Ezra & Nehemiah (Reformed Expository Commentary)

Outstanding

Wonderful

Absolutely the best reformed expository series has another great one. Cannot miss with them.

REVIEW OF DEREK THOMAS’ EZRA & NEHEMIAH (Reformed Expository Series) [P & R Publishing, 2016; 442 pp.]I can still remember back to my earliest days in ministry and hearing a godly Bibleexpositor open up the book of Nehemiah. My head was swimming with walls andconspiracies, Saballat and Tobias, swords and trowels, etc. Nehemiah was obviouslya great leader and God’s crowned his faithfulness and at times fierceness witha real measure of success. A wall was built in record time and Jerusalem waspreserved. But since those early days, my studies and the books I have read haveshown me “the rest of the story” to borrow from radio personality Paul Harvey. [Thisvolume is a case in point. I consider it one of the two or three best commentaries onNehemiah along with Derek Kidner’s volume in the Tyndale Old TestamentCommentary Series and J. I. Packer’s stand alone A PASSION FOR FAITHFULNESS(Wisdom From the Book of Nehemiah).]Pastor and systematic theologian Derek Thomas contributes the 23rd volume is thismost valuable series. I say the series is valuable for two reasons: (1) it consistentlyteaches the text from a covenantal and Reformed viewpoint; and (2) it shows howa pastor today, seeking to preach through this Bible book himself, might responsiblyhandle the text in teachable segments.Like the best Reformed expositors of the Old Testament (Dale Ralph Davis, IainDuguid, Philip Ryken and Alec Motyer come to mind), Professor Thomas has done his homework, has read all the right things but delivers them in a pastoral fashion. Theseare two books of the Bible for the people of God—not just the scholars of God! I readDerek Thomas for my devotions as well as for pastoral preaching preparation.I urge pastors and Bible teachers to buy this volume and indeed, buy the whole series.Church librarians, put these volumes in your church library. Seminary librarians, putthese volumes in your seminary library. Homiletics professors, require your studentsto work through a couple of these volumes in the series to show them how to preachthrough a book of the Bible responsibly.Steve Martin31 years a pastor in AtlantaCoordinator, Association of Reformed Baptist Churches of America (ARBCA)Dean of Students, IRBS Theological Seminary; Texas

The Reformed Expository Commentary is a series that aims to provide a fresh exposition of the Biblical text for today's generation. In the series introduction the series editors (Phil Ryken & Richard Phillips) lay out the four fundamental commitments in this series. They are:To be biblical - that is to pay careful attention to the text and exposit the Scriptures. There is less focus on the original language and structure and more focus on the story that the passage is telling.Unashamedly Doctrinal - this series approaches the text from a Reformed perspective, as found in the Bible.Redemptive-Historical - this means that they believe in the unity and continuity of the Bible, and interpret it in a Christ centered approach for all of Scripture. Practical - by applying the truths found in the Scriptures to contemporary challenges in life.The most recent volume in the series is on Ezra & Nehemiah written by Derek W. H. Thomas. In his Preface Thomas provides a succinct overview of who Ezra and Nehemiah were and how a study of these two books of the Bible can be beneficial for readers today. He states:Ezra and Nehemiah were very different men, with distinct gifts, temperaments, and achievements. Both, however, were equally important in the narrative of advancing the redemptive purposes of God. One was a priest, and the other was a civil servant. One excelled in preaching, and the other demonstrated an exemplary commitment to prayer. Relating the call to work at one of the most exciting periods in Old Testament history - the return from exile in Babylon - the books never fail to captivate the imagination as to what life for the people of God was like in such challenging times. Both Ezra and Nehemiah have much to teach about kingdom life in our time....Ezra was skilled in prayer, but he was wholly devoted to preaching the Word. Nehemiah put the Word of God at the center of the life of the city of Jerusalem, but his book demonstrates how prayerful a man he was. And if the church of our time is to recover and be renewed, commitment to prayer and the Word of God are vital, too.Thomas is very helpful in providing the reader with the historical contexts of these books as he works through them. This context is not only helpful for properly understanding what is taking place in these two books, but also where it fits in the redemptive-historical timeline and for practical application in our day. An example of this can be seen as Thomas answers why it is important for the temple to be rebuilt in Ezra 2. Thomas points out the necessity in Ezra's day and ends with a helpful application for the church today. He states, "the rebuilding of the ruined temple was central to their future. Their identity as the people of God meant nothing unless they could worship in accordance with the way that Moses had laid down and that had been implemented in the first temple. It was for this that they had left their lives in Babylon and returned to the uncertainties of Jerusalem. They had to put God first in thought, principle, affection, and action. For all of God's people, true worship must be placed before any other consideration...God is seeking worshipers - now just as much as then - worshipers who are prepared to put the worship of God before everything else and worshipers who are willing to engage in worship in the way God has set down in his Word....How important is it to us that we worship God as he has designed? What sacrifices would we be prepared to make to ensure its implementation?" This is a perfect example of how Thomas points out the main theme of the text, what is taking place, and also pointing out how it is still so relevant for us today. One only has to look around and see that many things are considered "worship" that cannot be found prescribed in God's Word and the charge in Ezra that Thomas points out is that we must "worship by the book."Thomas' commentary on these two books is presented in a highly readable and engaging way. I always look forward to new volumes of the Reformed Expository Commentary series being released because of their consistency. Regardless of the author this series proves over and over again to be theologically sound and reliable while also providing helpful practical application. Any Pastor, church, or personal library would benefit greatly from having this series, and this volume in particular on it's shelves. Very well written and highly recommended.I received a copy of this commentary from P&R Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Refferred to many other books in the past, but finally got one that is profound and clear. A must have for anyone who has a heart to study the Bible. The reading was so interesting that I had covered Ezra in two days and half way through Nehemiah in another two days.