NO OF PAGES: 327 SUB CAT I: Messianic Typology SUB CAT II: SUB CAT III: DESCRIPTION: Dr. Michael P. V. Barrett is the Vice President for Academic Affairs of the Whitefield College of the Bible, the Theological Seminary of the Free Presbyterian Church of North America. For almost thirty years, he was a professor of Ancient Languages and Old Testament Theology and Interpretation at Bob Jones University Seminary. His other works include ""Complete in Him: A Guide to Understanding and Enjoying the Gospel."" Although not in every line and perhaps not on every page, the message of Christ overshadows the entire Old Testament. Finding Christ is the key that both unlocks and locks in the message of the whole Word of God. Jesus Christ is God's final, perfect, incomparable Word. Beginning at Moses seeks to follow the example of Christ Himself Who, ""beginning at Moses and all the prophets,"" expounded from all the Scripture the things concerning Himself. Appropriately titled, Beginning at Moses: A Guide to Finding Christ in the Old Testament gives opportunity for students, pastors and laymen to develop the proper tools necessary for finding Christ in the Old Testament. Barrett indeed guides the reader through the maze of Hebrew, Greek, and theological terminology with such simplicity and clarity that most anyone with some exposure to the Old Testament may follow with ease. The constant encouragement and brief pause to define terms makes this a priceless resource to any student of the Scripture. The author's love for the Old Testament is infectious. He warns, however, that without Christ it is impossible to comprehend truly the Old Testament; so he propounds: ""Seeing Christ is the key to unlocking the message of Scripture,"" and in this book, specifically the Old Testament (14).
The first part of the book is concerned with identifying ""who we are looking for."" Christ or messiah is the term for an anointed one. Anyone anointed. The individual is chosen, accredited, and empowered. This understanding allows the reader to identify not only certain individuals with these particular qualifications within the Old Testament (e.g. Jeremiah, Jer. 1; Aaron, Ps. 106:16, and Zechariah, 2 Chron. 24:20), but also Jesus the Messiah. Furthermore, the three distinct duties of the messianic office (Prophet, Priest and King) are demonstrated to be fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah.
Best seen where Barrett's clarity cuts through the complex is chapter two: the Person of Christ. He makes five statements, based on the Westminster Confession of Faith (also sprinkled throughout the book), that explain the hypostatic union. Of course he quickly defines this term: ""Hypostasis is just a Greek word meaning essence or substance that has been used to describe this otherwise inexplicable union of a perfect human nature with the eternal divine nature in the Second Person of the Trinity."" Referring to Christ's divine nature, Barrett explores His perfections of Deity, works of Deity, and the worship ascribed to Him. And the section on Christ's humanity addresses head-on the relationship of Christ to sin.
The balance of Part One is an explanation of Christ's work. It is expedient that the reader understand the works of Jesus Christ as one would study art, so that the beholder may correctly identify His person (79). First, discussion is given to Christ's first advent. His thoughts on 2 Corinthians 5:21 are ""By God's legal transaction, the life that Christ earned becomes ours and the death that we earned became His"" (88). Further down the page, he argues for the eternally sure purpose of Christ's work, which defies the postponement theory. Second, His prophetic and kingly administration and priestly intercession demonstrate His present work. Last, Christ is described as Judge and Ruler in His Second Advent.
At this point you are 100 pages into the book. In the next 200 pages Barrett masterfully guides the reader ""where to look"" in the Scripture to find Christ. Chapters 4-10 deal with Christ in the covenants, in persons, in His names, in word proNOTES: Donated by Liz Henderson through the Second Beit Hallel Book Drive. SUBTITLE: A Guide to Finding Christ in the Old Testament