in Making Sense of the Old Testament, Tremper Longman III brings us a handy volume on a topic as intriguing as it is debated, refusing to fall into either of the polar views: theonomy or extreme dispensationalism.

The theonomist teaches that governments today should follow the civil commands God instituted for Israel, such as stoning kids for disrespecting their parents and doing public executions. On the other side stands the extreme dispensationalist who relegates the Old Testament to an era of law and belittles its contemporary relevance to almost nothing (pp. 105-108).

In light of these reactions and everything in between, Longman tackles three questions which become the three chapters of his book:

1. What are the keys to understanding the Old Testament?
2. Is the God of the Old Testament also the God of the New Testament?
3. How is the Christian to apply the Old Testament to life?

In summary, Longman writes to prove both the continuity and discontinuity between the Old and New Testaments, which becomes crucial for interpreting the Old Testament as well as helping the modern day believer know how to apply it to his life.

Tackling Question #1: What are the keys to understanding the Old Testament?

Addressing his first question, Longman surveys attractions in the Old Testament (gripping stories, heart-wrenching poems, images of God, guidance for life, background to the New Testament, pp. 13-17) as well as obstacles to understanding it (length and diversity, antiquity, cultural distances, position in the history of redemption, pp. 17-22). Longman than provides nine principles for interpreting the Old Testament accurately:

1. Discover the author’s intended meaning (p. 23).
2. Read Scripture in its context (p. 32).
3. Identify the genre of the book and passage (p. 39).
4. Consider the historical and cultural background of the Bible (p. 47).
5. Consider the grammar and structure within the passage (p. 48).
6. Interpret experience in the light of Scripture, not Scripture in the light of experience (p. 50).
7. Always seek the full counsel of Scripture (p. 51).
8. Discover how the scripture passage presents Jesus Christ (p. 52).
9. Be open-minded and tolerant of other interpretations (p. 53).

Tackling Question #2: Is the God of the Old Testament also the God of the New Testament?

In his second question, Longman unmasks the false stereotypes about God being a different God in the Old Testament than He is in the New (pp. 57-58) and proceeds to show the tremendous continuity of God’s character streaming through both.

To show this continuity, Longman first presents Yahweh as the center of the Bible (pp. 58-60) and then explains how the ancient near eastern use of treaties is reflected in God’s covenant with Israel (pp. 60-70). The new covenant prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31 brings tremendous continuity between the Old and New Testaments, giving tremendous meaning to Christ’s role on earth and His fulfillment of the Old Testament laws, prophecies, and types. In pages 71-86, Longman shows the similarities between the holy wars of the Old Testament and Christ’s battle against Satan in the new, as well as the final battle in the end times. In the final section of this chapter, Longman reveals the running theme of God’s presence among His people in both the Old and New Testaments (pp. 86-101). God’s presence was with Adam and Eve in the Fall, with the pre-patriarchs in the altars built (particularly the one built by Noah), with wandering Israel via the tabernacle, with established Israel through the temple, and finally with the church by way of Christ in the New Testament.

Summarily, Longman shows how the progressive nature of revelation explains the difference between the Old and New Testaments. “God revealed more and more of Himself until Jesus Christ, God himself, dwelt among us” (p. 103). Longman writes:

There is continuity [between the Old and New Testaments] because the God of the Old and New Testaments is the same God. There is continuity because Jesus Christ is anticipated in the Old Testament and revealed in the New. However, discontinuity results from the greater clarity which is associated with the revelation of God’s Son (p. 103).

Tackling Question #3: How is the Christian to apply the Old Testament to life?

In his final question, Longman, opens by disagreeing with the theonomist who believes in total continuity between the Old and New Testaments as well as the extreme dispensationalist of the Scofield rite who clings to almost complete discontinuity between the Old and New Testaments. Longman spends the majority of his answer to this third question discussing the Old Testament law given through Moses.

He simplifies the matter by distinguishing apodictic law (general, ethical principles that apply to any time or place) from case laws (laws that only deal with specific situations). Clearly, a case law, like what to do if your bull gores a man to death, does not apply to the modern day believer, for these were uniquely given to Israel as a theocratic nation. But an apodictic law, such as, not committing adultery, applies to any believer in any age. Longman insightfully observes, however, that case laws flow out of apodictic laws, thus demonstrating the centrality of apodictic law to the Old Testament and showing that we cannot be too rigid in our distinction of these two types of laws.

In the last few pages, Longman deals with the rest of the Old Testament. First, he notes that the entire Word of God—whether Old or New Testament—holds the power to change our lives, for it acts as a mirror, showing us our faults and guiding us down better paths (pp. 123-126).

Second, he writes that the Old Testament stories are historical events that can teach us about God’s work through history, God’s plan of redemption through Jesus Christ, and even simple moral lessons such as Joseph’s flight from Potiphar’s wife, a hermeneutical practice modeled by Paul in 1 Corinthians 10. Longman warns that we must be careful not to ruthlessly apply any example from the Old Testament (such as using Joshua’s holy wars to justify contemporary war), and then concludes, “The best guide to answering this question is to see if the ethical teaching is presented in a more straightforward manner elsewhere in the Scripture, particularly in the New Testament” (p. 129).

Third, Longman writes that the poetry of the Old Testament relates well to us as a mirror of our deepest feelings (pp. 130-131), the proverbial literature of the Old Testament gives a tremendous amount of wisdom for Christians living at the dawn of the twenty-first century (pp. 131-134), and the prophetic writings of warning and hope provide “counsel on how to follow God more closely” (p. 136).

Excellent insight; weak tangibles

For a topic that covers three quarters of the Bible, Long’s book demonstrates incredible breadth of understanding in his survey of the issues and personal humility in his refusal to be dogmatic on topics that are far from simple. Instead of concluding with an overtly simplistic quip to fix the problem, he takes a deep look into the issues, and tackles each one as fairly as possible.

However, Longman’s book is as weak in prescribing solutions as it is strong in diagnosing the challenges. Ironically, his first chapter is more practical than the last one, even though the last chapter begs for the most practical answer.

Although Longman’s caution may be motivated by a desire to remain integral to the text and to not be dogmatic on a cloudy issue, at the least it seems he could have concluded that the apodictic laws of the Old Testament apply to every believer today, especially since they are repeated in the New, and that for the most part, principles stated in the Old that are repeated in the New are directly relevant to the modern day Christian, and the rest are indirectly relevant. He almost says this on page 129, but with such vagueness it’s hard to pull anything concrete from the statement. It seems also that Longman might have noted that within every Old Testament passage lies a universal principle applicable to the believer today. For example, although the food laws of Leviticus 11 are not directly relevant to a Christian living under the new covenant, the principle of God’s desire for holiness in every corner of the believer’s life is powerful, and can be applied even from this passage (Lev 11:44-45).

Help for the preacher

Longman’s book is an excellent resource for the expositor, particularly in helping him to keep the redemption theme of every Old Testament passage before his audience, yet not miss the priceless moral lessons found in every story. The expositor will find a very balanced approach in Longman’s emphasis on the redemption theme versus moral lessons. Longman’s categorizing of Old Testament laws as apodictic or case serves as a timeless aid to the preacher expositing any law-giving text of the Old Testament.

Tremper Longman III. Making Sense of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998. 154 pp.