Nehemiah: A Pastoral & Exegetical Commentary is written by T.J. Betts and published by Lexham Press. Let me briefly show you why you ought to be reading this book.
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Nehemiah: A Pastoral & Exegetical Commentary
Betts is a professor of Old Testament at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also pastored three churches for over 15 years. He is well qualified to be writing this book for pastors and serious Bible students.
I love two things about this commentary: the tone/approach, and the format.
Tone and Approach
First, the tone and approach. Betts desires to teach the doctrine of the Word of God in order to impact both the mind and the affections. He writes as a pastor who desires to see his people stirred up to worship the Lord as they set their minds on the Word. Betts covers many technical details in the book of Nehemiah, but he does so with the goal of moving the heart to worship. I really appreciate this approach.
Format
Also, I love the format. Each chapter begins with an introduction to the passage at hand. Betts then provides sections on: Structure, Summary of the Passage, Development of the Exposition, Conclusion, and Final Thoughts.
The introduction, structure, and summary of the passage helped me to understand what I was about to dig into within the development of the exposition. They provided the 30,000 foot view of the passage.
The exposition is the longest section of the chapter (rightfully so), and this is where Betts shines the most. However, I don’t want to downplay the significance of the intro, summary, and structure. They are very helpful in providing a framework and context to what is happening in the passage. The exposition contains a lot of technical information that includes dealings with the original languages, culture, language, theological concepts, and more.
The conclusion consists of one page of final thoughts about the passage. It’s usually a very nice summary of the chapter. The Final Thoughts section could probably better be labeled “Review Questions” because that is what it consists of. I found the questions to be very helpful and thought provoking.
Conclusion
Though Betts does indeed deal with technical issues in this book, I think that most lay persons would greatly enjoy this excellent work. I hope that this book finds a wide readership because I’m sure that it will affect people’s love and adoration for the Lord. I have a feeling that Nehemiah is probably largely neglected, and this ought not be. For these reasons, I highly commend this book to you.
Tolle lege, take up and read!
Disclaimer: My thanks to Lexham Press for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own.
Matt became a joyful follower of Jesus at the age of 21. He is very grateful to be a husband to Lindsey, and a father to four boys. He is an ordained minister (teaching elder) in the PCA. He previously served as a pastor of biblical counseling and is currently a corporate chaplain in southern Delaware. Matt received his Master of Divinity degree in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and holds an advanced certification in biblical counseling from the Association of Biblical Counselors. In his free time, he loves playing with his boys, traveling with his wife, and reading (and buying!) books.
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