Wordsearch's Free Books and 4th of July Sale

Wordsearch Bible Software is offering two free books as part of their 4th of July sale. I like Logos but I have been using Wordsearch a bit more.

• Stand fast in Liberty: An Exposition of Galatians by Robert Gromacki
• The Preacher: His Life and Work by John Henry Jowett

You can check it out here. The offer ends on July 9.

Free eBook: Reading 1 Corinthians

Wipf and Stock is offering a free eBook copy of Reading 1 Corinthians by J. Brian Tucker. The offer is only good until July 12 so you have to act quickly. Here are the instructions to get your copy.

1. Click on this link
2. Click "ADD TO CART" on the eBook option
3. Code "freetuck" is automatically applied within the shopping cart
4. Upon checkout completion, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions of how to download your free eBook

Free Logos Course for July: Sons and Daughters of God: The Believer’s Identity, Calling, and Destiny

Instead of offering a free book for the month for July, Logos is offering a free course: "Sons and Daughters of God: The Believer’s Identity, Calling, and Destiny." You can also purchase additional courses for $9.99, $19.99, $34.99, and $59.99. While you are at it, you can register for a chance to win the 38 volume Essential Reference Bundle. For all these offers, go to the Logos' Free Book of Month page here.

Breakfast, the Bible, and Bearing Fruit

Yesterday, I received a text from a friend related to a men’s Bible study that I started in 2006. We moved the study around a bit but finally settled on a fast food restaurant that opened early enough for us. I left the group in 2015 because I was moving to another city but was delighted that the study would continue to meet. In any case, my friend told me that last Friday he and another guy were the only ones who showed up (for various reasons). They read and talked about some Psalms and though they did not realize it, others were listening in, in particular, a man who was working on a remodeling job at the restaurant and a guy who just “happened’ to come by for breakfast. Lives were touched if not changed. My friend texted me about the encounter  because he wanted me to know about the “seeds” I had planted. I am certainly getting more credit than I deserve but am thankful that all those “big country breakfasts with gravy” that I consumed over the years did more than add to my waistline. To God be the glory.

The Journal of Inductive Biblical Studies 7 (Winter 2020)

The latest issue of The Journal of Inductive Biblical Studies is available for free as PDFs. The individual articles can be accessed here or the entire issue here.

HT: Antony Billington

The Latest Issue of the Review of Biblical Literature

The latest issue of Review of Biblical Literature is out. Reviews can be accessed by clicking the links below but unfortunately you must be a SBL member.

Thomas Andrew Bennett, Labor of God: The Agony of the Cross as the Birth of the Church
Reviewed by Edmon L. Gallagher

Joshua D. Garroway, The Beginning of the Gospel: Paul, Philippi, and the Origins of Christianity
Reviewed by Paula Fredriksen

Marshall H. Lewis, Viktor Frankl and the Book of Job: A Search for Meaning
Reviewed by Davis Hankins

Stanley Lombardo, Gilgamesh
Reviewed by Kathryn Slanski

Eyal Regev, The Temple in Early Christianity: Experiencing the Sacred
Reviewed by Timothy Wardle

Nicole Rupschus, Frauen in Qumran
Reviewed by Peter Porzig

Daniela Scialabba, Creation and Salvation: Models of Relationship between the God of Israel and the Nations in the Book of Jonah, in Psalm 33 (MT and LXX) and in the Novel Joseph and Aseneth
Reviewed by Brandon R. Grafius

Andrew Kimseng Tan, The Rhetoric of Abraham’s Faith in Romans 4
Reviewed by Jeffrey Aernie

James D. G. Dunn (1939–2020)

James D. G. Dunn has passed away. He was a prodigious and influential New Testament scholar. I did not know him personally but was sharpened and challenged by his scholarship.

On Writing a Commentary

Carey Moore notes the following on writing commentaries.

Just as 'it takes a village to raise a child', so it also takes a village to produce a biblical commentary, including such 'villagers' as past and present scholars; the 'who' (including one's own gender), 'what', 'when', 'where' and 'why' of the commentator; the collaborative efforts of the editor(s); and the marketing savvy of the publisher. Just as a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, so a biblical commentary is only as strong as its weakest 'villager.'

Carey Moore, "'It Takes a Village' to Produce a Commentary: A Case in Point," in The Book of Esther in Modern Research, ed. Sidnie White Crawford and Leonard J. Greenspoon (London: T&T Clark, 2003), 3.

Arrowheads and Battles in Biblical Israel

I wish that more information would have been given on the typology of the arrowheads but I enjoyed this article.

Psalm 23 Links

I have been working on a commentary on the Psalms. I have decided to compile some helpful links that I discovered during my research. It includes a mix of exegetical and sermonic links. Here is what I have for Psalm 23 (in no particular order). Feel free to mention any that you find helpful in the comments section.

Spokane Bible Church: http://www.spokanebiblechurch.com/books/psalm-23

Literary analysis of Psalm 23: http://psalmsstudy.com/psalms-literary-analysis-by-chapter/literary-analysis-psalm-23

Ray Stedman., “The Shepherd Psalm,” Psalm 23: https://www.raystedman.org/old-testament/psalms/the-shepherd-psalm

Analysis by C. J. Labuschagne: https://www.labuschagne.nl/ps023.pdf

William Barrick’s notes: https://drbarrick.org/files/studynotes/Psalms/Ps_023.pdf

“The Good Shepherd” David Klingler: https://voice.dts.edu/chapel/the-good-shepherd-klingler-david-r

John Piper, The Shepherd, the Host, and the Highway Patrol: https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-shepherd-the-host-and-the-highway-patrol

The Battle of Megiddo Podcasts

I have been listening to a number of podcasts while I jog/walk. One that I have enjoyed is The History of Egypt Podcast. I recently listened to three that related to Thutmose III and the Battle of Megiddo fought 15th century BC. Although it is not strictly speaking a biblical event, I thought I would include the links here.

67. Armageddon
67b. The Battle of Megiddo (A Dramatic Reading)
68. Campaigns of Victory

The Wisdom of Silence

Tim Challies has some helpful advice in this post: "Sometimes It’s Best To Express Your Wisdom in Silence." It is a timely reminder in our days where silence is regarded as anything but wise.

Jesus as the Prophet Like Moses

David Schrock talks about it here. Although there is a tendency today in distancing a Christological reading of Deuteronomy 18:15-22, I think is a mistake.