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Book Reviews by WordExplain |
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(Go to the review of the Old Testament volume) (Go to the review of the New Testament volume) (Pending) The
Bible Knowledge Commentary (TBKC) as a two volume set on the whole
Bible has some advantages and some disadvantages. Let us examine the
advantages.
First, TBKC is written from a conservative perspective. The contributors do not subscribe to the anti-supernatural bias of liberal commentators. Conservative commentators, furthermore, tend to reject novel, avant-garde interpretations proffered by more liberal commentators. For example, liberal commentators used source criticism to develop the documentary hypothesis (JEDP) with regard to the authorship of the Pentateuch. But conservative scholars have always rejected such approaches because those approaches assume the fallibility of Scripture. The New Testament, for example, is consistent in its witness that the first five books of the Bible were written by Moses, not edited by some brilliant anonymous redactors with scissors and paste operating centuries later. The conservative Bible scholars who contributed to TBKC are committed to an inerrant Scripture. They reject views of Scripture that pit one part of the Bible against another or deny the possibility of God's supernatural intervention into the affairs of man. Second, TBKC was written from a dispensational, premillennial viewpoint. Amillennialists may attempt to deny it, but too often, they deny the plain, literal meaning of eschatological portions of Scripture. Dispensationalists more consistently apply a literal hermeneutic to eschatological passages. While they acknowledge the symbolism in apocalyptic literature, they affirm that the symbols have literal referents. Additionally, dispensational interpreters hold to testamental parity. They deny, for example, that God's promises to Abraham and his physical descendants in the Old Testament can be abrogated by God's promises to the Church in the New Testament. In other words, the Church is not spiritual Israel, and cannot inherit all the promises God made to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Third, TBKC was written by scholars associated (at that time) with Dallas Theological Seminary. Edited by Roy Zuck and the late John F. Walvoord, the commentary enjoys, for the most part, a consistency of theology and treatment not always found in such a collection of commentators. The greatest disadvantage of a two volume commentary is that it simply cannot do justice to individual books of the Bible. Commentaries that adequately analyze longer books of the Bible, such as Psalms or Isaiah, must comprise at least one complete volume and sometimes two or even three volumes for that book. Too often, TBKC is sketchy in its coverage of a particular book. The reader gets help on the broad flow, but often, just where one might wish a more detailed exegesis, that detail is lacking. And understandably so. The commentary does what it was designed to do, but one volume each is insufficient coverage for the 39 books of the OT and 27 books of the NT. Another disadvantage is that the commentary is by now somewhat dated, having been published in 1985. There have been many developments in theology and exegesis in the last quarter of a century which are not reflected in these two volumes. Nevertheless, the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages.
The
reader is the beneficiary of a plethora of maps, charts and tables (pp.
3-5). On
p. 13 of the introduction, there is An Overview of Old Testament
History. The chart declines to date creation, but gives a conservative
date for the Exodus of 1446 B.C. In keeping with its literal
hermeneutic, the volume includes, in Genesis, an Artist's Concept of
Noah's Ark (p. 38) and a Chronology of the Flood (p. 39). Diagrams in
Ezekiel include The Gate to the Millennial Temple (p. 1305), The
Millennial Temple Proper (p. 1306), The Millennial Altar (p. 1308), and
The Division of the Land During the millennium (p. 1314). Between the
books of Ezekiel and Daniel is sandwiched an Outline of End-Time Events
Predicted in the Bible (p. 1319). Helpful tables
include Rituals for Levitical Offerings (pp. 168-169) and Other
Features of Levitical Offerings (pp. 170-171). There are areas that I personally check to determine the theological and philosophical bent of particular commentators. In Genesis, Allen P. Ross holds to the Mosaic authorship of the book (p. 18). He rejects the notion that Genesis is myth (pp. 18-19), and maintains that Genesis is factually and historically accurate (pp. 19-20). He holds that the days of creation "are literal 24-hour days of divine activity" (p. 28), and believes in the historicity of Adam (p. 30). He identifies the tempter as "Satan in the form of a snake" (p. 32). Ross holds to a universal flood (pp. 37-40) and the historicity of God's confusion of languages at Babel (pp. 44-45). Ross correctly identifies the covenant God made with Abraham in Gen. 15 as a unilateral covenant whose promises are absolutely secure (p. 56). The biggest weakness of the Genesis commentary is that Ross espouses the "Chaos Theory of Origins" in Genesis 1:2 (p. 28). Ross