century Jerusalem and land in the Revelation with a majestic white horse ridden by a Messiah-King in an unshakable Kingdom where He is both Temple and Lamb.
Until we have seen Jesus in both the Old and the New Testaments . . . I wonder.
Have we really seen Him at all?
//
This book was provided by Tyndale Momentum, an imprint of Tyndale House Publishers, in exchange for my review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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Happy after Easter Morin😂😂😂😂
If there be any thing as an after Easter greeting
I hope your Easter went well?
I had pleasant time with family.
I like this statement “Until we have seen Jesus in both the Old and the New Testaments . . . I wonder.”
Thanks for reviewing this book.
Hugs and blessings to you
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Good to hear from you, Ifeoma! I had a lovely break with my family, and now it’s good to be back home again.
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Great Michele, a break does the mind good!
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Thanks for this thought provoking article, Michele! I just love getting your perspective on these reads! Blessings!
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Thanks, Liz! Have a great weekend!
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I came over to say hi. I’ve been looking for our friend Joanne V. She seems to be missing in action. Do you know her whereabouts??? xo
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Has she been quiet all week? Here in the Northeast many of the schools are on break — we’re just getting back from a week away, so maybe she’s away too. I’ll be on the lookout for her!
And thanks for coming in to say hello!
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Well written review as usual! This sounds like an interesting read! Blessings to you Michele!
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Nancy Guthrie is such a good teacher!
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Dear Michele,
Welcome Back! All through your review of this wonderful sounding book, I kept being reminded of our years with a Messianic Congregation. But then your final statement confirmed even more what we had felt then:
“Until we have seen Jesus in both the Old and the New Testaments . . . I wonder.
Have we really seen Him at all?”
Having our eyes opened to see the Old Testament from a Jewish perspective suddenly caused the New Testament to make so much more sense! And the picture of who Jesus is was made more complete, when we could step back and see the roots of our Faith. Thank you for your beautiful words today! Blessings to you, and Happy Spring!
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We certainly do need the full panoramic view of our Savior. Thanks for the warm welcome, Bettie.
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I love Nancy’s concept of tracing “the point and counterpoint between the Old and New Testaments with sixty devotional readings, each one demonstrating the Old Testament origin of a single concept and then following the dotted line of Truth directly to Christ.” Should be really interesting!
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I’m still enjoying it — and reading it in the days leading up to Easter was a blessing indeed!
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I can still remember the first time I really spent time in the OT and did a “basic” study through the OT scriptures. My faith came alive! Jesus indeed. Alpha and Omega. Nancy’s book is already on my Kindle. Thanks, Michele for another great recommendation!
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I hope you’ll share your thoughts once you have the opportunity to read it! Have you checked out Nancy’s podcast? It’s called Help Me Teach the Bible. Very good!
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I have been through Nancy’s first study in the book of Genesis -“The Promised One” and it is fantastic. I am looking forward to studying more and to reading this new addition. Thanks for your review.
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So good to know! I guess I’m going to have to “test drive” one of her studies with my Sunday School class!
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OOHH DO! They are pretty hard work but so worth it!
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Finding the common themes and fulfillment of Old Testament promises in the New Testament was always a favorite teaching technique of mine, especially Moses versus Jesus (God gave the Isrealites manna, but Jesus became bread, etc.)
Thanks for sharing on #FridayFrivolity
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Thanks, Audrey!
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Michele,
Sounds like a wonderful book. I did a study on tracing Old Testament prophecy to it’s fulfillment in the New Testament. It certainly cemented my trust in God’s faithfulness to fulfill and make good on His promises.
Blessings,
Bev xx
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Sounds like a great topic. Thanks for reading, Bev. Hope that your weekend is going well.
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Hopping over from the #SITSBlogging Share Saturday and I’m so glad I did. I’ve been using a bible reading plan for the past few years that combines OT and NT reading daily and I love reading both, but this sounds like an even better way to familiarize yourself with the focus of the entirety of God’s word. Thank you for sharing!
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I’ve been reading the daily passages at the end of the day. Such good and thought provoking reading!
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Visiting from Make Your Sundays Sweet. Such a thought provoking post.
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Oh, wow! That sounds like an awesome devotional. Thank you for sharing Michele!
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Michele, This sounds like a very edifying book! I just wrote about the “seen and unseen God”, but I never thought about whether or not we have truly ‘seen Him” in the Word.
Thanks so much for always sharing reviews on such solid books!
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Thanks for always encouraging, Karen!
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This sounds like a book I’d like to read! And I echo your thoughts here – “Until we have seen Jesus in both the Old and the New Testaments . . . I wonder. Have we really seen Him at all?”
Blessings to you, Michele! I’m happy to be your neighbor this week at #InspireMeMonday.
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It’s such a lovely little book, too. It looks like leather and is good size for toting around!
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Love seeing God throughout – there is not throwing out of the old, because He transcends that!
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Yes, the Old is fulfilled in the New. The New prefigures the Old. We are schooled throughout in gospel truth.
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This looks so enlightening! I’ve recently invested in reading through the Old Testament and it is amazing how much we see Christ throughout it. Thank you for sharing these thoughts!
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I appreciated Nancy’s help in pointing out those passages that fore-shadow a Messiah. And I found that her insights gave me confidence in identifying things on my own.
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Found you at Coffee and Conversation. In my Sunday School training I was taught how to weave the Gospel into every story, new and old. This is a great help in my preparations. Thanks
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Me, too! I believe that this is SO much more effective than hanging it all off the end of a story. Especially for children. But like our lives, the gospel needs to permeate every fiber of our lives.
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Michele, could you take down the previous comment of mine. I’d prefer not to have it linked as it is with our family site. My mistake. Have to get my avatar business in order…
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OK! I learned a new “trick” in order to do that, so thank you!
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Sounds like a devotional I’d love. It always gives me a thrill when something from the Old Testament pictures or connects with something in the New Testament. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your review at Literacy Musing Mondays!
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Yes, I also love the clarity and depth that Old Testament insight gives to New Testament truth! Thanks, Brandi, for all you do!
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This sounds like a great read, Michele. I often hear people refer to the Old Testament and New Testament like they are completely different works or I hear people talk about things being “pre-grace” or “post-grace” (which is a ridiculous notion…to think there was no grace in the Old Testament). This sounds like a great resource to help understand how the two are actually parts of the same story.
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I have found the same thing to be true, Shannon. And the story is one, and it is full of grace.
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I have grown to love and appreciate and be stunned and encouraged by the connection between the Old and New Testaments throughout the past 12 years facilitating Bible study. All God’s promises are yes in Jesus! Thank you for sharing this, Michele! #Encouraging Hearts & Home Blog Hop
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Wow, what a rich gift you’ve been given! It’s such a privilege to be able to share the Word with others.
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Great review and it sounds like a great devotional.
Thanks for sharing at Over The Moon party.
Hugs,
Bev
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Michele – I was speaking at a retreat this past weekend and I am just now working on getting to my comments from last weeks #TuneInThursday Thank you so much for linking up each week. Another great book review – wow … you have some good insights 🙂
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So happy that you had an opportunity to teach! I’m sure you were a great blessing!
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This books sounds amazing! Thanks so much for sharing this at Booknificent Thursday on Mommynificent.com!
Tina
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