Job Simply Explained
By Derek Thomas
Welwyn Commentary Series. Evangelical Press. 352 pages. £9.95
ISBN 0 85234 336 1
Derek Thomas has provided us with a welcome addition to the Welwyn Commentary series, which will not only be of value to the pastor, but will also be extremely useful to all believers as an aid to devotional Bible study.
'What we need is a simple commentary on Job that the average reader can understand.' These words prompted the author to write The Storm Breaks with the objective that the average reader might grasp the overall message of the book and benefit devotionally. In this commentary, which is written in a non-technical and easy to read style, Mr Thomas has certainly achieved his objective.
Job brings us face to face with the problem of suffering in the lives of God's children and, while the author acknowledges that the book does not provide us with easy answers, he is, nevertheless, able to bring many helpful and relevant lessons to assist the believer in facing suffering.
The commentary is divided into 26 chapters, each of which contains an explanation of the text, together with devotional application to living the Christian life. They are of suitable length to be well managed in a period of personal Bible study.
The arguments of Job's comforters are rather tedious and repetitive, but Mr Thomas overcomes this by including a helpful summary of the speeches and Job's replies in each of the chapters. We are helped to see that the key message of Job is the persevering faith of the Lord's servant under extreme suffering.
In a day when many are being led astray by an easy believism that promises health, wealth and prosperity, it is vitally important that the believer understands the right response to suffering.
Job is a key book in helping us face up to this whole issue and Derek Thomas has provided us with a commentary which will open up this book in a very practical way for the 'average reader'.
