Peter J. Gentry, How
to Read and Understand the Biblical Prophets
With our noses in the good book, we often plow through the
Bible’s pages with the same focus, reading Romans like we read Ezekiel. And yet, as Dr. Gentry so helpfully explains,
we miss the point if we read the prophets like an epistle or gospel. There is so much going on that we need to be
aware of and pay attention to. In his
new book, How to Read and Understand the Biblical Prophets, Dr. Peter J.
Gentry, author Kingdom Through Covenant helps us read the prophets well, paying
attention to the various kinds of literary forms and theological message they have
for us.
In the opening chapter, Peter alerts to the central theme
of these OT prophets, “Everything in the prophets is based upon the covenant
made between God and Israel during the exodus from Egypt, especially…as it is
found in the book of Deuteronomy.” Covenant keeping and covenant breaking is
part and parcel of the whole prophetic corpus, but this plays of particular
importance in the writing of Isaiah.
Gentry notes that often a prophet like Isaiah picks up a specific theme
and comes back to that same theme from a different perspective, in many ways
that multiple speakers blaring the same message from two different vantage
points. Though at times there might be a
slightly different pointed message the prophet has for the people, giving with
various metaphors.
One of the great things about this book is the way Gentry
digs deep down into some of the concepts of the prophets and gives us a clearer
picture. At one point, Peter writes, “We
should note in passing that the word torah is poorly translated by the English
word law…the Hebrew word tora means “direction” or “instruction” not “law”…It
is a set of instructions for living, set in the context and framework of a
covenant relationship.” There is not an
impersonal genie behind the torah given to Israel, but a steadfast loving and
merciful Father. Though we should not
forget that these instructions do come with both stipulations or obligations of
the receiving end for Israel.
Overall, this was a great book for use in future studies
of the prophets and of the overall message of the prophets. By looking at the validity of prophecy, the
way prophets demonstrated their messages by verification, and by the nature of
prophecy in its various themes, the reader of this book will come away with a
treasure trove of material in teaching.
Thanks to Crossway Books for the copy of this book in
exchange for an honest review.
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