In the same way that a chef does not want to give away his recipe, I hesitate to write this post.
Over the past few years, I have preached through Judges (2xs), Ruth (3xs), 1 and 2 Samuel (2xs), 1 and 2 Kings, and Ezra/Nehemiah. By far the most difficult of those books was Ezra/Nehemiah, for the simple reason that Dale Ralph Davis has not written a commentary on it.
I confess I am addicted to his books. For my money, it is almost impossible to preach from OT narrative without them. I have borrowed his sermon titles, absconded with phrases, and liberally used his observations. I finally got to the point where I had to read Davis’ commentary on a particular passage after I had prepared my message, or I would be too dependent on him.
What makes his series on OT narrative so compelling? I think it is his relentless commitment to understand what Yahweh is doing in each passage. Not content with secondary themes or character based studies, Davis consistently shows his readers that God is at work in every turn of every narrative.
Davis is a Presbyterian, but much of his work (especially in 2 Samuel and 2 Kings) is almost overtly premillennial. He wrestles with the clear implications of every text, refuses to spiritualize passages, puts narratives in the chain of redemptive history. For this reason, his commentaries are very useful and can even be read devotionally.
But his most helpful work is not a commentary. The Word Became Fresh is Davis’ instruction manual for aspiring preachers of OT narrative. It is his list of principles that he applies to his study of this genre of scripture, and he walks the reader from the narrative to the pulpit. This is a book on preaching, by a preacher, on passages that most preachers avoid.
If Davis is your OT preaching hero (he is mine), then this book is the how-to-be-like-him guide. His commentaries give us preaching gold, but The Word Became Fresh teaches us how to mine for ourselves.
Thankfully, Davis does not duplicate material from his commentaries. Instead, he looks at confusing or obscure (and occasionally well-known) passages outside of Judges-Kings, and shows how his methods and principles lead to solid and insightful preaching.
The one thing this book desperately needs to make it user friendly is a scripture index. As a service to anyone else who likes this book, and as a way to demonstrate my cult-like devotion to it, I had one made. Here you go.
If you are looking for a Christmas gift for a pastor that loves the OT, this is the way to go. But if his OT preaching is already good, make sure you include the gift receipt, because chances are he is already using it.