apparently believes that God created planet Earth at some undated, unspecified, and unrevealed time in eternity past. Satan then fell and brought sin into God’s original universe. Genesis 1:2 describes the chaotic, ruined state of the world as it existed because of Satan’s sin. Genesis 1:3-31 describes God’s reclamation of a world ruined by Satan. What this amounts to is a variation on the discredited Gap Theory theme. Elsewhere, John D. Hannah treats Jonah and his experience of being swallowed alive by a great fish before preaching to Nineveh as authentic and historical (p. 1462-63). John Martin holds to the unity of the entire book of Isaiah, citing Isaiah as the author (pp. 1029-31). Martin correctly states that the prediction of idyllic conditions of world-wide knowledge of Yahweh in Zion and global peace will be fulfilled in Christ's 1000-year reign (Isa. 2:1-5) (pp. 1037-38). Martin also takes literally the harmony in the animal kingdom that will prevail during the Messiah's global reign (Isa. 11:1-10) (pp. 1056-57). He identifies Isaiah's Little Apocalypse (Isa. 24-27) as describing "the earth's devastation and people's intense suffering during the coming Tribulation and the blessings to follow in the millennial kingdom" (p. 1072). Commenting on Isaiah 60, Martin writes, "When the Lord returns to live among His people (Isa. 60:2) the nations will be attracted to the light of His glory (cf. vv. 19-20) and will flock to Israel for the light (the blessings of salvation from spiritual darkness). This will occur in the Millennium. Though everyone entering the Millennium will be saved, people will be born during that 1,000-year period of time. Many of them will come to salvation because of God's work on Israel's behalf" (p. 1115). Charles Dyer, writer of the commentary on Ezekiel, commenting on "A New Temple" (chaps. 40-43) (pp. 1303-1304), rejects the notion that Ezekiel predicted a rebuilding of Solomon's temple; rejects the view that "Ezekiel was prophesying about the church in a figurative sense" and that "he did not have a literal temple in mind." He correctly concludes, "A still-future literal temple will be built during the millennial kingdom." Commenting on Ezekiel 47:1-12, Dyer writes, "One feature in the Millennium will be a life-giving river flowing from the temple. Many think this refers only symbolically to the blessings that flow from God's presence. But nothing in the passage suggests that Ezekiel had anything in mind other than a literal river" (p. 1313). Allen P. Ross, author of the commentary on Genesis, also wrote the commentary on Psalms. Ross acknowledges the modern challenge to the traditionally-held view that the lamed preposition in the superscriptions of the psalms indicates authorship (p. 782). He concludes, "Though a translator could interpret the preposition otherwise, sufficient evidence supports its usage in designating authorship." Thankfully, Ross comes down on the side of conservative scholarship rather than on the side of speculative scholarship. He remarks, "It must also be remembered that Christ and His apostles considered them [the superscriptions] as witnesses to the individual psalms' authorship" (p. 782). By contrast, for example, John Goldingay, writing twenty years later, "is unsupportive of Davidic authorship of any psalm" (Vol I, 26-28). Ross correctly places Psalm 2 in its historical context as authorization to rule for any obedient Davidic king (pp. 791-92). He does acknowledge its typological significance as referring to Christ (p. 793), but, it seems to me, he could have done a great deal more to link the psalm to Christ's Second Coming and Millennial Reign. Ross does slightly better at linking Psalm 22 to Christ - specifically, to His death on the cross (pp. 809-11). Again, he could have made a stronger case. In Psalm 110, Ross links the text of the psalm to Christ more explicitly than he did in either Psalm 2 or 22. His approach in that regard, though skimpy, is far superior to that of John Goldingay and his non-linkage of the psalm to Christ (Psalms, Vol. 3, Psalms 90-150, pp. 290-300). (In fairness to Goldingay, he does state that linkage to Christ is a topic for NT discussion of the psalm rather than OT discussion.) J. Dwight Pentecost wrote the commentary on the book of Daniel. He argues that Daniel is the author of the book that bears his name (p. 1323), for the unity of the book (p. 1324), and for the date of its writing in the sixth century B.C. (pp. 1324-25). In that regard he notes, "Critics reject an early date for the writing of Daniel mainly because they reject predictive prophecy" (p. 1324). Pentecost cites five purposes of the book. Of particular interest is the fourth purpose: "The book was
also written to outline graphically the prophetic period known as "the
times of the Gentiles" (Luke 21:24). The Book of Daniel marks the
course of Gentile history through that extended period in which Israel
was and is being disciplined by Gentiles. Also the consummation of
God's program for the Gentiles will come to its conclusion in the
coming Tribulation period. The book carefully and in detail shows the
effect the Gentile nations will have on Israel while she is waiting for
God's covenants to her to be fulfilled under the Messiah's reign" (p.
