Bible Study

The Return of the Kingdom (ESBT) by Stephen Dempster

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Here’s the latest in this delightful series on biblical theology. Several of the volumes take the same subject—the sweep of the biblical story—and tell it from a unique vantage point. So it’s Genesis to Revelation again, as always in this series it is in chunks, this time told from the standpoint of kingdom.

Perhaps more than other title in the series it tells the broader story more, and perhaps better, than that of its perspective—kingdom in this case. The book had so many interesting tidbits and theological nuggets with even a dash of helpful exegetical hints. In this volume, I’d especially glance at the footnotes if I were you.

On kingdom it was helpful. Many passages you’d expect are covered. I figured the messianic Psalms would get great coverage, but he clearly didn’t see them as essential to his discussion. Where, in the most critical omission, was Psalm 110? It seemed to me he presented more depth up to David, but was more streamlined thereafter. He saw Matthew as having its obvious importance in his theme, but could have developed it more.

He didn’t really touch Israel versus either the church or whether it was substituted, etc.. That’s a battleground for dispensationalists and covenant theologians. Most books written on kingdom would pick a hill to die on, but that wasn’t an intense theme for him. It’s obvious to me which side he is on, but he wasn’t as explicit as some in this series either. On the plus side, he was never condescending either.

I hope I haven’t made it sound like I dislike this book, or that it is a failure. It’s still a very pleasant and helpful read. It will give you a lot to chew on about biblical theology, even if I wouldn’t call it the most important book on the theme of Kingdom itself.

I don’t line up exactly where the writers of this series do theologically, but every book in the series, including this one, has been a great blessing to me.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Hebrews (ZECNT) by Douglas Moo

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A master exegete tackles the toughest book for exegesis in the New Testament. What could be better than that? I often think of Moo as a Pauline scholar, but he already has an excellent work on James to his credit. Hebrews is not for amateurs and this book is a win for us.

At first, I saw the 17-page introduction and I thought, you’ve got to be kidding! Silly exaggerations entered my mind—was he not going to give this the same level of intense work he gave other commentaries? Reading it run all that silliness right out of my mind. When he made the case with perfect clarity for all that we just can’t know about Hebrews, things that make up the bulk of many Introductions, you realize that there was no need for more pages. Perhaps a few pages more on structure would have been nice, but that is never going to dominate his writings.

On to the commentary of the text—wow! He is an exegete par excellence. Honestly, I felt like I was reading someone in awe of the text accompanied by a rock-ribbed determination to be true to it wherever it took him. I offer up the warning passage in Hebrews 6 as a case in point. It was the text first and his theological predilections second. It’s hard for me to fully express how much I respect that. I’m not sure I agreed with his final conclusions completely, but I am better for having read it. I’ll never study the passage again without reading it.

This may be the best commentary for exegesis on Hebrews available. Peter O’Brien’s commentary is the only one I felt that way about before, but it’s in a defunct status now anyway. Moo needs no commendation from me, but I offer it nonetheless.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

God Dwells Among Us (ESBT) by Beale and Kim

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This is an awesome series, but mark this one with the Edward Klink volume as my favorites. In the old battle of the trees versus the forest this one pulls off a coup by taking the trees to construct a grand forest. And oak trees at that.

Strangely enough, I almost thought it might be a dud. I mean where a new author (Mitchell Kim) takes the work of an old author ( G. K. Beale) and makes a new book from the old book just didn’t sound like a winning proposition to me. Why not just get the old book? After reading this work, I’m of a different mind. Either get both books, or get this one, but I’d recommend not getting the old book over the new one.

The old book (The Temple and the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God) is a masterwork of its kind, but this one reads better…a lot better. Mr. Kim is not just riding the coattails of a seminal work, but he took the vitamin-filled book and made it tasty to the palate. At times, it even had its devotional moments. I learned AND I enjoyed it.

So the theme of Creation, or Eden, as the first Temple is quite familiar to me, but the connections made here were the most compelling I’ve seen. As the book traveled through the Tabernacle and Temple it revealed threads that I had frankly missed. The book reached a profound level for me when it got to Jesus. Especially the statements Jesus made about the Temple were far more packed with meaning that I realized. The final chapter on the New Jerusalem as the Temple was, without hyperbole, thrilling for me.

