The Meaning of the Pentateuch Is Christ. Period.

That’s the theme of John Sailhamer’s new book, The Meaning of the Pentateuch: Revelation, Composition and Interpretation.

Here’s a bit more of his argument in a recent Christianity Today interview:

The old theologians used to speak of “the love for Scripture” as a sign of true faith in Christ. They would say, “We should read the Old Testament as if it were written with the blood of Christ.” For them, the Old Testament and the Pentateuch in particular was a Christian book, a book about Christ. For most evangelical Christians today it is a book about archaeology and ancient history.

Here we have to be careful because, to be sure, the Old Testament is about ancient history. But that is not its meaning. Its meaning is Christ. Saying that also calls for a great deal of caution. In my book, I take the view that the whole of the Pentateuch is about Christ, but that doesn’t mean that Christ is in the whole Pentateuch. Finding Christ in the Pentateuch means learning to see him when he is there rather than trying to see when he is not there. I like to tell my students that we don’t need to spiritualize the Old Testament to find Christ, but we do need to read it with spiritual eyes.

What all this means is that the Pentateuch isn’t primarily a record of Israel’s religion. It’s not primarily about how we should live. It’s not a history of important things that happened before Jesus (though the things it says happened, did). It’s about Jesus.

Now having said all that, I’m not recommending that you go out and buy Sailhamer’s new book. It’s really long and fairly technical. Instead, I’d encourage you to have a look at his NIV Compact Bible Commentary. It’s an excellent, efficient tool to help you pick up on the major themes of Scripture, particularly the narrative passages and the prophets. I like to read it alongside my regular time reading Scripture.

Plus, you can get it dirt cheap used. By the way, if you use the ESV or another translation, don’t be put off by the NIV in the title. In no way is it tied to that translation.