{Book Review} Isaiah For You

Tim Chester is the author of Isaiah for You, a volume in the “God’s Word For You” series that is produced by The Good Book Company.

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“God’s Word For You” Series

As Carl Laferton (the series editor) mentions in the preface, the aim of this series is to be Bible-centered, Christ-glorifying, relevantly applied, and easily readable. Each volume is written in such a way so that the reader may read, feed, and and/or lead. In other words, this book could be read from cover to cover, or as a daily devotional, or as a resource that assists in preparation to lead others through the study of God’s Word. These are not technical commentaries dealing with original languages or interacting with historical and recent scholarship. However, they are verse by verse expository guides to books of the Bible. Though not intended to be exhaustive in their interaction with the text, they are nevertheless quite thorough in their treatment of each verse. 

Layout and Content of Isaiah For You

Each chapter is divided into 2 parts. As one works through the chapter, each verse is found in bold (making it very easy for those who are using this as a resource to teach). There are also bold headings that help the reader to know what each section of the text is about. I also like the added touch of the indented quotes found on some of the pages. Each chapter includes questions for reflections. Now, please hear me out at this point! Many books provide questions at the end of a chapter. I am guilty of skipping over those questions at times because of how poorly they can be written (not always practical; sometimes too easy, sometimes too complicated; etc.). Chester writes out questions that are actually helpful and useful! Don’t skip over these. Lastly, I just want to mention that there is a glossary included at the back of the book. Every now and then, the reader will come across a word that is gray, indicating that the word is found in the glossary due to it being a word that is not used in everyday language outside of the church. This can be very helpful! 

The book of Isaiah is an incredible book to study! The glory of God and prophecies of the Messiah fill its passages. Chester masterfully walks us through the book of Isaiah and helpfully and clearly explains the meaning of each verse. He helps the reader to see how the Gospel of Jesus Christ is all over the book of Isaiah. For those harder to understand passages, Chester offers explanations that are easy to understand without getting too bogged down in the details. There may be some times that you wish he would go deeper, but that’s not the nature of this series. 

I recommend this volume within the series “God’ Word for You”. I have come to love this series, and it is because of excellent volumes like this one by Chester. Tolle Lege, take up and read! 

Other Book Reviews in the “God’s Word For You” Series:

• 1 & 2 Samuel For You
• 1 & 2 Timothy For You
• 2 Corinthians For You
• Colossians & Philemon For You
• Ephesians For You
• Exodus For You
• Galatians For You
• Hebrews For You
• John For You
• Luke For You
• Philippians For You
• Proverbs For You
• Psalms For You
• Revelation For You
• Romans For You
• Ruth For You
• Titus For You

Disclaimer: My thanks to The Good Book Company for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own.