The Servant King: The Bible's portrait of the Messiah

The author has produced a brief, but VERY solid overview of bthe Bible's storyline!

T.D. Alexander has written a very helpful little book (168 pp) called 'The Servant King' which traces the development of the portrait of the Messiah through the Old and New Testaments. He begins in Genesis 3 where God promises that he will bruise the serpent's head through the woman's seed. He traces the seed (family line) through Genesis. Adam starts as God's image (representative who is to have dominion) tracing through to Seth, to Noah (a new Adam) to Abraham to Judah to Perez. The book of Genesis anticipates a future king from the line of Judah, establishing a monarchy through whom the nations will be blessed. God is faithful to preserve this seed, the royal dynasty which come to fulfillment partially in David, the son of Jesse. The promise of a Davidic dynasty runs through the rest of the Old Testament. There is much anticipation, as Israel awaits the righteous king through whom God will bless the nations. It is incredibly significant that the book of Matthew begins with "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." Genealogies are incredibly significant. Matthew seeks to show that this Christ (not Jesus' last name, but 'Anointed One') is the king that Israel has been waiting for, the last Adam and true seed of Abraham and David's greater Son. The kingdom of God has arrived in the person of Jesus! All authority has been given to him, and we owe him our allegiance. What a beautiful picture. Alexander's book is simple, but filled with biblical insight.For additional studies in Biblical Theology, see Goldsworthy's 'Gospel and Kingdom', Roberts' 'God's Big Picture', Goheen's 'The Drama of Scripture', and Dempster's 'Dominion and Dynasty.

This is a tremendously helpful book by a distinguished biblical scholar. The Servant King is only 168 pages, but Alexander covers the whole Bible, scanning for the “Portrait of the Messiah” (the book’s subtitle). It is a quick and easy read, full of helpful information. You will grow in your understanding of Christ and your love for Christ as you see Him throughout the Biblical Story. Alexander provides his own bird’s eye view of the book, “The purpose of this study has been to trace the development of the portrait of the Messiah through the Bible. While the specific designation Messiah is not used at the start, we noted how Genesis focuses attention on the coming of a divinely promised monarch. Beginning with the Lord God’s promise to Eve concerning the defeat of the ‘seed of the serpent’, the Genesis narrative highlights a unique line of ‘seed’ which is traced firstly through Seth to Noah and then from Noah to Abraham. Against the background of humanity’s existence under God’s judgment, Abraham receives the promise that through this ‘seed’ all the nations of the earth will be blessed.” And we’re off! Following this “seed” through the rest of the Biblical Story. I highly recommend this short, but fantastic overview of the Anointed One.

I first became acquainted with Professor Alexander years ago when we used his book on the Torah for a college class. This one is just as good--and maybe even better! I especially liked his comparison of the biblical portrait of Messiah to an artist's painting of a masterpiece on canvass--with a stroke here, a stroke there, until finally you can see the whole picture. That's really how it is, isn't it? You might think the OT's Messianic portrait is obvious, but it's really not. For instance, consider the fact that the term "Messiah" (as it relates to a coming Deliverer) is only found in ONE place in the OT (Daniel 9). Yes, only one! The rest of the portrait is extrapolated from pieces of the puzzle that are scattered from one end of the OT to the other, beginning in Genesis, Bereshit, the Book of Beginnings. However, Alexander's treatment of the subject isn't limited to the OT. The last few chapters deal with pertinent NT passages all the way to the end of Revelation. If you're looking for a solid, scholarly treatment of this topic (i.e., how the Bible presents the life and work of the Messiah) from a conservative perspective that's grounded in the biblical texts, this book fits the bill nicely. It's not exhaustive (as he points out at the beginning), but it's way more than adequate for any conceivable practical purpose.

We are using for a Bible study at work. Great historical vantage that stimulates current application for life. Interesting vantage that will bring you closer to knowing our teacher, our Lord

Great Book! Purchased for a class but I think I may keep it :)

A good overall picture of one of the important themes running through the bible that adds to a comprehensive understanding of the plan of salvation. For me, it was a little too sketchy.

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