THE MESSAGE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD T Desmond Alexander (IVP, 2024) 279pp, paperback
This book is the latest in the IVP The Bible Speaks Today Themes series, and takes its title (and theme) from the third line of the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:10), and is the first petition of that prayer. It seems to indicate that it is a petition for something that either does not exist, or is not a reality on earth – if it were, what would be the reason to pray for it?
The author has produced a book to serve as a guide to biblical theology by making reference to the Kingdom of God from Genesis to Revelation. The book consists of 20 chapters and a conclusion, and each of the chapters encourages further study to understand what the Kingdom of God is like, and its impact on our individual discipleship. As a commentary on 20 specific passages of the Bible, one might expect it to be for academics, so it was a pleasant surprise to read a well-researched book, written in an easy style, and full of interesting information and ideas.
Specifically, it was a pleasure to read chapters 8 (Judges 2:6-23) and 16 (Matthew 13), as the author has a way of prompting the reader to raise their own questions about well-known passages. In the former, there is the illustration of Deborah and Jael and their important roles in guiding the Jews to return to Yahweh and away from Baal. Chapter 16, meanwhile, gives new insights into parables and their importance as instruments of teaching about the Kingdom of God: that it is a place where good and bad live together. It also suggests the parables were very much based on what the listeners of Jesus would have experienced. So, for instance, were the weeds actually bearded dermal, whose cultivation was punishable by the Romans? Was this parable foretelling the false witness the Jewish leaders spread to the Romans?
This book would make a very worthy addition to any preacher’s library.
