b'BIBLICAL COMMENTARIESJEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONSDUANE GARRETT & CALVIN F. PEARSON KERUX COMMENTARY SERIESKERUX COMMENTARIESJeremiah and Lamentations approaches two historically related yet lit-erarily distinct books of the Old Testament, carefully attending to theirK erux commentaries enable pastors and teachers to understand and effectively present the main message in every biblical text. Every composition and application. Garrett and Pearson draw out the crucialvolume is written by an expert in biblical exegesis and an experienced homiletician in partnership. The result is a commentary that themes and structures of Jeremiah: the hope of eschatological salvation nestled in the center of an expertly crafted exploration of human sin inis focused on biblical insights for biblical teaching, with communication strategies and illustrations that are powerful and engaging.all its blindness, perversity, and persistence. Lamentations wrestles withEach volume is divided into distinct preaching segments, in which the authors guide the reader through a well-tested sequence: exe-the unanswered questions of a community in exile, sobered by judgmentgetical analysis, theological focus, and teaching strategy. Based on the text-driven Big Idea preaching model, Kerux enhances the readers and wondering whether God intends to abandon Israel entirely. Garrettability to deliver a message that is biblical, cohesive, and dynamic.and Pearson examine both Old Testament texts through the lens of Jesus, clarifying the parallels and fulfillments essential for Christian preaching. EXEGETICALTHEOLOGICALPREACHING/ Duane Garrett (PhD, Baylor University) is John R. Sampey ProfessorANALYSIS FOCUS TEACHING STRATEGY of Old Testament Interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has written or cowritten numerous books or commentaries on the Old Testament and Hebrew language, including The Problem of the Old Testament. Introduction to the Wisdom PsalmsIntroduction to the Wisdom Psalms Proverbs (Hebrew; cf. NIV) Amen-em-ope (Egyptian; 12001000 B.C.) tel efv eplsaatlomrys(niso a Th uontl ikhea vteh et oCanoararyn itief st, htehireGHoed- ecrtmio nR o t pbpelcieadu steotha ecye ratlaoinnecaorle-breewresf odried,n wCalvin F. Pearson (PhD, University of Texas at Arlington) is a recently23:4 Do not ruin yourself seeking riches Ch. 7; linesWork only for necessities revelation, which is another term applicable towould be ruling tomorrow, if his reign might 25:2122 Feed your enemy and God wil reward you 1314 Feed fools until they are ful . . . andl allm Scmruipntiucraet,iso nlat)b ewchaauteovmer,amneda ntesa)c thhings. Inb ovoerrtsuhripnped by a competitor god, leavingg2:5 ashamed coGod bu (b y, wisd se they involvea td iisv irnee-thee w of the eor noflni ctth ea nwdr otnhgesgidoed(twhheo l oissi nin retired pastor and still serves the Lord through writing, teaching, andta ws side)c978-0-8254-2567-7$38.99 htee dW tios idno wmh Picshal mthse,rthigehrtee iosu aswanisdd othmecwhiacrkaecd-cteristic rehaadrgeer . anWd hbaetl iethveisrims ethaantswfhoar tetvheermis opdreorpn- Proverbs (Hebrew; cf. NIV) Ahiqar (Assyrian; eighth century B.C.) a T odried accotinct rdaos tendo. t Scoomntea ipns atlhmisswcaislldeodm oferaathuroer. Bsuitt iGonoadl sa bporuomt Gisoeds st onastruareeliasn sdti lcl etrhtea incase-. Hardcover7.5 x 9.25504 pages sermon coaching. His ministry experience includes pastoring in Texas6:15 Pay back a loan as soon as possible W y o I sm f IsDo what ibs tn qeuciecskslayry to free yourself9:3 l0in3es4onh Gato thse la wdosohra ivnes tirs uscotimone sm ora nrneever aolef df owciulls, rasetliittuesti oarnea ln cth nrecchessaanridly sthoemea inedio thaeld in u virduRELIGION / Biblical Commentary /and Michigan, and teaching homiletics at Dallas Theological Seminary,13:24; cf.from a de 1 Spare the rod, spoil the child through general creation or specific communi- Christians. How one reads many texts in the 19:18 If you spare the rod, you hate your child 6: line 81 cautimona.n Yetahlle apvseanlm sc ofamll minutnoi ctahtei ocna, tethgororyu gohfPosamlmmsit d eh to c