Only the chapter on Eden’s ministry fell flat for me. The interpretation for Revelation 11 just didn’t seem plausible to me. As with every title in this series, the authors swear by Covenant Theology. I don’t fully subscribe to that viewpoint, but some of these larger concepts transcend our typical divisions. We view from the mountain tops here.

Beale is a genius. Kim has the winsome writing down. Together they made this one is a gem!

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

The Giver of Life (WB) by J.V. Fesko

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This second volume in the We Believe (WB) holds up the high expectations established by the first one on Christology. Most major Christian publishers have a series of this sort covering various doctrines that together form a systematic theology and this one so far is standing out in a crowded field.

This volume gets two of the key topics of such systematic theologies—salvation and the Holy Spirit. I judge it far more passionate on the subject of salvation than that of the Spirit. My guess is that the author gets consumed with the Spirit carrying out the application of salvation and that swallows the discussion at large. The discussion on the Trinity and, for example, the gifts, almost seemed tacked on to get to the heart of what he really wanted to talk about—salvation.

On other quick caveat is that this book is overtly reformed. I could almost jokingly say that it is more reformed than it is Christian, but not everyone might appreciate my humor.

With that out of the way, that passion he has that I spoke of is quite beneficial and enjoyable in studying salvation in all its glorious beauty. Mr. Fesko comes across as a captivating teacher. You of necessity will learn. Isn’t that the target we’re aiming for in this type of series? You will often love what he’s saying too, and when you occasionally disagree, you’ll at least have the consolation that he’s having a good time.

I have a system of jotting brief notes and page numbers in the front cover of books where what’s being written really resonates with me. I have 17 such notations in this one of things that really rang the bell for me. In case you’re wondering, that means this one ranks high for me. I’ll consult it again too—that’s another dead giveaway for me that we have a winner here. I wouldn’t make him your only guide, but this author is a teacher at whose feet you should spend some time.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

A Guide to Biblical Commentaries (11th Ed.) by John Evans

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Here’s a book I love and use regularly, at least I have for over a decade with previous editions. So I deliciously devoured this new edition when it arrived. I have personally reviewed several of the new entries here that have been published since the last release, but I really value his assessments.

He’s the best in the field for these kinds of recommendations and it isn’t even close. And, yes, I’ve seen all the others. His presentation is the most logically organized and his evaluations, though a bit complex, can be followed to advantage if you read his explanation a time or two.

His work is what Spurgeon’s was long ago and Cyril Barber’s works were a generation ago. Strangely enough, he denigrates Barber for being too dispensational. Methinks a few reformed/covenantal theology titles got extra stars for that alone here just as Barber flipped it before. And let’s don’t even discuss what Spurgeon said of Plymouth Brethren writers. But it’s no problem in any of them. Find their bias and adjust accordingly. The bias is real enough that not holding Mr. Evans’ theology may get more negative comments than, say, a very critical or liberal volume. I’ll never understand that, but the world has passed me by in many ways anyway . Still, I wouldn’t even think of not having and using this book.

He tries to write for pastors, but he’s just as interested, and maybe more, for the scholarly volumes. Pastors, don’t worry about that as you’ll know inherently how to adjust. If you compensate for the few biases, you will I think find evaluations easy to line up with. At least I did. You might occasionally disagree. For me, he’s far too harsh on the EEC on the Epistles of John (Gary Derickson). He drowned on the differing theology and overlooked the impeccable exegesis. But that is mostly rare.

This can really help you plan and build a library. Even if like me you have a fair number of the books reviewed, you’ll see something you’ve just got to have. I’ve just got to grab Morales on Numbers after reading here. Grab this book, read it, and let the fun begin.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Proverbs (ZECOT) by Christopher Ansberry

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I’ve often not been satisfied with the newer exegetical commentaries on Proverbs. My complaints run from brevity on individual verses or even saying nothing meaningful to drowning in scholarly issues and still saying very little. To be sure, I cracked this book open with expectations. Were they met? You bet they were.

