By R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
Elegies for the demise of the printed word regularly appear, and observers of the age point to the elevation of the image at the expense of the word. Nevertheless, books continue to sell by the millions and publishers rush to expand their catalogs. Clearly, something is happening. The much-heralded demise of the book has not come to pass. Indeed, when you look around a jetliner cabin or watch persons at the beach, many will be deeply engrossed in a book.
For preachers, books represent far more than literature and interests. In avery real sense, the library is the preacher’s laboratory, repository, and arsenal. The preacher’s study is a refuge from other duties — a place of contemplation, study, reflection, and hard labor and a place where, as Machiavelli once noted, one can have a conversation with the truly great.
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Of course, that means that the books included in the preacher’s library must be chosen with care. Each year brings the release of thousands of titles. Many of these are interesting, most have some justification for their publication, but far fewer are truly worthy of a place on the preacher’s bookshelf.
Publishers understand that preachers are driven by a deep hunger for books of worth, value, and relevance. Over the past year, many truly significant works have been published, and the preacher is sure to find many new friends among this past year’s new releases.
Biblical Studies
Among the most important offerings in the field of Biblical Studies are biblical commentaries — and the past year has seen the release of several significant and noteworthy commentaries on the Bible. Kenneth A. Mathews has produced the second volume of his massive commentary on Genesis. Genesis 11:27-50:26(Broadman and Holman) is published as part of “The New American Commentary”and preachers will welcome the completion of Mathews’ important work. As Mathewsnotes, “For the Christian expositor, the patriarchal history is as of greata consequence as it was for the synagogue.” This is a commentary preachers will find most helpful in explaining and applying the great truths found in the Bible’s first book.
Similarly, preachers will find a tremendous resource in Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory (Crossway) by Philip Graham Ryken. Ryken, Senior Minister at tthe Tenth Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia, is a well-established authorand a powerful expositor. His huge commentary on Exodus (over 1200 pages) combines biblical scholarship with practical application and a keen understanding ofthe text. Ryken understands why Exodus is so important for Christian preaching. “For Jews it is the story that defines their very existence, the rescue thatmade them God’s people. For Christians it is the gospel of the Old Testament, God’s first great act of redemption. We return to the exodus again and again, sensing that somehow it holds significance for the entire human race. It isthe story that gives every captive the hope of freedom.”