meepnetnsd. sS oonm ep rbeesuliepvpeo,s gdo itnhge oinlo, gtihcaatlOld Testament / Prophets 20:20 Thuot lsiek ew ah oli gchutrse parents wil be snufed9: line 137 T wohriicehsoGf otdh ea lrsiog hrte wveaayl so hr iTmosrealhf,(wGiothd ss urbecvaetlae w is true for Israel is true in some Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Clamp Divinity School at26:2 o 7; line 98 thheei rg poadrse ncutsrse those who do not honorg wahya,t eevveernhif.sptihrietrusa lh ravteh ebr etehna nt aluitgehrta l,t hfoarttory spoken Word).cu O are twuronrsd is a bird, it flies away and neverthoedsh drecalings Kregel MinistryRights: World 27:3 A misspoken word never rests, like a8; line 111 A THREE MODES OF REVELATION G with Israel were restricted Anderson University, and Grace School of Theology. s sparrowN IN THE OLD TESTAMENT tr Scrirsitpians. ture Available Now Aa nfodo ls anger is heavier than stone orheoatvhiienrg t h(eavne dne ab ltoad of sand or salt) isGOD t oa nitssf ehriss tdoirrey,c talyn do rt hinadt inreoctt leyv teor yChwhatIn the OT especially, wisdom is not aboutbelong to another major genre, such as PraiseThe docetrrianbaleletoic mal ocdoenrtne xretsa,d about thi e ien-isi fftrearnesnft histor mphasis here werilsl,bweh oon lsiv HdIntroduction to the Psalter in ale rbsuotnm t rh popt osite ofor Lament. Such psalms contain a sermonic-PSALMIST SEER/PROPHET bfr eJews uGso tdh ew Choh riiss at, the unique Son of God. thtee lwleicsteu p isoaleafobiollit, yw. hTho ei so n stupidR E S P O N S E R E V E L A T I O N o lso the NT God and Father Introduction to the Psalter1970, 3:361456), these are not iden-(wicked versus reignhtt, ebouut si)n o tre drmidsa cotfi cs t(rruecvteulrae oire nigtn. Horeabnrte wb uwt issdom torry ) belong toDoctrinalc piritu iasl lfyo uannddneotth iocnallyly i nd ethfie-ooks (Job, Proverbs, Eccle- fo wrmor d(G) aeltetmuneg presence ofanothsdero mcl avsesirfise-SAGE Theologically, the way of wisdom psalms (those that exalt Yahweh [] as king in the past,(DahoodStill, Ugaritic word usage and lessons were communicated incontrolled creationthat the sea is just water, notpresent, or future) were dubbed Enthronementtical languages.offer possible solutions for grammatical featurescation. The mer a wiso-called Wisdom B thoee xPts iasl toefrt eann didemb asrhruemseanntlGifeo bdy a ps rhoavvidining gg crlaecairo ucoslmy minatenrdvse nfoerd h iinstheology. Newliterary language of a culturea god, and only their God is truly Lord. Psalms by some earlier scholars (e.g., Gunkelsolving some remaining obscurities in Hebrew. 1 & 2 KINGSs b.u Atawlsios dionm t a ntoifinegd thye o pteor iciotsp e odvoeersa lnl otp umrpakoese a oprs aldme sigwni,s doe.mg.,MAN R E F L E C T I O N MAN p s. 1). The faithful will receive what has Piraosptehse)tsthe establisheds and1998, in toto) because Mesopotamian kings wereMost significant have been the religious (myth-in order to be understood. That the word salmsreaffirmed as king through a special celebrationological) texts, which contain terminology also ways of OT psalms mirror Canaanite p re- ritual or festival, so a similar ritual was assumedused in the OT, especially the Psalms (e.g., Baal the contrast being made between the righteousPsalms 11, 27 (lament), and 34, 36, 105106person. A wise(praise). Wisdopmpl,i eadstao bbeeeonp lep r(oPms ipsreedc e(pPtss.a3n7d).pGroovdis avin no way minimized the revelatory andtheto have occurred in Israel in light of the contextthe storm god who rides a chariot across the sky, or wise and the wic ikse rdi gohrt f ooor lijushst p alensds egden leirfea lilny siaTs tiess ,o a rooba,d craotveegrobrsy,,Einc ctlhee-OF THE WISDOM soness ( Pths.o 4s9e) .w Bhuotmarkable and revolutionary message ofandof these psalms. However, this remains specula- Lotan the sea monster or dragon, and El the an-DAVID B. SCHREINER & LEE COMPSON p O ftnend asometimes J toP of Songs,N THEOLOGICAL EMPHASES PSALMS trust in hi iise rreswonar ddoeeds w withha ta successful or b Songhe does not guarantee a trouble- or tragedy-free Israelite Psalter. But as poetic prayerstion. Therefore, the classification Royal Psalmscient god whom Baal