It took a few pages to figure out how much I liked it. The Introduction started slowly. Maybe he buried the lead for a bit. At length, I realized that he was giving me the pieces before he weaved them together. What I ended with was an articulate presentation of what’s really going on in the Book of Proverbs. Along the way, he obliterated the common criticism that Proverbs is either moralistic at best or boringly cliche at worst.

The discourse analysis that is the hallmark of this series was tangibly good. The scholarly minutiae was handled well without bogging down the periscopes. The exegesis was rich and the theology thoughtfully given.

And here’s the best thing: no verses are passed over or given a cursory, bland sentence or two. You can go to that specific verse and get real help. That’s what I was wanting and I got it.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Job (EEC) by Duane Garrett

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Here’s a bright, new commentary on the fascinating Book of Job from one of the leading commentary series of our day (EEC). The task fell to prolific commentator Duane Garrett. Ages ago he tackled other Wisdom books in the NAC series. Though that was a perfectly usable volume, it was the work of a rookie. Here the seasoned player steps to the plate and delivers a mature work on Job. I have not read everything he has ever written, but this is the best work he has done out of what I have used.

From the first pages of the Introduction his skills are apparent. He’s well researched, he distills that research to clearly state what the scholarly world has thought, and then he is not afraid to make a conclusion. With kindness to us he does it all without excessive verbiage.

I find myself in sympathy with most of his conclusions as well. The scholarly world has moved on from dating Job closer to Abraham and I just can’t go with them. The older generation had far better reasoning there and the new arguments strike me as vacuous. Garrett makes a strong argument for seeing chapter 28 as an inserted Wisdom Poem. I’m not sure, but he lays it out for you to decide.

He begins with the chiastic structure of Job and is spot on. Whether what he said above about chapter 28 is correct or not, it is the center of the chiasm it seems for sure just as says. The rest of the Introduction is well done. He writes with clarity on textual issues, genre, and biblical parallels.

There’s plenty of meat on the bone in the commentary proper as well. Exegesis, explanation, and theology are first rate. Some of those speeches are exceptionally challenging and there’s excellent help here.

So where does this one rank among commentaries on Job? Hartley (NICOT) is the most similar. He blows many others away as they commentate through a dark haze and so rob Job of its theological beauty. I guess, then, we will have to rank this as our best option for Job in the major commentary category.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Answering the Psalmist’s Perplexity (NSBT) by James Hely Hutchinson

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Though the topics can be narrowly constructed, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the NSBT series. Can you believe this volume is #62 in the series? Regarding narrowly defined subjects, perhaps this one is even more so. Because of that, this book may not find as big a round of acceptance as the others. When you are sixty-two titles deep into a project, you clearly have a homogeneous audience that can be easily described. So why do I feel perhaps that mutual admiration society might not hold up in this case? Well, it’s more, to be sure, the fault of the subject than the author.

He’s jumping into the covenant theology- dispensational theology divide. But he dives deeper still using a 7-model spectrum running from Westminster Covenantalism to Classical Dispensationalism. Though Models 1-5 are more on the Covenant Theology side and 6-7 on the Dispensational Theology side, you are still going to make six out of seven groups at least marginally unhappy.

Let’s give credit where credit is due—he lays out well the seven groups and is fair minded to those even farthest from him. He makes clear the whole Continuity versus Discontinuity that is the trendy way to lay out the issue. Continuity is God’s people (Israel and the Church) are mostly the same ties to Covenant Theology while Discontinuity separates them in distinct ways and ties to Dispensationalism.

Instead of stating Hutchinson’s viewpoint or my own, I’d rather mention the larger problem. His approach reminds me of walking into an opulent room and focusing on one immaculate lamp. It is a nice lamp, but what about that gorgeous mahogany desk? Must the room forever be oriented to the lamp? You mean I can’t talk about the couch or the ceiling tiles unless I speak in terms of the lamp? That’s the problem to my mind with either Covenant Theology or Dispensationalism. They are asked to explain more than they can. Their adherents see them as more a throne in a throne room, but I say they’re still a lamp. Nice lamps, ok, but not strong enough to bear the weight of the room. They explain something, but no where near everything. Less esoteric, less enticing to scholarly vanity, and more accessible to the common Bible believer, are ideas like Jesus, or say relationship between the Trinity and us. Make these ideas (I’ve learned much from all seven of the viewpoints while having some clear opinions on some of those issues) the condiments and Jesus the meal and what a feast we can have.

