Interpreting the
Prophetic Books: An Exegetical Handbook by Gary V Smith
Author and scholar Gary V. Smith has given his readers a
concise, focused, and illuminating study on the prophets of the Old
Testament. With at least twelve other
books on the OT, Gary is no stranger to the questions surrounding OT prophetic
study including genre, theme, coherence, and theology. With an eye towards the genres of speech in
the prophetic oracles and key elements in helping people preach prophetic
passages, Gary leaves no stone unturned in his book, Interpreting the Prophetic
Books: An Exegetical Handbook.
In his section on the Poetry of Prophecy, Gary writes, “On
the other hand, if a prophet wanted to focus only on conveying the words of God,
a natural, more powerful, and memorable way of expressing these ideas in the
ancient Near Eastern culture was to use poetry…Poetry was richer and more
imaginative than prose and its structure and repetitions allowed for a more
persuasive force (46).” Poetry in the
prophetic literature did not just illuminate or bring more richness to God’s
words but actually was used as a driving force for change, to call people or
persuade them to see God a certain way of follow after him wholeheartedly. In Nahum 1.7-8 Gary notes that the
antithetical parallelism in the lines contrasts the goodness of the Lord with
the way he will swiftly deal with his enemies.
Both positive and negative actions are seen and the great contrast
between the two heightens our awareness of what God can do for his people.
Gary helpfully brings out the major themes in the prophetic
books from the major prophets to the twelve minor ones. On the book of Joel, he writes, “On the final
Day of the Lord, God would judge all sinful nations in the valley of decision
(3:9-16, 19), but he would bless his people (3:17-18, 20-21) (75).” The great judgement of the nations would not
come without blessing for the people who had been ransacked by locust and human
enemy. Gary points us to the final Day
of the Lord, an eschatological reminder that God will certainly mete out
judgment for the wicked and blessing for the righteous.
Lastly, Gary Smith gives us wise words when he writes about
prophecy and its conditional and unconditional nature. Concerning Jonah, Gary writes, “There was no
conditionality expressed in Jonah’s brief announcement that God was planning to
destroy the Assyrian capital of Nineveh in forty days (3:4). But in response to this threat, the king and
the people of Nineveh believing Jonah’s warning, humbled themselves, and turned
from their violent ways (3:5—9) (124-5).”
Basing this story upon the strong words of Jeremiah 18:7-10 (Scripture
interpreting scripture), Gary sees implicit conditions in prophetic passages
where even in the context of an unconditional prophetic warning there is room
for human response and human repentance.
Overall, this was a very good introduction into the
prophetic books of the Old Testament. I
hoped he would’ve spent more time in the minor prophets but I understand this
book serves as an introduction.
Thanks to Kregel Academic for the copy of this book in
exchange for an honest review.
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