The Unfolding Mystery (2d. ed.): Discovering Christ in the Old Testament

It is a difficult thing for many modern Christians to even see the relevance of the Old Testament to their daily Christian life. There are a variety of reasons for this. Biblical higher criticism has rendered a lot of doubts about the veracity of the Old Testament narrative. The way, especially modern, Western individuals learn is a lot more didactic and rote learning than following a narrative. Perhaps the biggest reason why the relevance of the Old Testament is outside the scope of a lot of Christians is that they struggle to integrate what they know of Christ with many of the narrative stories of Israel and ancient near east.Edmund Clowney, a former professor and President of Westminster Theological Seminary has attempted to assist the average Christian to see the relevance and vital importance of the Old Testament in even understanding who Christ is and what he is about, and why that is relevant to the daily lives of today's Christian. In short, Clowney is attempting in this book of just less than 200 pages, to show how what is known as Covenant theology, is fleshed out in the narrative of events that took place thousands of years ago.In relatively short chapters, Clowney tells of the stories of the creation, the fall of man, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, and David. The starting off point for Clowney's narrative is that Jesus himself used these stories to tell others who he is and what he is about throughout his earthly ministry. A strength of a good theologian is his ability to take ancient stories from other places and cultures, place them in the context of what Jesus was saying about himself, and then to coherently and simply sum them up for the use and teaching of modern people. Clowney writes clearly and with a desire to not only teach knowledge, but to encourage and strengthen the faith of modern Christians in integrating what God has been saying about himself for centuries, and including today's believers as a part of that narrative.This is a fine effort at explaining what especially the Old Testament history is trying to say, and its relevance to Christian teaching, particularly through the lens of Covenant theology, though that term is never used in this book. The writing is quite well done and it is not too complex, which may be a relief for a Christian who wants to open up more of the Bible, but has not the background for that. This book is recommend, for its purposes, without any reservation.

For those who don't understand the relationship between the Old & New Testaments, Dr. Clowney's book is an excellent resource! From Genesis through the Minor Prophets he regularly connects other passages throughout Scripture, but also (and most importantly) to Christ.

Clowney attempts to show how Christ is the main theme throughout all of scripture by focusing on nine key OT episodes. For each episode, he begins with a recap of the episode, then provides OT evidence of Christ, and then moves to NT evidence to strengthen and verify his conclusion. Every chapter builds on the last, as the theme of Christ begins in Genesis and is carried on through the entire OT. Clowney also includes helpful study and application questions at the end of each chapter to facilitate discussion and lead the reader to a deeper study of the Bible.Critical AnalysisIn chapter one, Clowney explains how Adam points to Christ by showing the theme in Genesis and NT texts that make this connection explicit (Col. 1:15) (24). Clowney proves this point further by drawing the parallel to Adam’s sin and Christ perfect life, thus proving His Sonship (29). In chapter two, Clowney points out that Jesus is the promised seed of the woman in Gen 3:15 that will crush the head of the serpent. He does so by following the generations of Adam that point to a second Adam, someone to be a “blessing to all the earth as a Seed of Abraham” (44). In chapter three, Clowney shows that Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of the promise to Abraham through which God’s grace and faithfulness are exemplified. However, the connection between Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac and God’s sacrifice of Jesus is not made clear. In chapter four, the evidence that connects the narratives about Jacob to the anticipation of Christ is weak and lacking. Clowney provides strong evidence, in chapter five, for Christ being the new Moses by explaining texts like Deut. 18:18 and Luke 9:35. In chapter six, Clowney shows how the tabernacle in the OT anticipated Jesus “tabernacling” among us (Jn 1:14) by explaining different OT wilderness passages and how they anticipate Jesus. In chapter seven, Clowney points out how Christ is foreshadowed as the ultimate Deliverer in the Lord’s anointed: Joshua, Samson, the judges, Samuel, David. In chapter eight, Clowney describes how Christ is greater than David and Solomon (Mt. 12:42), by showing how Christ is the Suffering Servant, the Prince of Peace, and by showing the similarities and differences between them (172). In chapter nine, Clowney makes the connection between how God came to save Israel in Elijah’s time and how Jesus came to redeem His people in John’s time (190).

This is a pure joy to read. He illustrates how the Old Testament is as much about Christ as the New Testament is. To see this is to grasp a whole new sense of the relevance and excitement of the Scriptures.This is a real classic.My only criticism -- the chapters are long and often rambling, with little sense of an organizing principle. While every word in Clowney is golden, and his style is very lyrical and engaging, one wishes he had a better editor to organize the thoughts in chunks they would hang together. This made it difficult to adapt to an adult c.e. series, when I did that 5 years ago.BTW -- if you liked this book's Christo-centric approach, try Charlie Drew's Ancient Love Song (2001) which is better organized. For preaching see Bryan Chapell's Christ-Centered Precahing (1997).

As someone on a journey to find Christ in all of the scriptures, this book acted as a great guide. Clowney takes you through much of the Old Testament and shows how it points towards Jesus. I would recommend it to all those with preaching and teaching responsibilities in the church. I read "Preaching Christ in All of Scripture" by Clowney and was disappointed but I'm glad it didn't keep me from picking up this book. If you had a similar experience don't let it discourage you from reading "The Unfolding Mystery."

Clowney offers excellent insights from OT that demonstrate parallels to Jesus’ role in the NT. These come from stories of the OT patriarchs, kings, and prophets.

If you've struggled with Biblical Theology or following how the entire Bible is the story of Christ this is the book for you. Easy to read and truths presented in clear language.

Anyone interested in the typological connections between Old and New Testaments will find this book valuable.

Enlightening!

Good product.