John Woods reviews L. Michael Morales' Numbers commentaries.
The Book of Numbers is often a deserted stretch of highway on the preacher’s journey, or it is reduced to a swift greatest-hits tour through the more accessible bits. There are two problems for readers of the fourth book of the Pentateuch. First, its name, Numbers – who gets excited by chapter upon chapter of statistics? Secondly, it is a long and complex book that can often be difficult to follow.
Morales reminds us that the better name for the book is: “In the Wilderness”. That more helpfully points us to the spiritual journey aspect of this book, which resonates with the Christian’s journey of following Jesus. Morales is a competent and reliable guide, who can conduct the reader through the complexities of this often-neglected Biblical book.
What did I like about this commentary?
- A clear and concise introduction (74 pages) that sets the Book of Numbers in the context of the rest of the Pentateuch.
- Its format. Each section of the commentary has the following features: fresh translation of the text; notes on the text; form and structure; comment; explanation. This clear format helps the reader to make progress through the book aided by some good charts and diagrams scattered through the text. Morales comes into his own in the explanation section, which draws out connections with other parts of the Old Testament, and the New Testament. Morales reads Numbers with accurately focused bifocal lenses that help him to carefully observe details in the Biblical text but, at the same time, not miss the theological details and connections.
This section also opens up useful avenues of practical application. Morales leaves the reader or preacher with work to do in preparing a sermon, but does provide lots of seed ideas to stimulate thought. - Morales knows his stuff. He seems to have read everything on Numbers, ancient and modern, Jewish and Christian (there are 78 pages of bibliography as well as an extensive index in volume 3). This informs and enriches his interpretation. His excellent work on Exodus and Leviticus has shown his pedigree as a brilliant Old Testament scholar, but this commentary is more than an exploration of the text. Morales has a robust Biblical theology that helps the reader to see the Book of Numbers in the wider sweep of the whole Bible.
A key emphasis of the Commentary is on the formation and theology of the people of God. Morales reflects on the God-centred arrangement of the camp of Israel to make fruitful observations about what it means to be God’s covenant people. - This Commentary is a labour of love. It is the fruit of nearly a decade of research and writing that has clearly had a significant impact on the author. He writes: “My awe of the Lord God and His mercy, my admiration of Moses and insight into the people of God, as well as what true spiritually in the world means, have been reshaped and deepened in inexpressible ways along the nearly ten years of labour on this Commentary.”
In a recent interview, the author was asked whether there were any “Aha” moments while writing the Commentary: “When I had taken on the Commentary work, I thought I knew what the book was about, but – at every turn – discovered that it was much more intriguing, dramatic and beautiful than I could have imagined.”
Any commentary that surprises us by surpassing our expectations and leads to awe, understanding and spiritual formation is always worth the investment of our cash and our time. The two volumes are not cheap, and at 1,216 pages only serious students are going to take the plunge, but I can guarantee that if you do you will not be disappointed.
Book information
- Numbers 1–10, L. Michael Morales, Apollos Old Testament Commentary, ISBN: 978 1 789 744 712, 502 pages, £39.99
- Numbers 20–36, L. Michael Morales, Apollos Old Testament Commentary, ISBN: 978 1 789 745 559, 714 pages, £39.99
