The 2008 Preaching Survey of Bibles and Bible References

Old Testament

Eugene Merrill’s Kingdom of Priests: A History of Old Testament Israel has come out in a second edition (Baker; pb., 554 pp.). The first edition has been widely appreciated and this second edition is updated with more material on how historical work is to be done.

Genesis, by James McKeown (Two Horizons, Eerdmans; pb., 398 pp.), in keeping with its series devotes half of the book to exegesis and the other half to discussing theological themes including how Genesis contributes to biblical theology. McKeown believes the original readers lived during or shortly after the exile. The theological aim of this series is not accomplished as well here as in the Psalms volume (see below).

James Bruckner’s Exodus (NIBC; Hendrickson; pb., 348 pp.) is a faithful, theological commentary that will be helpful to the preacher. He has a good discussion of the importance of the theology of the book (rather than the prehistory of the text) in the introduction.

Leviticus by Ephraim Radner (BTCB; Brazos; hb., 320 pp.) was not as helpful in its theological reading (the aim of the series). The introductory material is helpful as is the significant use of ancient Christian and Jewish sources, but overall it will not be as useful.

The strength Susan Niditch’s Judges (Old Testament Library, WJK; hb., 290 pp.) is the attention to the power of story. There is a reason why God has given us so much of the Bible in the form of stories and our preaching will be enhanced by more attention to the value of stories. However, the bulk of this commentary is quite technical and critical which detracts from its usefulness.

Two new volumes in The Gospel According to the Old Testament series (P&R) have appeared in this last year: Mark Boda, After God’s Own Heart: The Gospel According to David (pb., 186 pp.) and Dean R. Ulrich, From Famine to Fullness: The Gospel According to Ruth (pb., 180 pp.). These volumes, like the rest of the series, are great resources for doing biblical theology. Each one considers how their portion of Old Testament text points to the fullness of Christ. Boda’s volume takes a more thematic approach dealing with certain aspects of David’s life (e.g., covenant, temple, sin). Ulrich, since he has a specific book, basically walks through the book itself. Both will be very useful for preaching as biblical theology is a great aid in preaching.