Bible – building – beauty

EZRA, NEHEMIAH & ESTHER:
Preaching the Word series
By Wallace Benn
Crossway. 224 pages. £22.99
ISBN 978 1 433 573 491

At their best, IVP’s ‘The Bible Speaks Today’ commentaries were warm, faithful and devotional guides to every book of the Bible. They are a little dated today, so it is with pleasure I worked my way through Wallace Benn’s new ‘Preaching the Word’ commentary on Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther.

It stands in that same excellent tradition of warmth (written in an engaging and friendly way), faithfulness (dealing fairly and accurately with the text) and devotion (speaking to my heart rather than seeking to provide a verse by verse analysis).

To call this a commentary might be to give the wrong impression. True – it comments on the text, but it is not, as many are, dry and dusty. Rather these are the reflections of a wise and loving pastor. I have never been in a church pastored by Benn, nor been one of the many ministers under his care. Nevertheless, I felt the pastoral heart of the author as I read.

This series, published by Crossway, is a bit of a mixed bag – ranging from the truly exceptional to the rather ordinary. But I’m pleased to report that this is one of the stronger volumes. A preacher will benefit from reading it through; but it doesn’t really feel aimed at that narrow market. Rather, it will be of enormous benefit to accompany any believer’s daily devotions (each chapter is relatively short) or to accompany a teaching series in church for any of these three books. A great addition to my bookshelf. And a great help to my heart.