Stephen Dempster has long been known as a leading voice in biblical theology. In this compact book, he masterfully traces the theme of the kingdom throughout the Scriptures. In so doing he provides another worthy addition to the Essential Studies in Biblical Theology series. Here is another book in the series that can be handed to a layman to help them grasp the Bible’s storyline. In fact, since the kingdom is one of the most essential of the Bible’s storylines, this may provide the best overview of the Bible as a whole.

Beginning in Genesis, Dempster explores the theme of God’s kingdom through the entire canon of Scripture (ch. 1). He claims that the entire biblical message can be summarized by “the return of the king” (p. 2). The sovereign King created the world with mankind to rule the world under him. Mankind, through sin, loses the kingdom, but God’s mission is to restore the world to an even better state than its original, where humanity reigns with God forever (p. 9).

As Dempster explores kingship in Genesis, he presents an interesting concept based on Ancient Near Eastern data (ch. 2). “Image” and “likeness” (Gen 1:26) are not synonyms, he argues. The “image” of a king proclaims his rule, while “likeness” denotes homage or worship of his god (p. 14). Thus, humanity as likeness was to face YHWH in communion, then face outward as his image, proclaiming his rule.

Dempster then continues to explain the theme of kingship in the creation narrative and the loss of the kingdom through Adam and Eve (chs. 3–4). Due to this loss, God begins to restore the kingdom through a godly seed, the line of Seth, Noah, and Shem (ch. 5). Chapters 6–7 conclude the examination of Genesis, showing how God begins to restore his kingship through the family of Abraham.

Chapters 8–9 explore the rest of the Pentateuch. By creating Israel into a nation and giving them a covenant and law, God establishes his kingdom program. For the first time, YHWH is explicitly referenced as king (Exod 15:18; p. 80). In these chapters Dempster emphasizes that YHWH is king. I wish, however, that he had explored the question of the prominence of Moses. While Moses is a key figure, he is not spoken of in kingship language, unlike predecessors such as Adam and Abraham. Why does the canon begin to move towards God’s theocratic kingship and not human viceregents (1 Sam 8:7)?

The story takes a turn in the Former Prophets, where God establishes a human dynasty through the line of David (ch. 10). Interestingly, Dempster points out that the end of the Former Prophets is also the halfway point of the Hebrew Bible. By the end of 2 Kings, the kingdom of God is at a “dead end” (p. 125), with the kingdom in ruins and the nation in exile. Dempster posits that the exile raises the same question the barren Sarah faced, “Is anything too hard for YHWH?” (Gen 18:14).

After a brief exploration of the Latter Prophets (ch. 11), the author then takes up the Writings in two chapters (chs. 12–13). He shows that David is the key to God’s salvation by looking at the Psalms via their canonical seams. Only a few pages are given to the “wisdom literature.”

The final four chapters investigate the New Testament. Dempster argues that its structure points to the centrality of Jesus as King (p. 155). Matthew, the first book, focuses on Jesus’s kingship, answering the unresolved question left by the Hebrew canon. Like Genesis and Chronicles, Matthew begins with a genealogy, focusing on the royal line (p. 157). The book of Revelation then ends with Christ reigning as King in the perfect, restored world.

This summary of the book’s contents reveals a point of critique: the book is “frontloaded” towards Genesis. Dempster uses chapters 2 through 7 to traverse through the first book of the Bible, sixty-four pages out of the roughly two-hundred-page book. This seems out of balance with, for example, one chapter on the Former Prophets, the corpus in which Israel’s kingdom and the Davidic covenant are established. Consider, especially, that the entirety of the Latter Prophets is explored in a single eight-page chapter! Surely a prophet like Isaiah not only has many riches to mine but also presents major developments in the messianic ideal of God’s kingdom. Understandably, the Genesis account sets the trajectory for God’s kingdom, but a more balanced treatment of the corpus of Scripture would have been beneficial.

Despite this critique, Dempster’s book is highly valuable and remains a top recommendation for giving someone a taste of good biblical theology. Dempster combines exegetical work with historical context to offer unique insights into the text. He helpfully demonstrates the preeminence of the kingdom theme throughout Scripture.