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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