ESV Expository Commentary (Volume 5): Psalms-Song of Solomon

ESV Expository Commentary (Volume 5): Psalms-Song of Solomon
by C. John Collins (Psalms),
Ryan Patrick O'Dowd (Proverbs),
Max Rogland (Ecclesiastes),
Douglas Sean O'Donnell (Song of Solomon)

ISBN-13: 9781433546440
Hardcover: 1216 pages
Publisher: Crossway
Released: September 6th 2022

Source: Review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
A Passage-by-Passage Commentary on Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. Designed to strengthen the global church with a widely accessible, theologically sound, and pastorally wise resource for understanding and applying the overarching storyline of the Bible, the ESV Expository Commentary features the full text of the ESV Bible passage by passage, with crisp and theologically rich exposition and application. This commentary's contributors include:

C. John Collins (Psalms)
Ryan Patrick O'Dowd (Proverbs)
Max Rogland (Ecclesiastes)
Douglas Sean O'Donnell (Song of Solomon)

This book features passage-by-passage commentary on the books of Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon, taking a biblical-theological and broadly Reformed approach to interpreting and applying the text. It includes introductions to each book featuring an outline, key themes, author and date information, literary features, relationship to the rest of the Bible, and interpretive challenges.


My Review:
This is a (huge) commentary on Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. Each book first had an introduction section about when and who wrote the book along with the major themes. Then (going passage by passage) the section of text to be commented on was provided in the ESV version and the commentary followed. Each book was commented on by a different person. The first three were more academic in tone while the last was more conversational in the word choice and tone.

Psalms (which takes up over half of the book) is overly thorough. It has the usual overview of the book or the psalm and examined things like the meaning of questionable words. But it hasn't really improved my understanding of the Psalms. I felt like this was more focused on academic debates. For example, Psalm 1 verse 3 refers to "streams of water." The commentary explained a debate about if the stream is natural or artificial (a canal) based on the word used, though they admitted that it doesn't matter to the meaning of the psalm whether the stream is natural or not. So it's a lot of reading with little of it about improving my understanding and more about side issues (like assuring women that a promise to "a man" also applies to women).

Proverbs was basically a mini-sermon for each group of verses. The commentator linked in related verses from both the Old and New Testament but seemed more interested in telling the reader what to think about the theme in those verses than simply helping the reader to understand the words and context.

Ecclesiastes was still academic enough in tone that it wasn't a quick read, but the commentator did explain passages so the reader can better understand the intent of the writer.

Song of Solomon was much easier to read and did help the reader follow what was going on. The commentator interpreted the action as happening to a generic woman and man (her "king" rather than Solomon) as well as pointing toward the churches relationship with Christ.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Habakkuk by Lydia Brownback

Habakkuk: Learning to Live by Faith
by Lydia Brownback

ISBN-13: 9781433569999
Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Crossway Books
Released: May 3rd 2022

Source: Review copy of this book from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Though only three chapters long, the Old Testament book of Habakkuk overflows with stories of plagues, violence, and pleas for deliverance. Why does God seemingly allow evil to flourish? And what can Habakkuk's complaints teach believers today about trusting God in the face of evil?

In this 10-week Bible study for women, Lydia Brownback explores Habakkuk verse by verse, addressing the complex subject of God's judgment and wrath. Written for individuals or groups, each lesson helps women understand why God allows pain and illness, and how he deals with unrepentant sin. This study explains Habakkuk's context in redemptive history while exploring biblical themes including God's justice, punishment, and prayer. It also teaches how to wait faithfully for God to answer prayer.


My Review:
Habakkuk is a 10 week Bible study on Habakkuk. Each week is basically just a chapter since it's not subdivided into days. You read a section from Habakkuk, then the author provided an introduction to the theme of those verses. Then she asked study questions about what we read and provided related verses to look up to discover deeper insights into the answers. You use the Bible to further study what a certain word or concept means in the Biblical sense. She then ended with a couple of application questions to help you think out how what we just learned affects your life. Overall, I thought that the author did a good job of providing insights and increasing my understanding of the message in Habakkuk.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Rose Guide to the Feasts, Festivals and Fasts of the Bible by Paul H. Wright

