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 PrintableVersion The Wisdom and the FollyAn exposition of 1 KingsNew goldmine for sale!THE WISDOM AND THE FOLLY A top Anglican preacher collared me recently when I was visiting his congregation. He upbraided me saying: 'The latest OT commentary by Ralph Davis has already been out for two weeks and you haven't had a review of it yet in EN!' My Anglican friend's enthusiasm for these commentaries by the Professor from Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi, is absolutely right. No preacher should be without them. No thoughtful Christian can fail to be excited and edified by them. Hence I hurried to get a review copy of this work on 1 Kings. As with his other OT commentaries, the author is able to mix page-turning writing skills which make for easy reading, with the most rigorous and orthodox scholarship. The commendation on the jacket from Dick Lucas declares: 'Is there any learned book or paper on First Kings that this writer has not winkled out?' FearlessDavis provides us with structures which underlie the passages and rebuffs head-on many critical attacks, especially those that come from Deuteronomic history. He moves us with good pace through the biblical text and is not afraid to confront us with its more sobering lessons. He teaches us about the true reason for Solomon's defection from God. He unravels the strange story of the unnamed messenger of God and the old prophet. He explains how Ahijah's prophecy in 1 Kings 14 is programmatic for the whole history of the kingdom of Israel. He throws much light on the reign of the antichrist Ahab and the ministry of Elijah. The over-arching theme of the sovereignty of God comes thundering home to the reader's heart with impressive power. Here's a sample. 'A Baasha eliminates a Nadab. An evil aspirant massacres an evil dynasty. Yahweh uses evil men to annihilate their own kind. Evil Baasha is simply a servant carrying out Yahweh's good word. The text makes a profound point: here you see how subservient evil really is - it is only a slave of Yahweh. What a cut-down for evil and what a bracing encouragement (if she has eyes to see it) for the church.' This commentary will prove a goldmine for many a young preacher and give him confidence that he has got hold of the right handle on the text. Yes, you were right, Anglican friend. But it is difficult to get a review published before a book is available... JEBJohn Benton© Evangelicals Now - April 2002 |
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