The Prophet and His Message: Reading Old Testament Prophecy Today

Rating:
Summary: Liveable-at-Last
Review: I"ll start with a quote from Lasor,Hubbard & Bush, Old Teatament Survey. "...But we do not gain what Isaiah has to give by being enlightened spectators.We want with believers through the ages to become paticipants in the vision,players in the drama of hope and salvation, worshippers of the One whose glory fills the whole earth" Certainly this is what Dr. Williams accomplishes in this book. Not only is it exegetically sound. it is from the heart and compels us to look deeply with careful eyes at the whole Prophet,for therein lies the key, total immersion and nothing short. Very exciting, how have we missed this I kept saying to myself. " ...Understanding the prophetic pattern behind Israel's life as a nation will enable us intellegently,carefully, and legitmately to apply that pattern to the church today as we seek our own engagement with an often hostile culture." from pg 108 Gems for those who have eyes to see, buy two and give one to your pastor. Thank You Michael J. Williams.

Rating:
Summary: Liveable-at-Last
Review: I"ll start with a quote from Lasor,Hubbard & Bush, Old Teatament Survey. "...But we do not gain what Isaiah has to give by being enlightened spectators.We want with believers through the ages to become paticipants in the vision,players in the drama of hope and salvation, worshippers of the One whose glory fills the whole earth" Certainly this is what Dr. Williams accomplishes in this book. Not only is it exegetically sound. it is from the heart and compels us to look deeply with careful eyes at the whole Prophet,for therein lies the key, total immersion and nothing short. Very exciting, how have we missed this I kept saying to myself. " ...Understanding the prophetic pattern behind Israel's life as a nation will enable us intellegently,carefully, and legitmately to apply that pattern to the church today as we seek our own engagement with an often hostile culture." from pg 108 Gems for those who have eyes to see, buy two and give one to your pastor. Thank You Michael J. Williams.

Rating:
Summary: Very basic introduction to the OT prophets
Review: Williams has written a basic introductory book on the Old Testament prophets and works from the Old Testament towards the New Testament where he finds the fulfillment of the prophetic office in Jesus Christ and then applies the prophetic heritage to the church today. The book is easily read and very basic in the material it covers. Williams's bibliography and footnotes include recent materials but his discussions are a bit dated. He works with older controversies (e.g. the tension between prophet and priest or ecstasy) and does not effectively deal with more recent areas of tension (e.g. ancient Near Eastern materials or unfulfilled prophecy). His emphasis is upon typology, which he carries through to current application in the church. Williams has created categories for his discussion (verbal, behavioral, affective) that are used through the book. Given his categories and emphasis upon an allegorical interpretation the discussion become a bit artificial. The book is best used as an introduction for any that are very new to the Old Testament prophets.