November 30, 2012 at 2:53 pm | Posted in Book Reviews | 2 Comments
Tags: 1 Kings, book reviews, commentary, cross focused reviews, ep press, pastoral study
A Study Commentary on 1 Kings by John A. Davies
The chance to review this book was quite appealing to me. For one, it was a commentary and they are not usually available to review. Second, it was on a book of the Old Testament that I have read many times and preached some sermons from. Third, I figured I would use it again in the future as I studied or prepared sermons and teaching lessons. So I was looking forward to receiving this commentary.
When I pick up a commentary for the first time I usually look at the table of contents and the bibliography first. Maybe I should say I look at them carefully. Everyone does not start there but that is where I start.
When glancing through the table of contents the reader will notice that every chapter of 1 Kings is covered by its own chapter of study in the commentary. The chapters are studied verse by verse. Definitions and explanations are given to help the student understand the Scripture. The chapters are broken into sections of Scripture. Each section ends with suggested ideas of application.
End notes are used and I am not a big fan of end notes. There are approximately 21 pages of end notes after 1 Kings 22 is covered. The author has certainly done his homework and the reader will benefit from it.
The second thing I look at when considering a study book is the bibliography. This bibliography is approximately 20 pages long. I was quite impressed by the breadth of the author’s research. I am not a scholar, but I am a pastor who is currently working on a doctorate and I appreciate the work that has gone into this volume. The author’s work will benefit the reader.
The following quote is from the preface. “While aimed primarily at pastors and students, the commentary should be of benefit to the general reader who wants to understand better the character of this portion of Scripture — its literary subtlety and surprising theological richness” (p. 9). I do believe this work would be of value to pastors and teachers. It will help them study 1 Kings and complement what may already be in their library.
I do not think the average person who attends church will even pick this book up and look at let alone read it. The subject and the 464 pages would probably frighten them. The only real criticism I have is that my review copy came in pdf form and not an actual book that I could put on my shelf. I do recommend this commentary to pastors and teachers. I received this book for free for review purposes without obligation to give a favorable review.
November 2, 2012 at 1:23 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments
Tags: book review, Christ, cross focused reviews, Desert, symbolism, Tabernacle, typology
Christ and the Desert Tabernacle by J. V. Fesko
It has been a while since I’ve blogged or reviewed a book and I wanted to get started with both again. I was intrigued by the title and thought this would be a good book to start with. I have read the Biblical account of the Tabernacle many times before but I’ve never studied it. So when the book arrived I looked it over and liked what I initially saw.
After picking the time to get started with my reading I made a small pot of El Salvador Teopan Pacamara (www.staufs.com) so I could enjoy two of my favorite things at the same time. The coffee could be a different review for another time. Usually I start looking over a book by going through the table of contents and the bibliography. There are thirteen chapters here and no bibliography. I was a little surprised and looking forward to the read.
The introduction starts the book out well and gives the reader some information on the background of the author and how he came to this study. Then each chapter basically follows the format of a Scripture passage to be read; an introduction to the part of the Tabernacle; an explanation or description of the part; how it applies to us and a conclusion.
Each chapter contains a lot of Scripture references and I am grateful for that. This was a refreshing difference from many recently published books. After reading the book you come away with the thought of knowing what Fesko believes about the Tabernacle. The author even motivated me to pull a couple of other books on the Tabernacle off my bookshelf and read them and compare them to his.
I guess that is the best praise or endorsement I can give this book. Reading it encouraged me to know more about the Tabernacle. The author obviously has a high view of Scripture and its authority in our lives. He also has a balanced view of the typology and symbolism here and how to interpret it through the lens of the New Testament.
With thirteen chapters this book could be used as an adult Sunday School study or small group study. A good teacher would find it user friendly and be able to develop discussion questions for their group study.
I am passing this book on to some individuals in my church so they can read it, learn from it and enjoy it. I would recommend this book for pastors and teachers. I received this book for free from Cross Focused Reviews (www.crossfocusedmedia.com) and was not obligated to give a favorable review.
Take Courage 
Book Review: A Study Commentary on 1 Kings
November 30, 2012 at 2:53 pm | Posted in Book Reviews | 2 CommentsTags: 1 Kings, book reviews, commentary, cross focused reviews, ep press, pastoral study
A Study Commentary on 1 Kings by John A. Davies
The chance to review this book was quite appealing to me. For one, it was a commentary and they are not usually available to review. Second, it was on a book of the Old Testament that I have read many times and preached some sermons from. Third, I figured I would use it again in the future as I studied or prepared sermons and teaching lessons. So I was looking forward to receiving this commentary.
When I pick up a commentary for the first time I usually look at the table of contents and the bibliography first. Maybe I should say I look at them carefully. Everyone does not start there but that is where I start.
When glancing through the table of contents the reader will notice that every chapter of 1 Kings is covered by its own chapter of study in the commentary. The chapters are studied verse by verse. Definitions and explanations are given to help the student understand the Scripture. The chapters are broken into sections of Scripture. Each section ends with suggested ideas of application.
End notes are used and I am not a big fan of end notes. There are approximately 21 pages of end notes after 1 Kings 22 is covered. The author has certainly done his homework and the reader will benefit from it.
The second thing I look at when considering a study book is the bibliography. This bibliography is approximately 20 pages long. I was quite impressed by the breadth of the author’s research. I am not a scholar, but I am a pastor who is currently working on a doctorate and I appreciate the work that has gone into this volume. The author’s work will benefit the reader.
The following quote is from the preface. “While aimed primarily at pastors and students, the commentary should be of benefit to the general reader who wants to understand better the character of this portion of Scripture — its literary subtlety and surprising theological richness” (p. 9). I do believe this work would be of value to pastors and teachers. It will help them study 1 Kings and complement what may already be in their library.
I do not think the average person who attends church will even pick this book up and look at let alone read it. The subject and the 464 pages would probably frighten them. The only real criticism I have is that my review copy came in pdf form and not an actual book that I could put on my shelf. I do recommend this commentary to pastors and teachers. I received this book for free for review purposes without obligation to give a favorable review.