Book Review

Promises Made: The Message of the Old Testament

by Mark Dever

In a day when preaching is anemic at best and dead at worst, here is a book that underscores preaching. Thankfully, Dever is among the few in our day who recognize and emphasize the primacy of true expository preaching.

I call this book, “Old Testament Survey from the Pulpit” (Dever also has one on the New Testament: Promises Kept: The Message of the New Testament; see my similar review). It’s actually comprised of sermons that present an overview of the OT based upon the promises God gave to His people.

While there is an absolutely essential need for verse-by-verse exposition (personally, when complete I will have spent over three and a half years expositing one of my passions, the Epistle to the Ephesians), Dever’s approach here is valid and valuable. It’s essential that God’s people know what Scripture as a whole is about. And instead of a more academic approach that one would find in a Bible college or seminary, he surveys historical context, organization, and Theology of each book in an exhortative way. A nice touch at the end of each chapter is a prayer and “Questions for Reflection.”

In Genesis, for example, he first introduces the book and then outlines its two major themes. First, “God Displays His Character Through the World He Has Created (1-11).” This is seen through: God’s holiness and judgment against sin, God’s mercy, God’s sovereignty, and then our response (obedience and faith). Second, “God Displays His Character Through His Special People (12-50)” using the same points of the first theme as they are illustrated by the pivotal characters in the book. A couple of the ten “Questions for Reflection” are: “Is God unjust in promising to judge all sin? Why or why not?” and “How should the doctrine of God’s sovereignty affect your church’s practice of evangelism and missions?”

I would also mention Dever’s unique overview of the Psalms. His premise is that biblical spirituality is comprised of seven characteristics: praise-giving, honesty, remembering, morality, changing, trusting, and thanksgiving. Wow! That makes for some great preaching!

The chief shortcoming I find is often ignoring difficult passages and issues. In contrast, in the book introductions in his study Bible, John MacArthur has a section for each book called “Interpretive Challenges.” Something similar in Dever’s expositions would have been most valuable. A minor issue also is Dever’s Covenant Theology showing itself on occasion, but that can easily be overlooked by balancing it with other sources.

All in all, I really like this book and highly recommend it to both those in the pulpit and the pew.

Dr. J. D. Watson

Pastor-Teacher

Grace Bible Church

Meeker, CO

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