God's Word Is...: The Bible's Metaphors for Itself
Many conservative Christians are only interested in what the Bible has to say about its own inerrancy.  They seem to be captive to the idea that the Bible’s teaching about itself goes no further than its source in God.  There is nothing wrong with looking to the Bible to see what it teaches about its own origin and therefore its reliability.  But by so limiting ourselves we miss much of the rich teaching of the Bible about its own character. The church should be grateful to Faye Hake for her excellent examination of the way the Bible looks at itself beyond its source and reliability.  In her work God’s Word Is…The Bible’s Metaphors for Itself she explores the way the Scriptures unfold the multitude of riches found in the figures of speech that describe the word of God.  She not only unpacks the various metaphors but also takes pains to show how they can be useful in our lives as Christians. I was encouraged by the way the author tried to keep her work centered in the Lord Jesus.  She always looked at the way the word made flesh could be related to the word in scripture.  Many theologians avoid this tricky approach but Hake does a good job of reminding the reader of this vital relationship. This is not some dry intellectual approach to a figure of speech found in the Bible. Throughout the book the reader will find not only solid Bible teaching but also genuine transparency.  Hake connects with the reader as she shares her life with nine children, a missionary husband and life on different continents.  She is not embarrassed to talk about how the devil attacked and how the word confronted and comforted her.  Her openness about some of her personal struggles gives the reader the sense that what the author writes is not abstract but real life Christianity lived in the light of the Bible.  Allen D. Curry, Professor Emeritus Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, MS