Who would disagree with Professor David P Murray telling us in his foreword, "I expect any interpretation to start with the original context and park there for a while." Murray also looks for "...a book that follows Jesus' and His disciples' example in using the New Testament to interpret the Old." And "...the book must connect Old Testament believers with the New Testament church by demonstrating that both Old and New Testament saints were united in being saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone."? God In Our Midst maintains that faithfulness and more!Author Daniel Hyde's introduction by itself provides sufficient material to teach and preach for quite some time, pondering historical, geographical, theological, practical, literary, and Christological aspects of Exodus 15 through Exodus 40. Martin Luther insisted, "what preaches (...drives us to, moves us to) Christ" (was Christum treibet) in scripture has more value to Christians than the rest of the bible; however, despite his canon within the canon, Luther discovered and uncovered types, foreshadowings, hints, and signs of Jesus Christ in *almost* every verse of both Hebrew Bible and New Covenant scriptures. Tabernacle? From pages 3-4:
The tabernacle (Latin, tabernaculum, "tent") was the Lord's temporary dwelling place during the Israelites' forty-year wilderness wandering and their first three hundred-plus years in the land of Canaan. ... It is called "the sanctuary," "the tent of the Lord," the "tent," "the tent of the testimony," "the tent of meeting..."We recently celebrated God's incarnation in the infant Jesus at Christmas, and we're still in the liturgical season of Epiphany, so what an appropriate time to consider God's presence in the world, amongst all creation from the beginning of recorded time through this second decade of the 21st century! Καὶ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν. // The Word became flesh and pitched a tent among us. John 1:14
Timothy Braun tells us Jesus was totally into Camping
"So when they had come together, they asked him, 'Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?' He replied, 'It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'" Acts 1:6-8
We know the constant abiding presence of Jesus Christ in Word, in Sacrament, and in People who, like Jesus, pitch their tents in the world, in the power of the Spirit of Pentecost walk through the world as the presence of the crucified and risen Jesus Christ, as God In Our Midst.
Daniel Hyde is a pastor in the United Reformed Churches in North America, a conservative Reformed church body, but I cannot imagine any Christian – mainline, liberal, progressive, emerging, evangelical, Roman Catholic, orthodox... – not finding abundant treasures here. Preachers and teachers will find helpful ideas in the Appendix: Preaching the Pentateuch – Preach Expositionally [chapter by chapter; verse by verse]; Preach Plainly; Preach Christologically. There are ample endnotes and a substantial bibliography. A scripture index covers a full range of OT and NT; the extensive subject index also could be helpful in teaching and preaching.
I won't begin to enumerate any of the details that will increase your own understanding of God's self-revelation in Jesus Christ, and will increase your comprehension of almost every bit of scripture you encounter. This is a book you need to read for yourself, a book that deserves a rare 5+ stars!
my amazon review: A Rich Resource!
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