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As a resource for preaching, the Old Testament has been under-utilized, largely because many preachers don’t know what to do with it. There are some great stories, of course, and some helpful character studies. But overall, the Old Testament with its grand prophecy and poetry leaves many preachers at a loss. For this reason, Walter Kaiser’s The Majesty of God in the Old Testament is a welcome help.
There are other books that are just as helpful in terms of Old Testament interpretation, but Kaiser’s book as been written specifically for those who preach and teach. Each chapter focuses on a particular Old Testament text. Kaiser offers background help, exegetical comments, and a series of conclusions designed to lead to effective preaching. More than a commentary and more than a series of sermons, these chapters give the preacher enough material to work with while still allowing room for the preacher’s own initiative in terms of sermon design and delivery. I can see this as the foundation for a powerful series of ten effective sermons or Bible Studies.
The thematic foundation for the book is the majesty of God. Kaiser’s conviction is that the greatness and magnificence of God is at the core of the Old Testament message. Each of these texts offer the preacher an opportunity to expose the nature and character of God as it is seen across the panorama of the Hebrew Scriptures. The texts lay out as follows…
1. Magnifying the Incomparability of Our God (Isaiah 40:9-31)
2. Magnifying the Greatness of Our God (Daniel 4:1-37)
3. Magnifying the Word of Our God (Numbers 20:1-13)
4. Magnifying the Wonderful Name of Our God (Jeremiah 32:1-44)
5. Magnifying the Pardoning Grace of Our God (Micah 7:11-20)
6. Magnifying the Holy Spirit from Our God (Zechariah 4:1-14)
7. Magnifying the Awesome Character of Our God (Psalm 139:1-18)
8. Magnifying the Glory of Our God (Ezekiel 1:1-28)
9. Magnifying the Grace of Giving from Our God (1 Chronicles 29:6-19)
10. Magnifying the Holiness of Our God (Isaiah 6:1-13)
Of particular interest is the introduction to the book in which Kaiser speaks to some of the issues pertinent to the preaching of the Old Testament. I was interested in what he had to say about the preaching of Christ in the Old Testament. I’ll admit that I was a little surprised to see him take issue with Sidney Greidanus and his friend Bryan Chapell on the question. It’s not that Kaiser doesn’t think that Christian sermons should focus on Christ. It’s just that he is concerned that “I must not prematurely infuse New Testament values and meanings back into the Old Testament in order to sanctify it before I independently establish, on purely Old Testament grounds, the legitimate meaning of the Old Testament text (19).” Fair enough. The Old Testament is not provided simply as an illustration source for sermons from the New Testament. It stands on its own as a testimony to the power and majesty of our gracious God.
May it be preached more effectively and more often.