Matthew: A Devotional Commentary
937648
I find the book explains the bible to me in a new way and helps me understand it a little better.
2546093
Every time I would look at commentary regarding hard to understand scripture I always resonated with Matthew Henry. So, I decided to purchase this gigantic book for myself. I love his deep insight, simple wisdom and logic in explaining and expanding on the scriptures. It was written many years ago so the literary style is not what we are used to which makes it hard to follow. It just takes a little more time and concentration but it's well worth it.
There is no substitute for reading and meditating on God's pure word and gaining insight and wisdom through prayer and the Holy Spirit but this commentary and another one called Believer's Bible Commentary by William Mcdonald are my go to books for bible study.
1029885
The author fascinates the reader by intertwining verses from the bible with insight and thoughtful explanation as to the meaning and the impact the verse has on the developing story of Jesus. An interesting read for anyone who wants to know more about the life and time on Jesus.
3472538
Shalom in Psalms is a sort of devotional commentary. The words to each psalm are printed out, from the Tree of Life Version ( a Messianic Jewish translation from the Jewish Family Bible Society), followed by a brief devotional reflection. These are generally two or three pages long, though a short psalm like Psalm 117, only warrants a paragraph and a long psalm like Psalm 119 has 9 pages of devotional notes. The authors comment on the text, make canonical connections with Torah and to Jesus the Messiah, and to the contemporary Messianic community.

The three authors, Jeffery Seif, Glenn Blank and Paul Wilbur take turns writing the reflections for each psalm (often Seif or Blank, with some Wilbur). The three men bring together linguistic scholarship, pastoral concern, and insight into worship. Wilbur is an artist and worship leader. Blank is a pastor, the Rabbi of Beit Simcha in Allentown, and a Bible translator. Seif is the project manager for the Messianic Jewish Family Bible Project.

There is a lot to like about this book. The translation and notes are designed to reflect both the Jewish particularity of the Psalms and to highlight ways that the text points forward to Jesus the Messiah. They handle the text and the various genres well (i.e. lament psalms, psalms of praise, royal psalms, psalms of thanksgiving, wisdom psalms). They deal difficult themes (like the baby bashing in Psalm 137) with pastoral sensitivity. The explore the setting of life in the Psalms and draw connections to today. Wilbur especially shares stories from his songwriting and the worshipping community.

As a devotional commentary, this is pretty good. The Bible nerd in me wishes they discussed their translation method and their text-critical decisions for particular verses (i.e. 'kiss the son' or 'kiss his feet' in Psalm 2:12 is one text critical passage where modern translations are divided. The TLV follows the BHS with 'kiss the Son' but it would be fun to see how they weigh the textual evidence). I realize this is a devotional pitched at non-scholars so text criticism is outside of their purview. But with the TNV translation, some textual notes would be a nice addition.

This is a nice devotional to delve deeper into the world of the psalms and what they have to teach us about the life of prayer (from a Jewish Christian perspective). I give it four stars.

Note: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
320756
Clear and thorough, Andy [as we IVCF folk call him] LePeau's commentary on the Gospel of Mark is not as much a typical theology-and-implications commentary than it is a typological-and-referential one. In short, Andy isn't writing this commentary to provide some groundbreaking entrance into the theology of Mark; he's here to stir our imaginations and reveal the grandiose beauty of Mark's Gospel itself. And that type of task is less common in our current hunger and thirst for the "new," "flashy," and "exciting."

Maybe that's part of what draws me to Andy's commentary. There's a palpable humility of it that speaks to the inductive Bible study method upon which the book is built. It's the type of hermeneutical / theological humility that allows an author to reveal what is concealed in a text, bringing the reader's attention wholly to that text, rather than to the academic estoricisms of the author. One early reviewer said that Andy makes the Gospel of Mark come alive and full of vibrant color; that is true, but he also makes the text at the center-stage, honoring its complexities, revealing its intricacies, and highlighting its structures.

