Review: Ruth by Daniel Block

First Christian book finished for 2020!  And finished it yesterday while waiting at the Courthouse pending for Jury Duty.

Daniel Block.  Ruth.  Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, December 15th 2015. 308 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

This is the best technical commentary on the book of Ruth I would recommend.  If you read the book of Ruth in the Bible it is only four chapters and yet this commentary is 271 pages long (308 pages if you go by what the publishers say), filled with insights properly extrapolated from God’s Word that is exegetical in nature; that is, it is filled with grammatical and syntactical observation from the Hebrew text along with word study and exploration of a passage’s intertextuality.  An aspect of this commentary that makes it unique is the author’s use of discourse analysis.  There are many things readers will learn from God’s Word here and I was blown away with what I discover in this book that led me to worship God and Christ more!  While I have in the past enjoyed other titles in the Zondervan Old Testament Exegetical Commentary Series this one would be one that I would highly recommend.

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Review: Slogging Along in the Paths of Righteousness: Psalms 13-24

 

Dale Ralph Davis. Slogging Along in the Paths of Righteousness: Psalms 13-24.  Ross-Shire, UK: Christian Focus Publications, March 20, 2016. 192 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Are you looking for a devotional commentary on selected Psalms?  Here is a work covering Psalm 13 through 24 written by Dale Ralph Davis, a Pastor and Professor of the Old Testament with Reformed Theological Seminary at Jackson, Mississippi.  The book is under two hundred pages covering twelves Psalms which makes it manageable in size in terms of one chapter per Psalm that can be read in one sitting.

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Review: God in Everday Life: The Book of Ruth for Expositors and Biblical Counselors

 

Brad Brandt and Eric Kress. God in Everday Life: The Book of Ruth for Expositors and Biblical Counselors.  Woodlands, TX: Kress Christian Publications, September 27th 2007. 187 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Are you looking for a commentary on the book of Ruth that helps you not only with exegetical insight into the text but also connect to application for daily life?  This commentary is one you must have in your library!  The subtitle of the book says this is “for Expositors and Biblical Counselors.”  Reading this I can definitely see the authors’ attempt to gear this for expository preachers and Biblical counselors.  This is my first time reading a commentary that is expositional in nature that is also designed for biblical counseling.  I used this book as a resource for my preaching through the book of Ruth and after finishing this book I must say I was impressed.

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Review: Best Bible Books: New Testament Resources

John Glynn. Best Bible Books: New Testament Resources.  Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, April 24th 2018. 336 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

This book is supposed to be the eleventh update of the author John Glynn’s helpful Commentary and Reference Survey: A Comprehensive Guide to Biblical and Theological Resources which is a book surveying the various technical and semitechnical written resources on the Bible and the study of the Bible.  However this latest update has significant changes with the most obvious being the work is now divided into two separate books with one on the Old Testament (forthcoming) and one on the New Testament (this present volume).  I thought this major update is needed since the last edition was published eleven years ago.  For serious students of Scripture (with or without the skill of Greek and Hebrew) I highly recommend this book.

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Review: Mark: Through Old Testament Eyes

Andrew T. Le Peau. Mark: Through Old Testament Eyes.  Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, September 27th 2017. 352 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

This is a wonderful commentary.  It is one that I would recommend every Pastor and Bible teachers have as one of their resources while they are teaching through the Book of Mark.  I do believe it is an indispensable tool.  I know there are many Bible commentaries out and no doubt someone would ask me why this commentary.  “Why one more new one when there are so many that have been written already?”  I think this commentary is unique and helpful by providing a concentrated focus look at Mark “through Old Testament eyes,” which is the book’s subtitle.  What that means is that this commentary interprets the Book of Mark according to the Old Testament content which clearly Mark would have assumed the readers would have been familiar with.  Unfortunately today many Christians are less familiar with the Old Testament than Christians in previous generations.  And the insights that this commentary points out with the Old Testament is a treasure trove that makes this worth every spent getting it.

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Review: The Way of the Righteous in the Muck of Life: Psalms 1–12

Dale Ralph Davis. The Way of the Righteous in the Muck of Life: Psalms 1–12.  Ross-Shire, UK: Christian Focus Publications, July 20th 2010. 144 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Westminster | Amazon

This is a devotional Bible commentary on Psalm 1 through Psalm 12 written by Dale Ralph Davis, a Pastor and Professor of the Old Testament with Reformed Theological Seminary at Jackson, Mississippi.  I have previously enjoyed Davis’ commentary on the book of Judges and also his book titled The Word Became Fresh which the subtitle explained as “How to Preach from Old Testament Narrative Texts.”  Both works were phenomenal and I think one can say that Davis’ commentaries on Old Testament historical narratives are phenomenal and is one that an expositor of the Bible must have if he is going to teach on Old Testament narratives.  So when I saw that Davis’ had written a devotional commentary on the beginning of the Psalms I had to purchase it though it took me a few years before I finally read it and finished it.

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Review: Joel and Obadiah by Irvin Busenitz

Purchase: Westminster | Amazon

I wish more commentaries of the Bible were like this one: plenty of exegetical insights into the Hebrew texts with vast lexical notes and some grammatical and syntactical observations. I appreciated how the author’s insightful is useful for those studying the Hebrew text for expository preaching while at the same time it’s not so technical that it cease being beneficial for a knowledgeable lay reader. The bulk of the commentary is on the book of Joel rather than Obadiah. I appreciated the introductory materials on Joel here, especially since there’s so much scholarly debate about the book and how Joel has so little internal evidence in regards to authorship, dates, etc. Dr. Busenitz does a good job in the commentary of surveying different positions concerning introductory and background matter, and offer reasons for the conclusions he lands on (rare in commentaries these days). There’s been many occasion as I read the text from Joel I was wondering what was going on, and Busenitz’s commentary has been helpful. I definitely recommend this whether you need a commentary to read along with your devotional or if you need a commentary that touches on the Hebrew text for your exposition.

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