Let’s move on before someone gags on my review. The richness of this volume is to take the Scripture Index and use with all the texts he uses in Psalms. He can help with exegesis.

He’s a clear writer too. Surely we can do better than the term “New-Covenant Newness”, but he communicates his line effectively.

Agree with Hutchinson and you’ll love the book; not fully agree and you’ll see the boundaries more carefully; agree or not and use the exegesis for Psalms and you’ll be helped at least.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

How Do We Know? by Dew and Foreman

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Here’s another volume in the “Questions in Christian philosophy” series that distills what I imagine would be a semester-long class. I enjoyed the earlier one on Logic especially, and found this one on epistemology helpful too. Though I read theological works regularly, this material is new to me. The subject itself, not the author’s writing, can be challenging. At times philosophy has split the hair too finely on what it is to “know”, and yet how powerful is the thought that we can “know” something.

As for the book itself, it’s clearly written. Often the examples are catchy and effective to make the idea clear. I imagine Dew and Foreman would be engaging teachers. The only problem I had with the book is that too often they wouldn’t pick a side. They never failed to give you the strengths and weaknesses of every viewpoint, but it almost seemed like they never champion any one of them. They never really forged their own new way forward either. Since this was newer material for me, perhaps I wanted that feature more than usual. Especially I wanted to know how a Christian ought to think as so many of the philosophers were not Christian. I am not saying they didn’t give information that you could dig out, perhaps, and find your own opinion. But that design would be better for those who are well-versed on the subject. I hope my one criticism of the book is not actually more one of my own self than of the authors, but I’ll leave that to your judgment.

Still, when I have a question on epistemology, I’ll be reaching for this book.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Galatians (Word Biblical Themes) by Nijay Gupta

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This is the inaugural volume of the New Word Biblical Themes series. For some reason, only 15 volumes were ever written in the old series meaning that by far most in the WBC series did not have a corresponding offering in this series. The first thing you notice now is that unlike the old series each volume is not written by the author of the corresponding WBC volume. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it makes this new series more distinct, less likely to rehash information from the WBC series, and not bound by any of the weaknesses (or strengths) of the commentary. This series will be entirely in the hands of the new authors and the work they do.

That brings me to Nijay Gupta, who additionally happens to be the series editor. Richard Longenecker did the WBC volume back in 1990. That has been ranked as a high-class exegetical work ever since, though it has been consistently labeled a bit overboard with its entertainment of newer perspectives by many in the more conservative camp. Spring forward 34 years and I will say the same thing about Gupta. He works well from where he reasons, but do you accept that line? I found his work here easy to read and follow with all necessary scholarly spade work behind it, but he is dialed in to the wrong frequency for me.

Perhaps you’ve already guessed he is sympathetic to the New Perspective on Paul (NPP) and (full disclosure) I am not. Still, he divides how we view Paul’s thought in four main ways: 1) The Reformation Approach, 2) NPP, 3) the Apocalyptic Paul Approach, and 4) the Salvation-Historical Approach. He sees it as a combination of #2 and #4 while I would see it as a combination of #1 and #4. My viewpoint is unimportant as you are seeking a review of his book. My point is, more than in most books, your viewpoint is going to greatly affect your valuation of this book. Gupta himself says, “… leaning into one of these approaches leads to a particular kind of reading of Galatians, and promoting another one presents a different reading, sometimes starkly different.” This is a book about themes and your guiding theme orients everything else you say.

I still must commend certain things about this book. He lays the issues out well even if he, in your opinion, chooses the wrong option. There is value sometimes in reading on an entirely different track. Also, he very cogently and succinctly lays out his position in an understandable way. It’s quite easy to see what he believes, and why he believes it, even if you cannot agree with it.

And there you have it. Part of this book’s final score will be the viewpoint you had before you even cracked it open.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.