Several years ago, a friend gave me a book by F. LaGard Smith that guides the reader through the entire Bible in one year. By rearranging the text in chronological order, Smith cleared up my murky understanding of the Scriptures.
Eric Robinson’s Jesus in the Shadows takes Smith’s book a gigantic step further. Comparing Old and New Testament scriptures, it demonstrates that the Old is inextricably connected to the New by its repeated foretelling of Jesus’ ministry.
I’m not talking about the forecasts of Isaiah, Jeremiah, or the other prophets. Robinson makes his point with stories familiar to the average Sunday School child – Daniel in the lions’ den; Abraham and Isaac; Moses and the Israelites; David versus Goliath; Jonah and the whale; Joseph and his brothers.
In striking detail, Robinson explains how God repeatedly chose a righteous man to do His work, and how each of those men responded to the Creator’s call. Despite their troubles, all God’s chosen leaders eventually prevailed because of their faith in God. These are more than entertaining Sunday School lessons for children. They are God’s preparations for the arrival of His most faithful servant: Jesus the Messiah.
Filling only 125 pages, Jesus in the Shadows is a revelation. It offers great comfort in its reassurance that God’s plan is still in motion, and that each of us has a place in it.
