Favourite Commentaries on Philippians

I have been preaching through Paul's letter to the Philippians this winter/spring, and as I finished the first two chapters, I thought I would share the commentaries that have been the most helpful to me in my sermon preparation.

(First of all, a caveat. All of the commentaries I recommend in this piece are evangelical in their approach to what Scripture means.)

I want to start with an old classic from the late William Hendriksen, written originally in 1962. He is solidly Reformed in his exegesis and application. Hendriksen can be wordy and dry, but Philippians is one of his best commentaries.

For those with a good knowledge of Greek, I recommend Joseph Hellerman's recent volume in the Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament Series (Broadman & Holman, 2015). Hellerman does not go overboard with information, but provides a succinct explanation of clauses and words that is helpful for sermon preparation.

Moises Silva's volume in the Baker Exegetical Series (Baker, second ed. 2005) uses Greek as well, but he provides an English translation at the beginning of each section. Silva is concise, and does not often get lost in the exegetical weeds of the passage in question. He is always mindful of where Paul is leading us in the epistle.

Marcus Bockmuehl has written in the Black's New Testament Series (Hendrickson, 1998). This work is more moderate than any of the others I mention today. The book covers theology very well, and again makes good use of its space.

I need to put Gordon Fee (New International Commentary on the New Testament, Eerdmans, 1995) and G. Walter Hansen (Pillar New Testament Series, Eerdmans, 2009) together. Both are in similar evangelical-critical series, and both have a lot of pages in which to cover a 4 chapter letter. (Fee has 497pp, Hansen 351pp.) Greek is limited to footnotes. Both are readable and leave no stone unturned in their study of the letter. Both of these would be an excellent choice, but if limited to one such volume, pick Hansen which is much more recent.

Last, but certainly not least, is the Mentor Commentary volume from Matthew Harmon (Christian Focus, 2015). This volume combines exegesis and application in a way none of the others do. Each section closes with Suggestions for Preaching and Teaching. This series and volume is quite conservative, but it does combine the various aspects of exposition in a way few others do.

Other helpful works: John Calvin (1548), John Eadie (1858), Dennis Johnson (Reformed Expository Commentary, 2013), Tony Merida & Francis Chan (Christ-Centered Exposition Series, 2016)

Best Commentaries on the Psalms

I have been preaching the Psalms continually in the summer since 2008. In that time I have read a lot of books and used a lot of commentaries on the Psalms.  Today I am going to share my top five (modern) commentaries on the Psalms. These are the ones that I have found to be the most useful. The last few years have seen the release of a number of very good works on the Psalms which have added greatly to my exegesis and exposition of the book.

Let me get out of the way first that there are several classical/pre-critical works that I find particularly helpful.  Augustine’s Expositions on the Psalms, Calvin’s commentary, Spurgeon’s Treasury of David and Plumer’s Studies in the Psalms each bring valuable insights, but they need to be tempered with the more modern critical commentaries.

So, in no particular order:

1) The evangelical classic for many years was Derek Kidner’s 1973 2 volume set in the Tyndale series. Kidner makes the most of his limited space, with concise comments that get to the heart of what each Psalm is about.

2) The replacement volume for Kidner in the Tyndale series is by Tremper Longman III, published in 2014. Each chapter of the Psalms is divided into three sections: context, comment and meaning. Longman’s commentaries are always good, but I prefer Kidner in this case.

3) John Goldingay’s three volume set, published in 2006-08, in the Baker series on the Wisdom Books. Goldingay’s most valuable contributions lie in the Theological Implications that follow each Psalm’s commentary. Goldingay remains focused on the Old Testament context, drawing on Christological themes rarely.

4) Another three volume set is from Allan Ross. Published in 2011-16 in the Kregel Exegetical Library, it is the best of the expositional commentaries. Each Psalm is broken down into the following sections: Author’s translation; composition and context; exegetical analysis (in summary and outline); commentary in expository form; message and application. These volumes show that the Psalms are a part of the Bible meant to be preached.

5) From a liberal-critical perspective, the best commentary is the recently published (2014) volume by three scholars: Nancy L. deClaissé-Walford (Baptist), Rolf A. Jacobson (Lutheran), and Beth LaNeel Tanner (Presbyterian). Published in the New International series, if you need a one volume commentary one suit your needs, this one should be added to your library.

