While Dispensationalism is all but dead in the academic world, as most academicians affirm that there is one people and one story unfolding throughout the Old and New Testaments, its presence is still very prevalent in many churches among the laity, including reformed churches. In addition to a Dispensational understanding among the laity, there seems to be an attitude, whether Covenantal or Dispensational, that the OT is either irrelevant or simply full of a bunch of random, disconnected stories containing good moral lessons.
Therefore, it is always in my interest to read and find books that I can recommend to others who want help putting the whole story together.
Enter: The Epic of Eden.
With very broad brush strokes, Richter paints for the reader a high-level view of the whole Biblical story, beginning in Eden and ending in the second Eden, the (re)newed heavens and earth, focusing on the triplet: God’s people, in God’s place, enjoying God’s presence.
She relates her messy and unorganized closet in her home to how most of us approach the OT: random facts and stories that are all unrelated to one another–messy and unorganized. So, with a broad overview, she seeks to “straighten up” everyone’s “closet” by highlighting the five major characters of the OT: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David and the respective covenants that God makes with each of them.
This is a good book that serves as an introduction to understanding the ebb and flow of redemptive history. One minor caution: Richter is an Arminian in her theology, so there are a few times where her Arminian theology comes out (e.g. – a reference to prevenient grace but without mentioning the term itself).
If you want to move on to a more in depth study of the covenants and grand redemptive story, while still being highly readable and user-friendly, I would recommend Michael Williams’ Far as the Curse is Found.
I also just noticed that T. Desmond Alexander has a new book out, From Eden to the New Jerusalem, that touches on the same theme as Richter and Williams:
Wondering if you have seen “Edward Irving is Unnerving” on the web. I saw it on Google. Blessings, Marc