JOEL & OBADIAH
Disaster and Deliverance
By Iwan Rhys Jones
Christian Focus. 126 pages. £8.99
ISBN 978 1 781 916 025
Iwan Rhys Jones has provided the latest addition to the Focus on the Bible commentary series by looking at the themes of disaster and deliverance in the Minor Prophets Joel and Obadiah.
His commentary is very readable; it instantly engaged me with these sections of God’s Word that I have never looked at in depth. The usual questions about date and authorship are addressed, along with helpful summaries of the key themes to look for.
The book clearly and carefully explains the context and meaning of each passage, and no knowledge of Hebrew is assumed. There are helpful little illustrations that fit well with the British context, as well as application questions at the end of each chapter, which are also helpful and thought-provoking, prompting deeper engagement with the text.
I enjoyed reading this commentary because the author takes time to stop and wonder at things we often take for granted. For example, when considering Joel 1.1, ‘Joel was indeed a privileged person in that the word of the Lord came to him… it can be all too easy to miss the enormity of such a thing, namely, that the living God … should address an individual directly.’
A critique would be that I would like to have seen slightly more on how these books relate to Christ and the New Testament. This was explored briefly at the obvious cross-references, but I was sometimes left wanting a little more of this.
However, overall I recommend this book without hesitation – it is worth adding to your shelf when preaching through Joel or Obadiah, or if you simply want to explore the message of these books further.
