The idea of the Good Shepherd is one of my personal favorites of Scripture. Here is a volume that really fleshes out that concept. The subtitle “A Thousand Year Journey From Psalm 23 To The New Testament” really captures what Kenneth Bailey has to say in this book published by IVP.

Mr. Bailey spent 40 years living and working in the Middle East including Egypt and Lebanon. Though he taught the Bible, he had plenty of opportunity to see culture not that far removed from Bible times. Merging those two–teaching and observation–has made this book a success.

His approach on the technical side is one where you will have to decide for yourself. His ideas of sequence and “step parallelism” are explained and traced in every passage he deals with. His ten themes well represent the items that we will find in shepherd passages, though all ten are rarely present in any one passage. In any event, I don’t find that the strength of the book.

The real value in this volume is the light it sheds on each passage it tackles. For example, as much as has been written on Psalm 23, he still had something to say. Check out the illustration he shares on page 42! How this shows God’s love and care for us is well drawn out.

Others passages include all the chief ones on the Shepherd theme. Jeremiah 23:1-8, Ezekiel 34, Zechariah 10:2-12, Luke 15:1-10, Mark 6:7-52, Matthew 18:10-14, John 10:1-18, and I Peter 5:1-4. They were all helpful, but the New Testament passages were especially rich. The last two were my favorites.

I recommend this volume.

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.

Have you ever wrestled with Romans 7? Are you aware of the battleground that exists upon the soil of its meaning? Would you like a little help? This volume edited by Terry Wilder, and published by B & H Publishing, clearly defines the battle lines and gives us enough detail to form our own opinion. I can hardly think of a better approach than bringing 3 writers who each strongly hold to one of the main positions, and letting them write and engage with passion while maintaining Christian respect for each other.

Grant Osborne writes in favor of 7:14-25 representing Christian experience after salvation. Stephen Chester tackles the idea that those verses are Paul’s description of wrestling with sin prior to conversion. Mark Seifrid argues that it is not really autobiographical at all, but simply one standing before the Law. Finally, Chad Brand concludes the discussion by addressing how we might use this passage pastorally.

The value of this book is that instead of shouting out rhetoric, or worse, invectives, they dig into the text itself. That approach made them, in my opinion, worth listening to. They each shot a hole or two in the other’s arguments, and they were never careless.

I came into this book already adhering to Mr. Osborne’s position. I left it the same. While it might be disingenuous to say that I am only stronger in my position now, I was enriched by all three and had to interact on all the issues around the edges. In short, I feel much better about my position now and owe a debt to these authors for it. Mr. Brand’s conclusion was masterful too. I loved it.

I love this style of book as well as this approach to studying issues that are often debated. I highly recommend this volume.

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 good library will always include several volumes at end of the Psalms section that covers only certain psalms in a group or of a similar nature or theme–Imprecatory or praise or pilgrim psalms, etc. Perhaps you see fewer volumes on the first eight psalms discussing them as particularly united. Enter now Songs of the Suffering King by J. V. Fesko and published by Reformation Heritage Books.

Surely Mr. Fesko is right in believing that the Psalms are not in random order, and that Christ is prominent in the Psalms. In saying that the psalms are about Christ, he actually goes so far as to say that Christ is in every Psalm. To my mind, that is harder to prove in some psalms that others. Though Mr. Fesko stretched his theory here and there, this is a warm-hearted volume.

What you have is thoughtful exposition that will aid you in your own preparations, as well as serve as fine devotional reading.  He gives, for example, great insights in Psalm 1 before making it all about Christ. Even in disagreeing that Christ was there as much as he said, I left the chapter enriched. His theory worked better in Psalm 2 and his comments were outstanding there too.

Psalms 3 and 6 were my favorite of his expositions, but they were all thought provoking. Warmly Recommended!

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.

Outside of Christ, who’s life is most critical in the big picture of the New Testament? I imagine we would all answer the Apostle Paul. In that case, we will need a composite description of his life. For that need enter this fine volume by Mr. Quarles and published by B & H Pubplishing.

There are several famous, yet thick scholarly volumes on the life of Paul, such as those by Conybeare and Howson, Farrar, Bruce, and Pohill, but perhaps this accessible volume will better serve most Bible students. It will definitely help to connect the Book of Acts with the Epistles of Paul in a most helpful way.

The work is biographical and chronological and pleasantly fits in each Epistle to events of Paul’s life. That really brings the text alive! We know something of Paul’s hardships but seeing what he faced where it happened is even better. You will read what scourging for Jewish people was like as well as Roman flogging. His details on life in a Roman prison were more horrifying than I ever thought.

The first chapters on Paul’s earlier days filled in many blanks for me. Explaining the routes, either sea or land, that Paul traveled made sense of many biblical statements. All in all, there is much helpful information and Mr. Quarles writes well.

The only suggestion I would offer is a comprehensive chart relating his
life and the Epistles.

The visual aspect of the book is icing on the cake. The pictures are outstanding as are the maps that may look familiar if you have the well-done Holman Atlas of the Bible. This is a valuable resource!

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.