Rose Guide to the Feasts, Festivals and Fasts of the Bible
by Paul H. Wright

ISBN-13: 9781649380210
Hardcover: 232 pages
Publisher: Rose Publishing
Released: July 15, 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
Passover. Yom Kippur. Feast of Tabernacles. Rosh Hashanah. With all the ceremonies, festivals, and observances in the Bible, it’s hard to keep track of them all and remember why they’re important to our faith! But what if you could distill all this key information across dozens of chapters of the Bible into one solid, easy-to-read handbook with images, charts, and diagrams? It’s never been easier to get an expert look at the traditions, fasts, and feasts of the Bible: with this guide, 5 leading authorities on biblical celebrations and disciplines will help condense their research and historical knowledge into key takeaways that you can learn quickly and easily:

Solid overviews of the feasts, celebrations, and rituals kept in ancient Israel and the Old Testament

Historical background of the feasts and holy days in the centuries leading up to the New Testament

Summary of modern-day traditions kept by Jews today

Key takeaways of how messianic communities observe biblical feasts and holidays today

Presentation of how non-messianic Christian congregations have adopted the feasts into liturgies, theologies, etc.

God commanded Moses and the children of Israel to observe feasts and holy days as memorials to the great things that he had done in their lives. With expert research, clearly understand how these times of celebration are important to help us better see God’s complete picture and plan of redemption.


My Review:
This book looks at the regular fasts and feasts in the Old Testament period, in the New Testament Period, of modern Jews, of Messianic Jews, and of Christians. For the Old and New Testament sections, the authors explored how the pilgrim feasts were supposed to be celebrated and what the biblical evidence is for how the feasts were actually celebrated throughout the Bible (and if there were times when they weren't celebrated at all). They provided the context of the feasts and fasts: why they were celebrated, how they fit into a largely agricultural society, and how Israel was similar to and different from their neighbors. They talked about both feasts in general and the annual feasts. There were references to specific events in the Bible, to comments made in writings by others at that time, and to finds in archaeology. The book included some charts and pictures of things like the different foods mentioned in the feasts or a table set up for a modern Passover. Overall, I'd recommend this informative book.

The first chapters talked about: Sabbath, New Moon, Rosh Hashanah (New Year's Day), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), Passover (Feast of Unleavened Bread), Shavuot (Feast of Weeks), and Sukkot (Feast of Booths), Purim, Hanukkah, and days of Fasting, and other holidays. Messianic perspective was given on the Sabbath, Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Feast of Weeks/Pentecost, Day of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Feast of Booths, Purim, Hanukkah. He also explained how the Spring feasts were fulfilled by Yeshua and the Fall feasts will be fulfilled in the future. He also talked about how Jesus celebrated these feasts in the New Testament. The Christian perspective covered how the early church celebrated these holidays and how that changed with time: Sabbath and Sunday, Passover and Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, Pentecost, Advent, Holy Cross Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas and Epiphany.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

He Is Not Ashamed by Erik Raymond

He Is Not Ashamed
by Erik Raymond

ISBN-13: 9781433579349
Paperback: 178 pages
Publisher: Crossway
Released: June 14th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In He Is Not Ashamed, Erik Raymond takes a close look at the "family portrait" of God--filled with imperfect people throughout Scripture--and shows that God is not repelled by anyone's shameful past, but delights to redeem and receive those who believe in him. Studying Hebrews 2:11 and other passages in both the Old and New Testaments, Raymond shows that Jesus's heart is bent toward those who have an embarrassing history, feel far from God, or struggle with sin. By studying God's abounding love for undeserving people, Christians learn to accept his grace and confidently embrace their place in God's family portrait.

This book walks through stories from the Bible, including Jacob the deceiver, Rahab the prostitute, and the "sinful woman" in the book of Luke to reveal patterns of God's grace and helps Christians reject shame and have a greater sense of Christ's mercy.


My Review:
He Is Not Ashamed dug into the Bible on the topic of God's amazing love for sinful people. Much of each chapter looked at accounts in the Bible where a sinful person was embraced by God, like the sinful women who are mentioned in Jesus' own genealogy. The author summarized what happened to each person and how God showed redeeming love toward them. The author also spent some time exploring the theology of Jesus' love and His not being ashamed. He took verses from both the Old and New Testaments to show what is taught in the Bible.

