HONEY FROM THE ROCK
Deuteronomy for the People of God
By James Robson
Apollos IVP. 234 pages. £14.99
ISBN 978 1 844 746 255
This is a book about Deuteronomy, not a commentary. That’s what makes it so useful. It would be helpful to anyone preparing a series of sermons or small group studies on Deuteronomy.
Particularly useful aspects include the way the book is placed in its context, both in Israel’s story and in God’s greater redemption plans. There’s a parallel between the closure of the Pentateuch as the people are poised to enter the Land, anticipating the fulfilment of the promise, and the starting point of the New Testament with the arrival of Christ. I also appreciated Robson’s handling of the place and relevance of the Law. He emphasises that ‘redemption precedes obligation as much in the Old Testament as in the New. It is a profound misunderstanding of the Old Testament to think otherwise.’
Against negative view of the Law
He deals effectively with the negative view of the Law that many Christians profess or unwittingly assume. This issue seems to be growing in topical relevance with the rise of antinomianism among some evangelicals. On the other hand, he honestly faces up to the difficult challenges for the Christian reader of the Old Testament Law (on slavery and the position of women, for instance) and has genuinely helpful things to say.
My one quibble (perhaps I mean it more strongly than that) is that there isn’t quite enough of Christ. Thus, while the author rightly makes ‘read... through the lenses of what God has done in Jesus Christ’ one of his principles for applying the Law today, this doesn’t quite work through into his closing suggestions for preaching the book. I wanted a bit more gospel there. That said, I’d gladly recommend this book to preachers or home-group leaders, or to anyone who wants a good handle on such a key building block of our Scriptures.