1327). His fifth purpose reads as follows: "Daniel's
book also reveals Israel's future deliverance and the blessings she
will enjoy in the coming Millennial Age. As God covenanted with
Abraham, his descendants will occupy the land God promised them. Even
though the nation must be disciplined because of her disobedience, she
will be brought to repentance, confession, and restoration. God remains
faithful. He preserves His covenant people and guarantees them ultimate
blessing in their covenanted kingdom on this earth" (p. 1327). In Daniel 2:44-45, "Daniel
explained that the four empires which would rule over the land and the
people of Israel would not be destroyed by human means, but rather by
the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the striking Stone. When He comes
He will establish the messianic kingdom promised to Israel through
David (2 Sam. 7:16). At His return He will subjugate all . . . kingdoms
to Himself, thus bringing them to an end (cf. Rev. 11:15; 19:11-20).
Then He will rule forever in the Millennium and in the eternal state"
(p. 1336). In
the pivotal passage of Daniel 9:24-27, Pentecost interprets the
revelation that the angel Gabriel gave to Daniel. The period of the
prophecy is seventy sevens of years (p. 1361). "This prophecy, then,"
Pentecost states, "is concerned not with world history or church
history,
but with the history of Israel and the city of Jerusalem." (1) Israel's
transgression will be ended when she repents and turns to Christ as her
Messiah at His Second Coming. (2) At Christ's Second Coming, God
will put an end to Israel's sin (p. 1362). (3) God would atone for the
sin of Israel through the death of Christ. (4) God will bring in an
age of everlasting righteousness, the millennial reign of Christ. (5)
God will "seal up vision and prophecy" when He fulfills His covenant
with Israel in the millennial kingdom. Until then, the prophecies are
"unsealed." (6) God will "anoint the Most Holy." "This may refer to
the dedication of the most holy place in the millennial temple," or it
may refer to the enthronement of Jesus Christ in the Millennium as
"King
of kings and Lord of lords" (p. 1362). In Dan. 9:26 Gabriel predicted
that the people of the ruler who will come would destroy the city of
Jerusalem as a judgment for Israel's rejection of her Messiah. This was
fulfilled when Titus destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70 (p. 1364). "The
ruler who will come is that final head of the Roman Empire, the little
horn of (Dan.) 7:8." Dan. 9:27 "unveils what will occur in the
70th seven years. This seven-year period will begin after the Rapture
of the church (which will consummate God's program in this present
Age). The 70th 'seven' will continue till the return of Jesus Christ to
the earth. Because Jesus said this will be a time of 'great distress'
(Matt. 24:21), this period is often called the Tribulation." The ruler
will make a seven-year covenant of peace with Israel, but he will break
his covenant midway through the seven years (p. 1365). "After this
ruler gains world-wide political power, he will assume power in the
religious realm as well and will cause the world to worship him (2
Thes. 2:4; Rev. 13:8). To receive such worship, he will terminate all
organized religions. Posing as the world's rightful king and god and as
Israel's prince of peace, he will then turn against Israel and become
her destroyer and defiler." Jesus referred to this incident in Matt.
24:15 (p. 1365). Finally the world ruler himself will be destroyed. In summary, the Old Testament volume of The Bible Knowledge Commentary does what it is supposed to do. From a conservative theological and exegetical point of view, the volume ties the entire Old Testament together in a coherent point of view that permits the text to be understood as people of that day would have understood it to mean. It looks ahead to Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of the promises and covenants made to Abraham and to David. It envisions a future millennial kingdom in which Jesus Christ will rule the world from Jerusalem on this present earth. It acknowedges that the ultimate rule of Christ will take place in New Jerusalem in connection with New Earth. In other words, the commentators do not "spiritualize" prophetic portions of Scripture and apply them to the Church when they obviously were meant to apply to the nation of Israel. It represents a consistent, conservative, dispensational, premillennial interpretation of the Old Testament. I could not recommend this volume more highly for the pastor or Bible student. It serves as a bedrock foundation for the academician, despite its brevity. Pending
(Scripture
quotations taken from the NASB.
Used by Permission.)
Updated August 16, 2011
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