Upcoming Titles in the series

Old Testament

ESTHER & RUTH by Iain M. Duguid | Pages: 224 | List Price: $17.99

About: Does God help those who help themselves? That may seem to be the message of the Books of Esther and Ruth. Some think that Ruth’s attractiveness won over Naomi and Boaz, or that Esther’s bold faithfulness saved her people. But a closer reading shows an embittered Naomi to have abandoned the Promised Land and God’s people, and Esther to have become thoroughly assimilated to the culture and values of Persian society.

In Esther, God works in invisible ways to save his people. In Ruth, God’s grace comes to Naomi unexpectedly, and with it, a depiction of redemption for her people. In both books, a gracious and sovereign God works through flawed individuals—unable even to help themselves—to rescue his people and prepare for the coming of Christ.

About: The books of Ezra and Nehemiah tell a vital story of a community revived and restored by God’s grace through gifted individuals—preparing the way for the coming Messiah. In his practical and devotional expository commentary, pastor-theologian Derek W. H. Thomas shows what this gripping narrative can teach us about kingdom life in our own time. In their different ways, Ezra and Nehemiah both prioritized the Word of God and the practice of prayer. If the church of our day is to recover and be renewed, Thomas argues, these commitments are just as vital for us as well.

ECCLESIASTES by Douglas Sean O’Donnell | Pages: 272 | List Price: $22.99 | Kindle | iTunes/ePub

About: Ecclesiastes raises questions that haunt everyone to some degree. We live in a busy world, but does our busyness have a purpose? Or will the tyranny of time render all our labor pointless? If our efforts are doomed by death, how are we supposed to live in the meantime?

Douglas O’Donnell turns to Ecclesiastes to show us that lives of seeming futility “under the sun” become filled with joy and meaning if we live “under the rule of the Son.” O’Donnell argues that wisdom literature is best seen through the teachings of Jesus, who said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). Here learn from Ecclesiastes to find meaning in life by abandoning illusions of self-importance, putting aside all pride, and embracing divine wisdom.

SONG OF SONGS by Iain M. Duguid | Pages: 216 | List Price: $22.99 | Kindle | iTunes/ePub

About: To many of us, Song of Songs is a puzzling book. Often we’re not sure whether we should read it as romantic poetry or as allegory, and an answer either way raises new questions. Why is a love poem a whole book of the Bible? If it’s allegorical, what are we to make of the imagery used? And if we’re not married or dating, should we be reading this book at all?

As a part of Scripture, Song of Songs is God-breathed and useful to instruct allChristians, single or married, divorced or widowed, straight or struggling with same-sex desires. Pastor-scholar Iain Duguid steers a middle way between allegorical and literal approaches, showing that this book’s celebration of the love between a man and woman can not only shape our thinking about human relationships but also give us profound insight into the love that Christ has for his bride, the church.

DANIEL by Iain M. Duguid | Pages: 256 | List Price: $22.99

About: The book of Daniel is both familiar and unfamiliar to many Christians. The stories of the fiery furnace and Daniel in the lion’s den are the staples of children’s Bible story books and Sunday school classes. Yet the latter chapters of Daniel’s vision are more unfamiliar and daunting to most believers, who may have been exposed to a variety of end-times speculations constructed from an amalgam of these texts and others drawn from elsewhere in the Bible.

But Iain M. Duguid reminds Christians that Daniel gives us more than moral lessons or a prophetic timetable. The whole of the book points us to Christ, whether as the one greater than Daniel who has perfectly lived an exilic life of service and separation for us or as the exalted heavenly Son of Man who took flesh amongst us.

JONAH & MICAH by Richard D. Phillips | Pages: 400 | List Price: $29.99

About: Jonah is a figure of such contemporary features that he could be a member of one of our churches. Moreover, Jonah reminds us that the chief characteristic of redeemed people is not that they never sin, for sadly we still do, but that they are ready to repent of their sin when reminded of God’s grace.

The prophet Micah lived several generations later than Jonah. Whereas God called Jonah to cry out to the wicked idolaters in Nineveh, he called Micah to cry out against the wicked sinners of Jerusalem. Unlike the earlier prophet, who wrestled against God’s gospel message for pagan unbelievers, Micah was brokenhearted in his fervent desire for Jerusalem to repent and believe.

What this means is that a study of Jonah will connect us with our mission to the world. A study of Micah will inform us to face our challenges within today’s church.

ZECHARIAH by Richard D. Phillips | Pages: 368 | List Price: $29.99

About: The book of Zechariah records the prophetic message of Zechariah to the community that had returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile and was charged with rebuilding the temple and city. But the physical return was meant to prompt a spiritual and theological return to faith in the Lord.

Zechariah called the people to such a true return and reassured them of the Lord’s willingness to receive them and restore to them the promised blessings. It is a book with an eschatological perspective of special value to Christians today who labor for reformation and long for revival.

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Topical

THE INCARNATION IN THE GOSPELS by Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, Daniel M. Doriani | Pages: 240 | List Price: $22.99

About: This seasonal addition to the Reformed Expository Commentary series presents twelve biblically and theologically grounded Christmas messages, as the authors explore the canonical teaching on the birth of Jesus Christ in the gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John.

As a sample of the exposition found in the series, this volume is accessible to both pastors and lay readers. Each commentary gives careful attention to the biblical text, is doctrinally Reformed, focuses on Christ through the lens of redemptive history, and applies the Bible to our contemporary setting.

