A Brief Book Summary from Books At a Glance
by Steve West
Table of Contents
Introduction: The Return of the Kingdom: The Biblical Theology of God’s Reign
1. The Big Picture: The Bible’s Bookends
2. The Kingdom Begun: Genesis and Kingship
3. Kingdom Come
4. The Loss of the Kingdom: Enemy in the Garden
5. Kingdom Restoration Begins: Adam to Abraham
6. The Patriarchal Narratives and the Kingdom of God, Part 1: Abraham and Life over Death
7. The Patriarchal Narratives and the Kingdom of God, Part 2: Jacob and Blessing over Curse; Joseph and Good over Evil
8. Exodus–Deuteronomy, Part 1: Exodus and the Beginning of a Nation
9. Exodus–Deuteronomy, Part 2: Leviticus–Deuteronomy and the Establishment of a Nation
10. The Former Prophets: Kingdom Growth and Decline
11. The Latter Prophets: The Once and Future Kingdom
12. The Writings, Part 1: The Psalms and Wisdom Literature—Kingdom Prayer, Kingdom Life, Kingdom Hope
13. The Writings, Part 2. Daniel–Chronicles—Waiting for the Kingdom
14. The Center of the Biblical Storyline, Part 1: The Gospel of Matthew
15. The Center of the Biblical Storyline, Part 2: The Gospels of Mark, Luke, and John
16. Kingdom Expansion and Community: Acts and the Letter Collections
17. Grand Finale and Kingdom Come: Revelation and the Present
Summary
When Jesus returns, he will return as king to finish the work of salvation that he began in his incarnation, life, death, and resurrection. He will create a new heavens and new earth which will be the home of righteousness. In the first century, the Jews were waiting for a coming king who was descended from David and who would destroy their enemies and rule the world. Looking at the return of the king and the establishment of the kingdom can be a way of looking at the entire narrative structure of Scripture. God—the sovereign King—created the universe, and he appointed human representatives to be his vice-regents. The image bearers of God are both royal and priestly; we are to see the glory of God and lead all of creation in his praise. Instead of fulfilling our calling, we rebelled against God and plunged into sin. It is God himself who promises to work to bring about a great restoration.
The Bible is a collection of books, but it contains one coherent story. One way to see this coherence is to look at how it begins and ends. People are created to be priestly mediators having dominion over creation. At the end of the Bible, Jesus is the king of kings and the great high priest who has made believers into a kingdom of priests who reign on the earth. Revelation 21-22 returns to Genesis 1-3, but in transcendent glory that far surpasses the original creation. Scripture starts with creation and ends with new creation: in the new creation, there is no more sin, sorrow, mourning, or death. Between these two points, however, there is a tragic fall that brings a curse into the world; the world is now filled with rebellion, hatred, violence, and death. The plot of the Bible can be depicted as a checkmark, where the end point is higher than the starting point. There is creation, fall, and restoration, and during this age before the consummation, God develops the story and establishes all of the key elements and figures in the plot.
We can divide the Torah into two sections: Genesis 1-11 (Primeval History) and Genesis 12-Deuteronomy 34 (National History). The first part deals with universal concerns, while the second deals with the growth of the nation of Israel from one family. Israel is called to begin to reestablish the kingdom that was lost in the fall. The creation account is carefully structured, emphasizing the number 7, and showing that God creates habitats and then fills them with life. Out of darkness and chaos, God creates light and forms sustainable life. God’s sovereignty and reign are highlighted, as is the buildup to the creation of human beings on the sixth day. Humanity’s creation is marked as special by several details in the text, and human beings are said to bear God’s image and likeness (which means that they represent him, proclaiming his rule and their homage to him). It is in communion with God that they are to take dominion over the earth. As the image bearers of God, human beings are to be like him (like father, like son), and there is an extremely strong relational bond between them. A third point highlighted in the text is that there is no sin or death; everything is good as it comes from the hand of God. On the seventh day God enters his rest by assuming his throne over his temple-creation, and now his image bearers are to begin their ordained tasks.
Genesis 1 provides a large-scale view of the creation of the world, and Genesis 2 zooms in to consider in more detail the creation of Adam and Eve and the covenantal relationship that God establishes. Yahweh, the covenant Lord of Israel, is the Creator of the universe. Genesis 2 records how God shaped Adam like a potter shapes clay, and how God created a special garden for Adam to enjoy, working and guarding it. Humanity was to exercise a royal and priestly function in the Garden, and they were warned that if they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would die. Obedience to God, trusting in his goodness and provision, is essential. . . .
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