The casual reader of the Gospels (or the Bible in general) often thinks of the Gospel of Mark as "the short one," "the easy one," or "the straightforward one." Andy blows that thesis into tiny little bits, even in the first chapter. It can be all-too-easy for us (hyper-literal American Christians) to miss out how, for instance, Mark clearly connects Jesus calming the storm with the Spirit of God hovering over the deep in Genesis, or it is all-too-easy for us to attempt to apply Jesus' judgments on the Temple Mount to some dispensational description of the End of Days, when (as Andy demonstrates) the parable of fig tree interprets Christ's End-Times discourse.

In fact, by the time one finishes walking through Mark under Andy's guidance the reader inevitably will realize that Mark's Gospel is massive, chock-full of claims that the reader never knew were there in the first place. Certain puzzles become clearer (like Jesus' interaction with the Syrophoenician woman), but other questions become bigger: What is the problem with the loaves? Why does Jesus spend so much time railing against the Second Temple? Andy proposes some preliminary answers to these problems, but he is far more content to reveal them than prescribe a pat response.

Exceptional in this commentary is Andy's regular recourse to discussing the structure of Mark's Gospel. For New Testament scholars and students alike, the problem of structure (and especially the chiasmus) is a perennial tug-of-war between text, context, subtext, and metatext, and typically the straight-reading wins out. This is often the case in the reading of Romans, where several discernible chiastic structures could be traced out but they seem to be more stylistic and aesthetic than functional. The text itself points to what the structure confirms as its climax and highest points; in some sense, one does not need to recognize Romans' chiasms in order to rightly identify its points and purposes. Bur Mark's Gospel is different: it is actually very easy to miss out on how chiastic structures interpret the text around them. Andy breaks these down (relying on the IVCF-famous Mark document written by a certain Fred Bailey) in a way that is reasonable and well-articulated, allowing for even the newbie student of the New Testament to enjoy the complex rhetoric of Mark's Gospel.

All around, this commentary is a great resource for both Bible study and preaching, and it is a veritable must for any scholars studying the Gospel of Mark. I found the application sections to be a little more hit-and-miss, but even then my sense was that the ones I didn't quite identify with would have been valuable and helpful for other believers. I would recommend it as both an excellent reference for the Gospel of Mark as well as a great introduction to the hermeneutic problem of the intertextuality of the New Testament and the Old Testament.
2012924
Matthew 1-7 is an elegantly written exegetical study of Matthew's Gospel. In the introduction, Davies and Allison contend that this gospel was written somewhere between 70-100 AD, and that it cannot be pinned down to a specific genre. They do not stand with the scholars who teach that Matthew is historically all the way through. But neither can they agree with those on the far left who think that Matthew is completely fictional. They observe that Matthew has elements of biography, myth, history, and apocalyptic.

They state that the genealogy in Matthew 1 was deliberately crafted by Matthew to make the theological point that Jesus was of the lineage of David. They also stress forefully that even though the story of Christ's birth in Matthew 1:18-2:20 is powerful and evocative, most of it must be regarded as myth. They think it highly unlikely that the Magi would have known about the birth of the Jewish baby reputed to be a messiah figure.

Instead, Davies and Allison work hard to show that the infancy stories of Jesus incorporate heavily from haggadic stories about the life of Moses.

The Beatitudes in Matthew 5 borrow heavily from Old Testament texts, and the mountain setting of the Sermon on the Mount also recalls the life and ministry of Moses.

I should also say that there are few things related to the book of Matthew that Davies and Allison haven't thought deeply about. I am much more optimistic about the historicity of the material constituting the infancy narratives, and the authors even admit that King Herod's words and deeds in Matthew are consistent with what we know of his character (or lack of thereof).

In the introduction, I was hoping for more of a discussion on the theology of Matthew, but the authors felt strongly about saving much of this discussion for the end of the commentary, after they have hadmore of a chance to grasp Matthew's theology.

