Paul and the Old Testament Scriptures (Childs)

Here's an interesting book that gives an overview of the interpretation of Isaiah from the early church (Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, etc.) to the modern era: The Struggle to Understand Isaiah as Christian Scripture by Brevard Childs. I'm still making my way through the book, but so far it's been helpful. I don't always agree with…

How Paul Read and Interpreted Isaiah (Hays)

Richard Hays’ book, The Conversation of the Imagination, is a helpful resource for insight into how the apostle Paul viewed the Old Testament Scriptures. This book is a collection of essays that Hays wrote and published elsewhere; it’s nice to have it in one volume. There are ten chapters that cover topics like the role…

Turn to Me and Be Saved!

  Many of us have probably heard or read God's great call to come to him for salvation in Isaiah 45:22: Turn to me so you can be delivered, all you who live in the earth’s remote regions! (NET). It's a great text to think about for evangelism.  But sometimes we might forget about the context.  Right before…

Light, Peace, Hope, and a King! (Smith)

  After studying and working through Isaiah 9:2-7, I appreciate how Gary Smith summarizes these verses in the "theological implications" section of his commentary.  FYI these verses in Isaiah 9 talk about a "shadow-of-death" kind of darkness that God shines his light into, which brings joy, victory, and peace.  This prophecy also speaks about a…

They’ll Hammer Their Swords into Plowtips (Calvin)

Calvin's commentaries, as many of our readers know, have stood the test of time because of their insight, clarity, faithfulness to the teachings of Scripture, and because they are applicable for the Christain life.  These commentaries are for sure some of my favorites in their category!  I was recently reminded of this when I read…