wants to dethrone, with praises composed throughout ancient Israeliteis preferred. More recently, attention has beenthe help of three other gods: Death, the Sea, and to so h Song whoe pns h uen wderorstteo; ohdo wase vuenrc, hYanahgiwnegh. U (nlik)e w thaes laawhbwreehak (ers) t oispar rooscpke ro f fsoarf eat ys aenasdo an r (Pterms of longevity and satisfaction. Accordingthe latter because it also is called thealmist thought about creating doctrinelife to those who are law keepers and can allow history, they inevitably bore the cultural char- paid to parallels in Ugaritic religious and poeticLotan). The Canaanite words for these three are toPlivsael map a1r4t: 1fr (o=m 5 3G:1o)d, asfroeovle ilsa toionneawnhdo r deeacliitdye. exf pSeorlioenmcoe-nb. aWseids dmoomr et trhuathnphraosp toe tidco-b wsiethdY edes.e m73e)r.KERUX COMMENTARIES LITERARY GENRE inforWmea ctoiounld a bsaoyu tth taht et hrieg Phsta wlmays sh teolp l iuves .ka anadn aisanite deities, Yahweh ( ) offered theof those whotrust in him, yet his anger can burn acter s istics (perceptions and practices) of thosetexts (Keel, 1978, 1997 in toto; for ANE prayerthe same as the Hebrew words in the OT. The time, as the psalmists wrestle with and,wor- genres, see Longman, 2005, 4162). language used by Abraham in Canaan (ca. nine- Cship their God in the midst of progress mi per- Ugaritic Language and Texts teenth century B.C.) would have been similar tonowsecurity of knowing that he is not whimsical W o h books teachor subject to a coupr nshiptoward those who rebel (Ps. p 7s8a)l.ms present God plexities, and pain in relation to theiresxedThe Ugaritic language is a Northwest SemiticUgaritic but more similar to other contemporary tiast nnurmarbye rg eonfr epss saulmchuso who twotfoee tlh aibnok uatb Gouotd G wohdi l(eA olltehne 1r 9c8o0m, 4p1on4e8n)t. loiytahllhoivse peoisp lwe raist hb iass oedn ly for sustainegoedlanteiossd rned-asn dh aspviencgifi r isidmosmelfr bgaeln ceoramllmy uinn incaattuiornea thisedmoem t h oct creuarlsl yi nagaenre for a psalm bust w dtato. nHisoa a The words olefd w hexperiences in light of divine promis dand language, like Hebrew. SemiticCanaanite dialects.punishment. It has been demonstrate thatCanaanite-typegrouped according to similari- oetry was not limited to theceavlleya through veHere Schreiner and Compson discuss reading and teaching from Oldin atr fiati soet hore rL wamelel-ndte. fiOntehde rli ptesifiaclmatsi osno maecttuimalelys The psalms that have a wisdomb . H (Pahs cPluded in a Wisdom class choem nbaitnuer eth oifsah opsriazlomn atas lr, eesxppoenriseen ltiitaelr tartuutrhe .w Thithe foerl lieonnt,e arntadi nhme ennetv. eHr tirsi crkusl eo ri st eeasveesr lpasetoinpgle. truss. t1w9o).r Hthiysapnrodm leiasdes t oan lidfe p (rPosn. o1u1n9)c.e ments are the Israelite and Canaanite traditions were notlanguages areand compass directions (North,Yet, Hebrew p an both OT and NT, strongly linked, similarities mainly existing onties by regionsHebrew is both Semitic and Psalter. Biblical psalms sp i (Exo t d. 15; fifteenth the technical levels of linguistics and stylisticsSouth, East, West).in the category of north- from Moses and MiramMagnificat in Luke Testament historical books, including how Old Testament history relates74 75(Avishur, 1994, in toto).withwere Canaanite, included(deciphered from tab- centuryi B.C )6to Maryscyd soon after by to drastically different communities. In the case of the books of 1 andBaal and the OT Psalms godswest Semitic. Ugaritic[Ras Shamra in modern 1:4655 (ca poe B.C.), followe (Luke 1:6879). near Ugarit In the ANE, among polytheists, thehumans. lets foundalso northwest Semitic. The Ugaritic Zecharahsetryticp prophe remnants of com-2 Kings, the historical players in Israels divided monarchy are distinctoften at war among themselves orhad devel- Syria]) ishas been important for developingHebrew po orb ossiblefrom (Mosaic?) In OT times, the Canaanite religiontraditionallanguagetheories about Hebrew lexicog- plete psalms mayeo found(Rev. 20; first linguistic oped to a stage where the older anda youngnewand syntax as the Canaanite language Genesis 1:2b to