Book Review: ZIBBCOT Vol.4

Special thanks to Jesse Hillman at Zondervan for the review copy of this book. One of my Christmas presents for this season was volume 4 of the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary on the Old Testament.  I have reviewed volume 5 of this series here;   my opinions of this series remain as they did in [...]

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Book Review: ZIBBCOT Vol. 5

Special thanks to Jesse Hillman at Zondervan for the review copy of this book. I received volume 5 of the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary on the Old Testament (ZIBBCOT) a few weeks ago.  This volume covers the Minor Prophets, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.  (You may also want to read Danny’s review [...]

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Book Review: ZIBBCOT Vol 3 (Kings- Esther)

Special thanks to Jesse Hillman of Zondervan for a review copy of this book. Old Testament historical narratives can be among the most confusing portions of the Bible for the modern reader.  After all, it assumes customs far removed from the 21st Century and kings and nations some of us might remember from high school [...]

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Noah & Asia Minor in 1 Peter 3

1 Peter 3:18-22 is one of the most confusing passages in the entire Bible.  Check that, it’s probably the most confusing.  I wrote a paper on it in my undergrad days and I’m still confused.  While I believe it’s good to research difficult passages in the Bible and try your best to come to a [...]

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RoTM: Historical Background of Leviticus 19

Believe it or not, one of my favorite passages in the Pentateuch to teach is Leviticus 19.  I can think of a couple reasons, including the strong correlation between theology and ethics.  But, I’ve found that this is a good place for a Bible teacher to show how historical background can help us understand the [...]

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Five Books for the Five Books

I recently had the privilege of kicking off a series of three classes on the Pentateuch at our church’s training school. I mentioned early in the class that the Pentateuch, (or OT in general), is often among the most challenging portions of the Bible.  Why?  Firstly, the Pentateuch is the oldest portion of the Bible, written in the neighborhood of [...]

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RoTM: Background on the Yahweh vs Baal Showdown

One of the most popular Old Testament stories shows up in 1 King 18, the showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal.  Or, perhaps better said, it’s the showdown between Yahweh and Baal.  While certainly there is a contest between Elijah and his opponents, ultimately what this event proved is the superiority of Yahweh [...]

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