Inter-Varsity Press

When Jesus walked with his confused disciples on the Emmaus road, he began with Moses and all the Prophets and explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself - and their hearts burned within them (Luke 24).

Contemporary people, too, can find their hearts burning as they hear God speak through the Old Testament texts. However, preaching from this part of the Christian Bible brings significant challenges and raises a number of issues, and hence can be neglected.

This stimulating volume offers guidance for expository preaching from the Old Testament, and practical suggestions for how to understand the message of its diverse literature and to apply it today. The chapters cover narrative, plot and characters, along with the main Old Testament genres and two special topics: preaching from 'difficult' texts, and preaching Christ.

The aim is to encourage use of all the Bible's rich resources, in the power of the Holy Spirit, in preaching the good news of the kingdom of God worldwide.

The contributors are internationally respected evangelical Old Testament scholars, from a wide range of church traditions, who are also active in preaching: Daniel I. Block, David G. Firth, Grenville J. R. Kent, Paul J. Kissling, Alison Lo, Tremper Longman III, Ernest C. Lucas, R. W. L. Moberly, Laurence A. Turner, Federico G. Villanueva, Gordon Wenham, H. G. M. Williamson and Christopher J. H. Wright.

Commendations

'There has never been a better time to preach. We have more resources available to guide our understanding of the text than any generation of preachers in human history. But sometimes it feels like we're drowning in information while starving for wisdom. This volume will help create a generation of genuinely thoughtful preachers who can teach people to love God with their minds. It can guide us to preaching that has integrity, power, and authority.' - John Ortberg

'I have found that nothing brings greater joy than preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ from the Scriptures of the Old Testament. This masterful collection of essays will help contemporary preachers understand, proclaim and apply all the genres of Old Testament literature with greater depth and clarity.' - Philip Graham Ryken, president, Wheaton College

'We are fortunate to be studying and preaching on the Old Testament at a time when critical study has produced many approaches to the Old Testament that will aid the preacher. That would have been inconceivable a few decades ago. This volume is a most useful guide to the way those approaches resource preaching on different kinds of texts in the Old Testament.' - John Goldingay, David Allan Hubbard Professor of Old Testament, Fuller Theological Seminary

'InterVarsity Press and the team of pastors and scholars who worked on Reclaiming the Old Testament are to be congratulated on producing a much-needed monograph with some very practical suggestions on how to understand the message of the Old Testament. While not every suggestion will be adopted by all, the conversation is extremely important if we are ever going to get back to teaching and preaching the full counsel of God. Laypersons will profit from reading this text as much as the clergy, for each of the chapters hits on some of the major issues of our day.' - Walter C. Kaiser Jr., President Emeritus, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

'This book offers a thorough discussion of the various tasks facing the Christian preacher in proclaiming the gospel from the pages of the Old Testament. Particularly unique among recent treatments of this sort is the fact that each of the contributors is a noted Old Testament professor, scholar and proven preacher in his or her own right. Also, each seeks to encounter the gospel not only within the New Testament but from within the Old Testament as well. The contributors are thus much more inclined to look for their answers to Old Testament problems and hermeneutical guidelines from within the Old Testament itself. Also helpful is the example sermon included with each chapter.' - John H. Sailhamer, author of The Meaning of the Pentateuch