Though I might demur at someof the specifics within the body of the commentary. I found it to be so well written and so engrossing that I didn't care. I realize that this is a very expensive three volume commentary set, but this is a good example of getting what you pay for. If you can spring the cash, buy this, because it will repay you again and again over the course of your ministry.
705736
This commentary is an insightful analysis of the Bible. It has given me a new perspective on many of the meanings of the books of the Bible, and of the background of the people whom God spoke through in writing the books of the Bible.
1695729
Matt Chandler does an excellent job examining Paul's letter to the Philippians and connecting this letter to other events in the Bible.  A valuable companion to any study of this book of the Bible.
1663805
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I pastor a church in Montana and we are hoping the whole church will use it for a study guide as we study Matthew together.
The scholarship in the book is excellent. But beyond that what I really have enjoyed is the way the book reminds me personally that I am in a partnership with the King. Whether you have never read the gospel of Matthew, or if you have read it a hundred times; Partnering with the King will encourage, enlighten, and inspire.
2955206
Nice comparisons between David's life and the Psalms he wrote.
The author makes nice connections to the appropriate New Testatment passages as well.
It is not only a history of David but presents some good thoughts for a devotional type of reading.
4538476
It's wonderful to have this work on Kindle. Matthew Henry managed to comment on the entire bible and even today his commentary is insightful and even humorous at times. It's a chance to delve into the thinking of one man who wrote it all down over a century ago. He thought of things that you probably won't see in anyone else's work.
2449991
Barclay brings in a host of literary references as well as biblical tracks from other scripture to shed light on the gospel of Matthew. I look forward to learning every day from Barclay's commentary.
3549720
The Beatitudes are perhaps the most memorable section of Jesus' most famous sermon -- the Sermon on the Mount. But understanding what the Beatitudes are is not as easy as memorizing these short, poignant declarations. Is Jesus calling us to obey the Beatitudes -- to live the life described as blessed? Or is this description of unparalleled righteousness meant to bring us to the end of ourselves? Another way of looking at the problem is asking whether the Beatitudes are intended to guide us into a do-able ethic, or if they are meant to stop us from any pursuit of self-righteousness?

If you are looking for your Bible so you can review the Beatitudes anew, R.W. Glenn would be happy. He is the author of a new book which explores these very questions. "Crucifying Morality: The Gospel of the Beatitudes" (Shepherd Press, 2013) is a provocative look at the Beatitudes in a new light. And what Glenn gives us in this book is a gospel-centered, grace-filled romp through this most familiar portion of Scripture.

Glenn's book is a devotional exploration of each of the eight Beatitudes. He finds the gospel on full display behind and through each of them. Ultimately, he concludes that Jesus ultimately embodies the Beatitudes - and since we are united by faith to Jesus, we are blessed through his perfect obedience.

Glenn writes with an eye for grace over and against moralism but doesn't speak down to the unenlightened. He aims to inspire and instill hope rather than merely complain about how others are interpreting the Beatitudes. His writing is lucid and clear, even if the truths he drives home are often convicting. But Glenn brings us to Jesus over and over again, and for that he is to be thanked.

Glenn's writing style and focus on Christ shine through in this brief quote:

"If you come to Christ's table having already stuffed yourself with your own righteousness, you will starve yourself and never know the satisfaction of the gospel. But if you come to this table with an appetite for Christ's righteousness, it is yours. Bring your appetite and feast at the table of the comprehensively perfect righteousness of Christ, and you will be satisfied. (Kindle Location 1007)"

This book is suited well for small groups and Sunday School classes, and includes a variety of application questions at the end of each chapter. Plus, it is not an overly long book and leaves much that can be fleshed out in group discussion. I encourage you to pick up a copy of this book and spend some time working out the gospel implications of the Beatitudes for yourself.
3312851
This book brands itself as illuminating words of Jesus. It is actually a devotion. The author, Countryman,  starts his book with a short Introduction. Then he launches into his first verse. It is followed by a page of thoughts about the verse. And he similarly spreads his content across 100 verses. Countryman follows every verse with thoughts about it. These thoughts are meant to challenge the reader to apply the verses to his/her life. This is a small volume. The cover is true to the title and is red in color. Each verse is in red text. Red ridges appear at the top of each page of meditations for the verses.

I must say I was disappointed when the book arrived. I had waited for it believing that it would pick chosen verses apart, give details on the historical background of each verse, and then personalize these passages for application. This was because the headline to this book seemed to indicate this. Instead, I discovered that it is simply another devotional. A pretty good devotional. But still a devotional. I had no intention of reviewing another devotional. The theology of this devotional is good as it is solidly based on the Bible. It doesn't make any use of psychology or make any modern comparisons with modern-day people or modern-day issues. Avoided are controversial issues like abortion or same-sex marriage. It's great as a way to get into the Word as it can be hard to do that without guidance. But the shortness of the devotions gives the silent message that unresolved personal issues and spiritual needs can be resolved by simply looking to God.

