Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Samuel

Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Samuel is part of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series. This series affirms that the Bible is a Christ-centered book, containing a unified story of redemptive history of which Jesus is the hero. It’s presented as sermons, divided into chapters that conclude with a “Reflect & Discuss” section, making this series ideal for small group study, personal devotion, and even sermon preparation. It’s not academic but rather presents an easy-reading, practical and friendly commentary. The series is projected to be 48 volumes.

Publisher: B & H
Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9780805499315

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J.D. Greear became the pastor of a church called Homestead Heights Baptist Church in 2002. As a young pastor, he led this 40-year-old, plateaued church of 300 to re-launch itself with a new name and a new vision to reach its community and world with the gospel. Today, more than 8,000 worshippers gather weekly at The Summit Church. Heath A. Thomas (Ph.D., University of Gloucestershire, UK) is dean of the Herschel H. Hobbs College of Theology and Ministry, Associate Vice President for Church Relations, and Professor of Old Testament at Oklahoma Baptist University. His passion is illumining the world of the Bible, especially the Old Testament, so that others might experience the drama of the Scriptures. He is author of Faith Amid the Ruins: The Book of Habakkuk, Poetry & Theology in Lamentations: The Aesthetics of an Open Text, Until He Looks Down and Sees: The Message and Meaning of the Book of Lamentations, editor of A Manifesto for Theological Interpretation (with Craig Bartholomew), Holy War in the Bible: Christian Morality and an Old Testament Problem (with Paul Copan and Jeremy Evans), and Great is Thy Faithfulness? Reading Lamentations as Sacred Scripture (with Robin Parry). Dr. Thomas has served churches in Oklahoma, Texas, North Carolina and the United Kingdom, and was an elder at the Summit Church in the Raleigh-Durham metroplex prior to his move to Oklahoma.

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‘Since my youth I have enjoyed reading the exciting narratives of 1&2 Samuel. Although I can recall the details of those accounts as well as most, I learned from reading Thomas and Greear that my understanding of 1&2 Samuel was in fact shallow. They show how 1&2 Samuel are “one unified and unfolding story” all of which draws us to Christ and fits into his story. They show how the sins that are exposed in 1&2 Samuel are the same ones I see within me and around me today. I personally identified with many of these issues in fresh ways as Thomas and Greear have so ably explained. They elucidate how 1&2 Samuel tell the story of Israel's God extending hope to the world ultimately through his Messiah Jesus. As I write this review, I have read eight commentaries in the Christ-Centered Exposition series. Thomas and Greear's commentary "Exalting Jesus in 1&2 Samuel" is so far my favorite.’ Stan Obenhaus