the apstle Johnsalms as a chief deity, El, had been ousted by Baal,a coup raphyto biblical (classical) Hebrew of whichto second centur a y A.D.). Thus, the p ssions from the Babylonian exiles for whom the text was compiled and even fur- upstart, with the help of other gods inclosestamount of texts are extant. Althoughliterary form or s psalmic poetic expre(such as Mot [Death] and Yamm [Sea] and thea largeproduced a Hebrew grammar of the are not confined to the book of Psalms but are Sea Serpent, Lotan). This is why we read aboutDahoodTadeusz Penar) in light of Ugaritic located throughout Scripture. Baal and not El in the OT. Thus, Baal, the storm Psalter (with ther removed from present-day readers. The biblical author of the booksgod, usurped control of the Canaanite pantheon.The Ugaritic Lotan (= ) and the Hebrew Le-viathan () are cognate in Semitic linguisticsBiblical Chronology of Various Psalms in Scriptureof 1 and 2 Kings clearly teaches that human choice and divine sover- (i.e., note the same consonants, L-T-N; t and thPsalm/Poetic Verse Content Location ca. Periodare interchangeable and each language was Traditional Authorwritten originally without vowels; the v in He- Canaanite Baal Figurine, L re Moses storm at Creation (paralelism) Genesis 1:2b 15th cent. B.C.*eignty are not in conflict, nor do either absolve individuals of the con- brew can also be o at times). Baal means Lord; ouvmaster. The Hebrew words for G/god are: El *Genesis 1 could rather have originated among postexilic Levites for a Sabbath lesson ) 1446 B.C.(), Eloah (), and the plural ElohimSome scholars find parallels with certainMoses/Miriam Song () of the Sea ( Exodus 15 1420 B.C.sequences they must face for their choices and actions. The books of 1(). When used in the pagan pantheon, theOT psalms among Mesopotamian mythologyMoses Psalm 90 OT Psalms 1300 B.C.latter term meant gods. When used in connec- texts like hymns and prayers). TheyDeborahs Song ( Judges 5tion with Yahweh (), the plural indicated the(religiousworship was,a significant feature of Deborahand 2 Kings present an overarching view of Judah and Israel as kingdomsgreatest God. The Hebrew psalmists countered argue that(e.g., Kloos1986, in toto; see also the Canaanite theologians by claiming YahwehOT religion32968). The OTs Royal Psalms () not Baal () was the Creator, whoHoward, 1999, 35both in their glory and their degradation. By examining these books and34presenting thorough exegesis within preachable units of text, Schreiner and Compson guide preachers and teachers in articulating biblicaland therefore eminently meaningfulapplications for Christians. Kerux commentaries are written for trained pastors and teachers who 1) speak regularly, 2) have some knowledge of Greek and Hebrew, and 3) spend significant time preparing to preach and teach Gods Word. Each volume offers the following:David B. Schreiner (PhD, Asbury Theological Seminary) is an Associate Professor of Old Testament at Wesley Biblical Seminary in Ridgeland, A detailed introduction and outlineSidebars of pertinent information and historicalMississippi. He is the author of Pondering the Spade and publishes widely A summary of all preaching sections with their primary backgroundon issues of biblical history and interpretation. 978-0-8254-2558-5$32.99 exegetical, theological, and preaching ideasAppropriate charts and photographsHardcover7.5 x 9.25320 pagesLee Compson (MDiv, Grace Theological Seminary) is senior pastor atRELIGION / Biblical Commentary / Preaching pointers that join the original historical contextA theological focus to passagesMilford First Brethren Church in Milford, Indiana. He is also the RegionalOld Testament / Historical Books with our contemporary oneA contemporary big idea for every preaching unitResource Coordinator for the Midwest Region of The Brethren Church.Kregel MinistryRights: WorldInsights from the Hebrew and Greek textPresent-day meaning, validity, and applicationHe is a contributing author to Glimpses of the Christ: Sermons from the Gospels. Available NowA thorough exposition of the text of a main idea18kregel.com/academic14 www.kregel.com'