NAHUM AND OBADIAH
By Tim Shenton
Day One. 102 pages. £6.00
ISBN 978-1-84625-087-3
Looking for a fresh approach for an evangelistic sermon? Since both these Old Testament prophets, Nahum and Obadiah, had messages directly related to pagan societies, why not dip into them with the help of this excellent verse by verse (almost word by word) commentary, based on the NIV.
It is expositional, using the limited space to explain the text. You will have to work out your own applications, but Tim Shenton offers you hints which can be followed through. For example, on Nahum 3.8: ‘Men may not learn prudence by experience.
99 godless persons perish in their security, and the 100th still thinks his case is a special one and relies on the same props which, under others, have been irremediably broken.’
Or this on Obadiah 4: ‘Therefore their confidence, which rested on the height and strength of their fortresses, was nothing more than vanity. Edom was looking the wrong way (down not up). Being beyond men’s reach, she forgot the incomparable greatness of God.’
There are introductory notes on each book about authorship, dates, background, message and style, along with an outline of their contents. It is one of a series by Day One, Exploring the Bible, and Joshua, Habakkuk and Esther are also available. If they are like this book, they will also be in the conservative evangelical tradition, and helpfully trustworthy.
Clifford Pond,
retired pastor at Cauldwell Hall Road Baptist Church, Ipswich
