The NewCity Orlando All of Life Podcast

For setting Joshua into its larger context in the story of Scripture, Josh recommends Dominion and Dynasty: A Theology of the Hebrew Bible. That book is part of a series called New Studies in Biblical Theology that we would all recommend. The commentary by Richard Hess in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentary series is an excellent compact resource. It covers exegetical, theological, and even archaeological details well. For a more pastoral, application oriented commentary, Nate would recommend Joshua: No Falling Words by Dale Ralph Davis (and any other commentary he has written).For interested listeners wrestling with issues surrounding the Israelite conquest of the Canaanites, a pair of books by Paul Copan may prove useful. Is God A Moral Monster is a more broad treatment of issues in the Old Testament, where Did God Really Command Genocide is a more focused treatment on the issues in Joshua.

For a better understanding of the structure and outline of Revelation, we would recommend watching the Bible Project videos on Revelation (https://youtu.be/5nvVVcYD-0w & https://youtu.be/QpnIrbq2bKo)An accessible commentary for most readers is Vern Poythress’ The Returning King. Also of use is Michael Gorman’s Reading Revelation Responsibly. The entry on Revelation in A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the New Testament: The Gospel Realized is helpful, as is the commentary in the Tyndale New Testament Commentary series by Ian Paul.If you are particularly interested in digging further into the symbolism and Old Testament imagery of Revelation, G. K. Beale’s Revelation: A Shorter Commentary is a great place to start. More adventurous readers could explore his longer work, or Peter Leithart’s recent volumes in the International Critical Commentary series. 

For 1 Corinthians, Mike says that the standard commentary is by Gordon Fee in the New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT) series. John Calvin’s commentary is also splendid as is that of Richard Hays in the Interpretation series. Nate would recommend the volume on 1st Corinthians in the Tyndale New Testament Commentary series by Thomas Schreiner, as well as Ben Witherington’s A Week in the Life of Corinth for an imaginative take on the background of 1st century Corinth. Other helpful books include D. A. Carson’s The Cross and Christian Ministry, Richard Gaffin’s Resurrection and Redemption, and Alistair May’s The Body Is For the Lord.

A helpful resource for 1-3 John is the ESV Gospel Transformation Study Bible. It is like a regular study Bible, except that the study notes are focused on understanding and applying the text to our personal lives. And, this resource would be useful for all the books we read in CBR as well.For 1-3 John specifically, Ben recommends Studies in 1 John by Martyn Lloyd-Jones. The Letters of John by John Stott in the Tyndale New Testament Commentary series is an easy to read commentary. That entire commentary series is a good place to start for interested readers.Another resource for interested readers is A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the New Testament: The Gospel Realized. In it, readers will find chapters devoted to more extensive issues related to interpreting books of the Bible. There is a companion volume covering the Old Testament, and both are worth the investment.What is CBR? Learn more here!

Mike says that Patrick Miller’s is by far the best commentary on Deuteronomy, and one of the three or four best commentaries on any book. It is in the series Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, but is not just for teachers and preachers. Nate would recommend using Daniel Block’s commentary on Deuteronomy in the NIV Application Commentary series as a helpful practical companion during CBR reading.Mike would also recommend Luther’s lectures on Deuteronomy (volume 9 in Luther’s collected works), as well as Dennis Olson’s Deuteronomy and the Death of Moses and Gary Millar’s Now Choose Life. The latter book is part of a series called New Studies in Biblical Theology that we would highly recommend.What is CBR? Learn more here!

There are many good commentaries to help you study the Psalms. We would recommend John Calvin’s as a classic, as well as the two volume work by Derek Kidner as an accessible resource that everyone can benefit from reading. A newer single volume work by Tremper Longman is beneficial, as is his short book How to Read The Psalms.A good visual overview of Psalms, done by The Bible Project, can be found here: https://youtu.be/j9phNEaPrv8 (we would also recommend their other videos as a way to grasp the general outline and theme of biblical books).You may have heard Benjamin reference Answering God by Eugene Peterson in his sermons. Along with that, he would recommend you check out the classic Treasury of David by Charles Spurgeon, as well as Psalms: Prayerbook of The Bible by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.Nate was prompted to start studying the Psalms more closely by reading Psalms as Torah by Gordon Wenham, which is a little more on the academic side. Wenham also wrote The Psalter Reclaimed, which is easier to digest and covers much of the same ground.An excellent resource for praying not just the Psalms is Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney. In it he describes a method for using the Psalms for prayer everyday that anyone can apply and use. Likewise, Tim Keller’s book Prayer details his own path to incorporating the Psalms into his prayer life. He has since followed it up with a short devotional called The Songs of Jesus that works through the entire book of Psalms over the course of a year.What is CBR? Learn more here!