In addition, this volume includes four special appendices of Advent material and worship aids useful in the planning of a Christ-centered Christmas service. With five new carols, essays and reflections on the Advent season, and a program of lessons and carols, this material is valuable to any pastor or worship leader seeking meaningful ways to celebrate the coming of Christ during the season commemorating his birth.

All Christians seeking a deep, worshipful, and gospel-centered Advent season will benefit from the insight and worship material in this helpful commentary.

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New Testament

MATTHEW (2 VOLUME SET) by Daniel M. Doriani | Pages: 1,200 | List Price: $59.99

About: With its rich teaching on discipleship, the gospel of Matthew is a wellspring of instruction on Christian living. Its use of the Old Testament also shows how old covenant promises are fulfilled in the new and how the law of Moses exercises its authority today.

Daniel Doriani, a pastor and scholar recognized for his works on biblical interpretation, pays careful attention to the structure, backgrounds, and grammar of Matthew in order to furnish pastors and students of the Word with the Christ-centered commentary and the personal and corporate applications they need. Each chapter of this two-volume work seeks to express Matthew’s original intent in ways that evoke his distinct voice and thereby fulfill the goal of Matthew’s gospel—making disciples by forming the mind, heart, and hands of believers.

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LUKE (2 VOLUME SET) by Philip Graham Ryken | Pages: 1,488 | List Price: $59.99

About: Written after Jesus’ earthly ministry had come to an end, when word of his teachings and actions had spread to those who had never seen him firsthand, Luke is “the Gospel of Knowing for Sure.” Luke tells us that he wanted to provide an orderly account of the life of Jesus that would help people be more certain of the good news of his death and resurrection.

The purpose of this commentary is to make Luke’s message clear for a contemporary audience by explaining, illustrating, and applying its truth to everyday life, with the hope that readers will understand the gospel and come to full assurance of salvation, as Luke intended. If an account of Jesus’ life was needed in Luke’s time, how much more acutely is it needed in ours—and Luke’s gospel stands as ready as ever to fill this need.

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JOHN (2 VOLUME SET) by Richard D. Phillips | Pages: 1,488 | List Price: $59.99 | Kindle | iTunes/ePub

About: John’s Gospel distinguishes itself among the four Gospels by its thorough discussions of single topics and by embedding its teaching material in conversations. Its approach allows for detailed exposition of doctrines and concepts, and also for practical application to the reader’s life.

Richard Phillips highlights the apostle’s chief focus on the deity of Christ, the gospel witness of the church, and salvation through faith in Jesus. He shows the person and work of Christ with biblical clarity and pastoral insight and demonstrates how evangelistic appeals should be modeled. His scholarly, sequential study of each passage is ideal help for preparing sermons, while the nontechnical language makes the book suitable for Bible teachers and devotional reading.

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GALATIANS by Philip Graham Ryken | Pages: 312 | List Price: $24.99

About: The book of Galatians was written for recovering Pharisees. By trying to base their standing with God on their spiritual performance, the Galatians were in danger of denying the gospel. They needed to hear again the liberating message that we are justified not by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.

The church today needs to embrace that same gospel message. “We are legalists by nature,” Philip Ryken writes, and Galatians “challenges many of our preconceptions about what it means to have a right relationship with God.”

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EPHESIANS by Bryan Chapell | Pages: 400 | List Price: $29.99

About: The apostle Paul wrote to the house churches of the ancient metropolis of Ephesus with this amazing truth: through such as you the purposes of Christ will fill the world; he is transforming all things for you and through you. For this collection of churches in a culture antagonistic to the gospel, the apostle Paul pens themes so grand they can still take our breath away, and they often move the apostle to doxology and prayer.

Bryan Chapell, noted preacher and teacher of preaching, unfolds Paul’s glorious description of how the triumph of the church will occur and what our roles are in Christ’s ultimate victory. When we lift our eyes beyond personal borders to share even a glimpse of Paul’s expansive vision, then we, too, will join his doxology for God’s amazing grace that saves individuals, empowers the church, and through both, transforms the world.

About: “Few studies can be more profitable to Christians today than that of the Epistle to the Hebrews,” says Richard Phillips. “Written . . . to a group of Jewish Christians facing persecution in the mid-first century A.D., the words of this book speak to Christians everywhere about standing firm in Jesus Christ.”

Hebrews captures the challenges and pitfalls of people throughout the ages and shows both why and how to press on in the faith. Its message of warning and hope centers on the surpassing supremacy of Jesus, seen often from the vantage point of the Old Testament.

JAMES by Daniel M. Doriani | Pages: 240 | List Price: $22.99

About: The book of James is both beloved for its practical wisdom and debated as to its relationship to Paul’s gospel. It offers concrete counsel on trials, poverty and riches, favoritism, social justice, the tongue, worldliness, boasting, planning, prayer, illness, and more. But in doing so, it exposes our inability to measure up to God’s standard.

Daniel Doriani, a pastor and scholar recognized for his works on biblical interpretation and application, resolves the tension between the wide-ranging practical commands of James and the centrality of faith in the Christian life. While James may not articulate the doctrine of atonement through the death and resurrection of Jesus, James does present Christ in his own way. Here Doriani shows us how. He thus helps us to apply the wisdom of James in a way that is rooted in grace.