So, for all needs there are wonderful options available. For simple concise commentary, use Kidner or Longman. For critical Old Testament context, Goldingay. For preaching the Psalms, Ross. And for a one volume critical option, deClaissé-Walford et al.

Good Friday

Good Friday service sponsored by the Hartland Minsterial.
"The Seven Sayings from the Cross"

My Recent Preaching History

I have recently filled a memory stick with recordings of my sermons from July 2009 to December 2017. I was filled with nostalgia as I remembered some of the sermon series I have preached in that time. I was minster at two different pastoral charges: Newsom in Glace Bay, NS until December 2012, then Hartland-Jacksonville in rural New Brunswick since then. When the sermons begin I was unmarried, but I was starting to send my sermon recordings to a certain young lady on Grand Manan who would become my wife in 2010. My preaching didn't dissuade her from marrying me, at least.

So what have I preached? I have been dedicated mostly to preaching through various portions of Scripture. I have preached completely through the books of 1 Samuel, Amos, Zephaniah, Matthew, Ephesians, 1-2 Thessalonians and James. I have preached the Abraham Cycle (Gen 12-22), Isaiah's Messianic Prophecies, Songs of Nativity (Luke 1-2), John's I am statements, 1Corinthians 15 and The Seven Churches of Revelation 2-3. To this is added series on Christ the King and the Apostles' Creed, as well as sermons from the church and secular year.The drive also contains a collection of guest preaching assignments at churches of various denominations: United, Anglican, Wesleyan, Baptist.

I have also included my current unfinished sermon series on the book of Acts (includes ch.1-9) and my annual summer series on the Psalms (includes Psalms 12-84).

Some statistics.
Total sermons: 597
Average length: 17 min, 45 sec
Shortest sermon: Christmas Eve 2012 6:13 (Last sermon at Newsom United)
Longest sermon: Testimony at Hartland Wesleyan June 2016 33:05

Reading in 2016 (part two)

Yesterday I started to list the 16 books that impacted me in 2016. Today I follow with the second half. (Read part one here.)

9. Old Paths, New Power by Daniel Henderson. I received this book after a workshop with Henderson at the Moody Pastors Conference in May. Henderson's focus on Acts 6 as the basis for the church in its mission of prayer spoke volumes to me, and led me into a summer of reading on reveival in the books that follow (#10-13)

10. Lectures on Revivals by William Sprague. This 1832 classic includes a series of letters from famous 19th century church leaders on the subject of revival.

11-12. Pentecost Today? and Revival and Revivalism by Iain Murray. Murray's work on revival puts the focus on where it should be, the action of God and the Holy Spirit. He is scathing in his words about those who turn revival into a recipe to be followed.

13. History of the 1859 Ulster Revival. 7 volumes. I am still reading this history, but the story of how a small prayer group of two people affected a whole nation is awe-inspiring. The set does allow the voices of those who are skeptical of the revival to poke through, but it is for the most part a positive treatment. The stories can get repetitive, I will admit.


 Finally three books on various topics
14. Thoughts on Public Prayer by Samuel Miller. This book was written in 1849. I love to read 19th century books on ministry because of the awesome seriousness with which they take their office and their approach to the throne of God on behalf of a congregation. The book left me humbled in my own approach to public prayer.

15. I'll Praise My Maker by Erik Routley. A book on 18th century hymn writers in the Calvinist tradition, it makes the case that a great poet is not necessarily a great hymn writer. It's long discussion of William Cowper and John Newton are the highlights.

16. The Conservative Mind by Russell Kirk. Although I disagree with some of Kirk's statements about Edmund Burke, this book is a wonderful journey through the voices of English and American conservatism. It has caused me to seek out and read other volumes in the upcoming year by W.E.H. Lecky, Henry Sumner Maine and Irving Babbitt.

Reading in 2016 (Part one)

I am a voracious reader. I read for my work as a pastor, and read a lot in my spare time. Sitting with a book, a baroque composer and a single malt scotch is a perfect evening for me. So looking back at 2016 I had a very busy year reading both physical books and e-books on my Kindle. My final total was 177 separate volumes. I do not mean to say I read that much in depth. Some of the volumes only received a scanning read, which is a bit of a cheat I admit.

