The Message of the Old Testament

In The Message of the Old Testament, Mark Dever displays God’s promises made. This outstanding book will help you enjoy and exalt the God of the Bible with a book-by-book overview of the Old Testament.

Originally delivered as sermons, this book breaks down each Old Testament book to show its major themes. Dever keeps you engaged while explaining the text, using real-life illustrations and applications. I found it thrilling to get an overview of the larger and better-known books like Genesis and Exodus. I found it helpful to read Dever’s insights on the smaller and lesser-known prophetic books. And I found it wonderful to study the poetic books like Psalms and Proverbs in this way.

The Word of God

For those who read the original publication of the book, Dever notes that there are no major changes except for a new chapter on Job, since he had the opportunity to revisit preaching an overview. As is typical of Crossway, they have made the binding of the book beautiful. My old copies were worn out, so this is a welcome republication.

My big takeaway from this book is that the entire Old Testament is the Word of God. There are no throwaway books; it is all sacred Scripture. Dever makes it clear that we have much to learn from them, and his overview sermons help us begin to scratch the surface. Still, he helps us make sense of it all—and does so with total confidence that these promises made find their fulfillment in Christ. I consider this book a modern classic that every preacher, teacher, and student of Scripture will find to be a treasure.

I received a media copy of The Message of the Old Testament (Amazon, Save 5% off your entire order at Westminster Bookstore with code DIVEINDIGDEEP) and this is my honest review. Find more of my book reviews and follow Dive In, Dig Deep on Instagram - my account dedicated to Bibles and books to see the beauty of the Bible and the role of reading in the Christian life. To read all of my book reviews and to receive all of the free eBooks I find on the web, subscribe to my free newsletter.