I recommend this book for Christians. Especially I recommend it for those who don't like to read or have little free time. It may help ground new believers in the CHristian faith. The volume may not be enough for more seasoned Christians who hunger more theology and actual historical context to each chosen verse. And it does not yield its meaning to those who don't identify as believers in Jesus.

I have received a complimentary copy of this book through BOOKLOOKBLOGGERS in exchange for my honest review of this book. I was not required to give a positive review of this book.
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<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Mark-The-Ancient-Christian-Commentary-on-Scripture/dp/0830814183/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Mark (The Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture)</a>

The Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture is a unique commentary series. Scholars and computer technology comb the writings of ancient Christian writers on particular books of the Bible. It is considered to be an ecumenical project with general editor Thomas C. Oden. This series, which receives high praise from J.I. Packer, Richard J. Neuhaus and Bruce M. Metzger, is an attempt to bring awareness and understanding to Christians concerning ancient beliefs.

Scholars familiar with ancient Christian writings offer hand-selected portions of these texts. I recently received my review copy on The Gospel of Mark, free of charge, from InterVarsity Press. There are 284 pages. Besides the commentary there is an introduction to Mark, biographical sketches, timeline on the writers of the patristic period, an index of contributing ancient authors as well as an appendix: Method of Investigation into the Early Exegesis of Mark.

Oden and company suggest that "the early church widely regarded the author of Mark's Gospel as the authentic voice and interpreter of Peter." (pg. xxi) The earliest ancient writing confirming Markan authorship is Papias (AD 60-130). Eusebius and Jerome would both agree to Markan Authorship.

Eusebius records this account and says "But now we must add to the words of [Papias] which we have already quoted the tradition which he gives in regard to Mark." (pg. xxi). Africa, Asia and throughout the northern Mediterranean have several Christian texts quoting the Gospel of Mark from early times. The view that Matthew and Luke share literary dependency on the writings of Mark is an idea that did not develop in full form until around the nineteenth century. Oden and Co. also suggest that Markan priority is debatable since "there are notable proponents of the dependence of Mark on Matthew." (pg. xxix)

This commentary purposely omits addressing the textual issues surround the long or shorter ending of Mark. Instead, it simply gives the citations of ancient writers in order to determine how they interpreted this text. Scholars such as Maurice Robinson argue for the longer ending while Daniel Wallace argues against.

The Apostolic Constitutions, a fourth century writing, quotes vss. 17-18 in their entirety. They suggest, "these gifts were first bestowed on us the Apostles when we were about to preach the gospel to every creature. Later they of necessity were afforded to others who had by the apostles come to believe. It is clear that these gifts were not given for the advantage of those who perform them, but for the conviction of unbelievers, that those whom the word did not persuade, the power of signs might put to shame." (pg. 239)

This commentary set can be appreciated by the layperson and the careful academic alike.
3104975
Excellent commentary for upper level undergrad or seminary level course on Mark or the Gospels. Beavis focuses particularly on the Hellenistic context of Mark's Gospel and sheds fresh light on the biblical narrative, even if one does not always agree with her reasoning. This commentary, like all the Paideia volumes, has delightful text boxes that focus the readers' attention on key issues related to cultural or socio-religious aspects of the milieu of the Gospel.

It's required reading for a class I'm teaching in a seminary this Fall.
961687
There are two month's worth of short, daily devotions centered around the theme of Grace in this book that features the thoughts of popular authors such as Elyse Fitzpatrick, Scotty Smith, Paul David Tripp, Steve Brown, Bryan Chappell, David Zahl, Ray Ortlund, Matt Chandler, and J.D. Greear.  Many focus on the same short Biblical passage for several days in a row.

The way it is set up, each day has a title for the reading, a scripture verse(s), thoughts by the author and then a closing thought to ponder for that day.  Nicely done.

** I received a complementary digital copy in exchange for an honest review.