Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament: Nancy Guthrie on Her Newest Bible Study
For some, the prospect of studying the Old Testament appears daunting and quite boring. But in recent years, theologians, pastors, and Bible teachers have for laity begun connecting Christ to the Old Testament, seeing him in everything from the Levitical laws to the laments of the Psalms. Nancy Guthrie has undertaken the task of showing how the entire Bible centers on the hope of the Messiah, currently writing five 10-week Bible studies called Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament.
An accomplished author, Guthrie attends and teaches at Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, and contributes to The Gospel Coalition. In addition to her writing, Guthrie and her husband, David, also host Respite Retreat for couples who have experienced the death of a child. She graciously spoke with Her.meneutics about her most recent study, The Wisdom of God: Seeing Jesus in the Psalms and Wisdom Books, the second in the Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament series. The study will be available from Crossway Books at the end of this month.
You are a prolific author. How did your newest Bible study series come about?
I grew up in church, worked in Christian publishing for over 20 years, and have been in Bible studies for as long as I can remember. But I began to grasp the big picture story of the Bible only a few years ago, when I became gripped by a scene described in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 24:27). It caused me to reconsider how I have understood the Old Testament for most of my life. I spent a year working through the Old Testament, which developed in me a passion to create materials for Bible study groups to understand how Jesus is pictured in its people and patterns, how he is anticipated in its celebrations and songs, and how he is the answer to all of its unanswered questions and unmet needs.
This is your second book in the series. What led you to choose the Psalms and Wisdom books for the second study?
Genesis and Psalms are favorites for small-group Bible study. The narrative story of Genesis is very different from the drama, poetry, and proverb of Wisdom Literature, so this second study reveals Christ in very different but in compelling and beautiful ways.
We tend to see the Bible's wisdom literature, especially Proverbs, as a moralistic guidebook for living. What and who influenced your understanding of all the wisdom literature as really being about Christ—the wise one?
I have discovered a number of incredible theologians and Bible teachers who have a solid grasp on biblical theology and are gospel-centered, as opposed to a mostly moralistic or doctrinal approach to the Bible. My best help on this particular book seemed to come from preachers with foreign accents, such as Graeme Goldsworthy, John Woodhouse, Liam Goligher, Andrew Jones, Christopher Ash, and Sinclair Ferguson. [Reformed blogger] Kevin DeYoung doesn't exactly have an accent like the rest, but his sermon series on Ecclesiastes was very helpful to me.
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Alice Waechter
It may take a lifetime x 6 to "get" everything there is to know about Jesus! My DearOldMom got me a Bible once, years ago, that had the words of Christ in red, and the passages of the OT referring to Him in blue. I learned a lot! And then, I taught my kids at home for a year, using a book "History of the World from a Christian Perspective", which referred to the Bible as His story, with the thread of truth that is Christ Jesus passing thru every page. I am ordering Ms. G's book.
Therese Z
"But in recent years, theologians, pastors, and Bible teachers have for laity begun connecting Christ to the Old Testament, seeing him in everything from the Levitical laws to the laments of the Psalms." Recent? Centuries of Church Fathers and theologians identifying the "types" of Jesus and the manner of His life and death in the OT? Augustine of Hippo who lived in the 400's wrote beautifully on the subject and can be read today. And he's just the earliest who is easy to find. If you want to say "a fresh look" at how Jesus is prefigured in the OT, fine. But this is hardly a new piece of knowledge
Therese Z
"But in recent years, theologians, pastors, and Bible teachers have for laity begun connecting Christ to the Old Testament, seeing him in everything from the Levitical laws to the laments of the Psalms." Recent? Centuries of Church Fathers and theologians identifying the "types" of Jesus and the manner of His life and death in the OT? Augustine of Hippo who lived in the 400's wrote beautifully on the subject and can be read today. And he's just the earliest who is easy to find. If you want to say "a fresh look" at how Jesus is prefigured in the OT, fine. But this is hardly a new piece of knowledge
Diane Stortz
Very happy to read this and learn about this series. Having been part of read-through-the-Bible groups a number of years, I understand the excitement of discovering Jesus throughout the Old Testament and what that means about our lives, but there is always more to learn. Thank you, Nancy, for this contribution.
Diane Stortz
Very happy to read this and learn about this series. Having been part of read-through-the-Bible groups a number of years, I understand the excitement of discovering Jesus throughout the Old Testament and what that means about our lives, but there is always more to learn. Thank you, Nancy, for this contribution.
Karen
One of the best Old Testament scholars out there who is very accessible for the church is Dr. Ellen F. Davis at Duke Divinity School. I highly recommend "Getting Involved with God: Rediscovering the Old Testament." She has also written and excellent commentary for lay people on Proverb, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. Plus her other work on preaching from the Old Testament, and agriculture in the Old Testament are all very useful, readable, and instructive for the Church. If you haven't read her work, you are missing out!
Aimee Byrd
Nancy, I've bought a couple of your books after listening to the interview you did over at The White Horse Inn. I love your passion for teaching Christ through all of Scriptures for women studies.I'm looking forward to this release.
abey
There is not the requirement to writing books after books to see Christ in the Old Testament.The Bible has it all, even the deceits of modern times. Does a Son or Daughter who express their love for the parents or vice versa except favors in anyway or kind in return ,meaning to Profits ? What ever is given it is GOD which gives.
paul kern
I came to faith in what has been called the Jesus Movement. I was introduced to teachings on this very subject by more than one teacher at the time. It seems we need a new move to educate believers on the whole Bible and I see this as a good start. The Reformers saw Christ in the Old Testament easily.
paul kern
I came to faith in what has been called the Jesus Movement. I was introduced to teachings on this very subject by more than one teacher at the time. It seems we need a new move to educate believers on the whole Bible and I see this as a good start. The Reformers saw Christ in the Old Testament easily.
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