So with that much verbiage behind me, what books had the most impact on me in 2016. Below I list 16 volumes (or sets) that I will carry with me into 2017 and beyond.

1. Core Christianity by Michael Horton. Horton would be a favourite every year because he writes with an eye to the age in which we live. His focus on the core beliefs of Christianity keeps us away from the polemic fringes that get us distracted and take so much of our church energy in these difficult days.

2. Puritan Theology by Joel Beeke. This is a large volume dedicated to the systematic, biblical and practical theology of the Puritans from the late 16th to the early 18th century.

3. Ecclesiastes by Michael Eaton. This is a short commentary in the Tyndale series but opened up the book of Ecclesiastes for me in ways I never thought of before. (see my post Reading in Ecclesiastes).

My love of biography continued in 2016, and below are several of the lives that I enjoyed reading last year.

4. A Grief Sanctified by J.I. Packer. This includes Richard Baxter's memoir of his wife, and is a wonderful treatment of the Puritan pastoral response to death and grief.

5. J. I. Packer: An Evangelical Life by Leland Ryken. Packer is the grand old man of evangelicalism today, and Ryken shows him in his fights and battles from England to Canada and his fight for the traditional Christian faith.

6. J.C. Ryle: Prepared to Stand Alone by Iain Murray. Murray shares the life of Ryle, a nineteenth century Anglican bishop who stood by himself as the evangelical standard bearer of his day.

7. George Whitefield: The Life and Times of the Great Evangelist of the Eighteenth Century by Arnold Dallimore. This 2 volume set is by an obvious fan of Whitefield, and he seeks to correct the historic record on Whitefield. (Although admittedly at times he overcorrects that record.)

8. Ty Cobb: a terrible beauty by Charles Leerhsen. As a long time baseball fan I found this book on the life of the great hitter eye-opening, and it seeks to set the record straight on the real Ty Cobb, and not the caricature we often imagine.

(Continued tomorrow)

Reading in Ecclesiastes

My daily bible study these days is caught up in the reading the book of Ecclesiastes along with Eaton’s commentary in the Tyndale series. When one reads the book, the first impression is “So depressing.” Ecclesiastes is known for its pessimism about life and justice. And to read it in bits and pieces, that first impression is accurate.

But going deeper into the book, there is one foundational distinction that needs to be made. Life is pessimistic, to be sure …”under the sun.” And life under the sun is deliberately contrasted with life in God. The Preacher, in his writing of Ecclesiastes, makes it clear what sort of life we are to lead. Once we have the knowledge that God is master of all things, then everything we do is to done with joy and contentment.

Will bad things happen? Sure. Will sin go unpunished? Sure. Will the wicked prosper? Sure. But Ecclesiastes lets us know that these are not the permanent things of life. What those who believe in God are called to do is thank God for the gifts of food and drink, companionship and love, and live in the knowledge that God has got this.

I take it to heart that we are called to live joyful and contented lives. But that is difficult for us. I want to say that it is difficult in ministry these days. Dwindling congregations, dwindling influence, dwindling resources. Congregations that exist just for the sake of existing. A spiritual thirst that seeks not to be quenched. Prayers for revival and renewal going unanswered. Long days and longer nights wodering about the church of tomorrow. Needs to be met, but how? 

St. Paul, in Philippians, knew what it was to be in need. He was in prison, apart from the churches and mission he loved so much. He faced persecution and violence that are a far cry from the middle class church issues we face. But what does he write, 

“…I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” 

Philippians 4:11-13 ESV

And this is the message of Ecclesiastes to the one living in faith. Under the sun, everything fails. Greed…fails. Lust…fails. Power…fails. Health…fails. Each of these idols just tries to perpetuate itself. Always looking for more and greater things. I want more money. I want greater pleasure. I want to be skinnier. All of these ultimately lead nowhere except the grave, and you can’t take it with you. 

The Preacher in Ecclesiastes, as Paul in Philippians, says “Be content in what God has given you.” And when the pessimism and darkness comes, as it will, read and re-read what Paul writes in Phil 4:13, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

SDG

Rev.  Michael