I had the privilege of studying under Jason DeRouchie for four years while at Bethlehem College & Seminary in Minneapolis. In addition, for a couple of years, I was blessed to serve as Jason’s teaching assistant, working through his various writings, editing some of his work, and helping with early iterations of his website. To say that he has shaped the way I read my Bible and how I see Jesus throughout the text is an understatement.

His latest book (I’m about halfway through now) aims to “help Christians make connections to Christ and practical application to the Christian life from every page of the Old Testament” (1). Jason is adamant that the first 3/4 of your Bible (i.e., the Old Testament) progresses, integrates, and climaxes in Christ. It is all about Jesus. As the Apostle Paul says, and Jason believes down to his bones, “all the promises of God find their Yes in [Jesus]. That is why it is through [Jesus] that we utter our Amen to God for his glory” (2 Cor 1:20).

So, if you’re supposed to read the Old Testament and connect the various parts to Jesus, how do you do so appropriately (with good exegesis rather than fall into the trap of eisegesis)? In other words, how does a reader rightly “see Christ” in the Old Testament? Jason provides seven ways for the reader to get to Jesus from the Old Testament:

1. Considering the Old Testament’s salvation-historical trajectories.
2. Seeing the Old Testament’s direct messianic predictions.
3. Recognizing similarities and contrasts within salvation history.
4. Identifying Old Testament types.
5. Reveling in Yahweh’s identity and activity.
6. Observing the Old Testament’s ethical ideals.
7. Using the Old Testament to instruct others.

I’ve found lists like this helpful in the past (via the writings of Sidney Greidanus). Jason’s unpacking of these ideas provides another robust roadmap to Jesus from every page of your Bible, specifically the Old Testament.

An intriguing point Jason makes after laying all this out is how the “very presence of the Bible testifies to a God who does not immediately wipe out unbelieving rebels…indeed, every letter of the Bible testifies to the reality of divine grace, and we enjoy all grace only because of Jesus’ substitutionary sacrifice (see e.g., Gen 8:20–21; John 3:16–17; 1 Tim 4:10; 1 John 2:2)” (105). Thus, even the fact that we have the Bible points us to God’s grace in Jesus Christ. So, “If, after evaluating any given Old Testament text through the seven above ways, you still don’t find a bridge to magnifying the Messiah, then recognize that we can see and celebrate Christ in the mere fact that we have the written word” (106).

If you’re looking for a book written by a reputable Old Testament scholar that will help you understand the story of God’s glory (i.e., the whole Bible), then Jason’s Delighting in the Old Testament Through Christ and For Christ is worth the effort.