The author looked people who have a sinful past, who opposed Jesus (like Paul), who are little valued or are social or religious outcasts, those who are weak or have nothing to give, and those who struggle with sin (like pride). I felt like the author made excellent points and did a good job of illustrating (with the Bible) the theology taught in the Bible about these topics. The theology parts weren't dry or difficult to follow. Overall, I'd recommend this book.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Philippians by Lydia Brownback

Philippians: Living for Christ
by Lydia Brownback

ISBN-13: 9781433570032
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Crossway Books
Released: January 4th 2022

Source: Review copy of this book from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
A 10-Week Study on Philippians for Women. The apostle Paul suffered intensely for his faith, but despite the danger and pain of his story, his letters are filled with hope--hope rooted in the good news of the gospel. Join Lydia Brownback as she explores Philippians and shows readers that even in the face of persecution and other difficulties, there is abundant peace through unity in Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This study helps women focus on God as the source of their joy when life threatens to sidetrack them.

Bible study teacher Lydia Brownback guides women chapter by chapter, helping them come away with a deeper understanding of God's word, its context in redemptive history, and how it uniquely reveals God and his gospel.


My Review:
Philippians is a 10 week Bible study on Philippians. Each week is basically just a chapter since it's not subdivided into days. You read a section from Philippians, then the author provided an introduction to the theme of those verses. Then she asked study questions about what we read and provided related verses to look up to discover deeper insights into the answers. As in, you use the Bible to further study what a certain word or concept means in the Biblical sense. She then ended with a couple of application questions to help you think out how what we just learned affects your life. Overall, I thought that the author did a good job of providing insights and increasing my understanding of the message in Philippians.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Old Made New by Gregory R. Lanier

Old Made New
by Gregory R. Lanier

ISBN-13: 9781433577833
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Crossway
Released: April 12th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Many Bible readers have difficulty understanding the Old Testament’s connection to the New Testament, and some even believe it’s obsolete in light of God’s new covenant. In reality, New Testament writers alluded to earlier books of the Bible roughly 300 to 400 times. The Old Testament isn’t outdated; it’s critical to understanding the rest of Scripture.

In Old Made New, Greg Lanier explains how New Testament authors used the Old Testament to communicate the gospel and present the person and work of Jesus. He also explains what the Old Testament teaches Christians today about the church’s identity and ethics. Writing for a broad range of readers, Lanier distills thorough research into simple, descriptive examples and tips. His 3-step method explains how to identify and explore an Old Testament passage and see how it’s “remixed” in the New Testament to thoughtfully engage with Scripture.


My Review:
Old Made New explained how the New Testament writers often quoted, cited, or alluded to Old Testament verses as the basis for the arguments they were making. He described how to evaluate each type of reference and any differences seen between the New Testament and Old Testament verses. He also explained that you need to read the Old Testament verse in context to fully understand what the New Testament authors were referring to. He then took several examples of this from the New Testament and showed step-by-step how to work through this process. He showed how these references covered a wide variety of topics and weren't only prophecies about Jesus. It wasn't hard to understand the author's points or difficult to do his process of studying these NT-OT links. Overall, I'd recommend this book to those interested in doing a more in-depth Bible study.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Mission of the Triune God by Patrick Schreiner

The Mission of the Triune God
by Patrick Schreiner

ISBN-13: 9781433574115
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Crossway Books
Released: January 4th 2022

Source: Review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

Book Description, Modified from Amazon:
Some claim that the theological heart of Acts is the spirit, others the Word, others the church, and others Jesus. This book explores Luke's theological emphasis.

The book of Acts is unlike any other in Scripture; it has no rival in terms of a book spanning so many different lands. Written by a Gentile, it recounts the birth of the church age and the lives of early Christians that serve as lasting examples for the church today. When believers see how these events worked together to fulfill God’s promises, they gain a better understanding of the Trinitarian heart of Acts.

In The Mission of the Triune God, author Patrick Schreiner argues that Luke’s theology stems from the order of his narrative. He shows how the major themes in Acts, including the formation of the church, salvation offered to all flesh, and the prolific spread of the gospel, connect. Through Schreiner’s clear presentation and helpful graphics, readers follow the early church as it grows “all under the plan of God, centered on King Jesus, and empowered by the Spirit.”


My Review:
The Mission of the Triune God shows that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were all behind the events that occur in Acts. The writing is academic (in a good way) without being dry or difficult to understand. It's very readable, and the author showed Old Testament connections and how other New Testament verses tied in to events in Acts. These verses provided insights into the events in Acts and brought out some points that Luke was making to his original audience. It helped me to better understand why Luke focused on certain events and how our Triune God was at work. Overall, I'd highly recommend this interesting study of Acts.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.