God's people in the wilderness - The church in Hebrews

Eye on the ball

GOD’S PEOPLE IN THE WILDERNESS
The Church in Hebrews
By O. Palmer Robertson
Christian Focus. 149 pages. £9.99
ISBN 978-1-84550-477-9

Studying or preaching from Hebrews can be challenging. It is one of those books where it is easy to get bogged down in detail and lose sight of the bigger message within this part of God’s Word.

Because of the extensive use of the Old Testament within Hebrews, there is a need for a guide that places its message within the wider context of the Bible. This little volume by O. Palmer Robertson is brilliant at doing just that. He shows that the life and calling of God’s people today is seen in Hebrews in terms of the experience of the old covenant people of God in the wilderness.

I would strongly recommend having this book by one’s side in tackling Hebrews. It carefully and thoughtfully explains why the biblical writer addresses issues such as ‘unity’, ‘rest’, ‘worship’, ‘perfection’, ‘faith’. By keeping the bigger picture before us we are helped to grasp the application of the text to church life today. It would have been useful to have a Scripture index to find where different parts of Hebrews are referred to, but this lack is a minor matter and the book is small enough for one to find one’s way around it quite readily. There are also good notes for any who wish to pursue some matters a bit further. When I next preach from Hebrews, I am sure that this book will be open and well used.

Mark Burkill,
vicar of Christ Church, Leyton (half way out of London, near the site of the 2012 Olympics!)