Amazing pre-Christmas sale at Kress Biblical Resources

by Dan Phillips

We like books here. We like sales on books, here. There's a big sale going on, so big you'd expect to see the word going out all over blogdom — and here it is:

Kress Biblical Resources is giving their entire stock an amazing 65% off through the month of November. All you have to do is enter the coupon code BR60833557256 for your cart, and the 65% will be discounted. Like this:

Kress carries a broad selection of Biblical resources. For instance, there's John Kitchen's The Pastoral Epistles for Pastors, which I highlighted here. Kitchen also has Colossians and Philemon for Pastors, which graciously included some suggestions and material from me. Kitchen writes as a pastor and a lover and close student of the text of Scripture.

Then there are Prof. Will Varner's works on Psalms and James (I plan to review Varner's new EEC commentary on James within the next week or so). Kress has many other commentaries, including those by Robert Gromacki on Hebrews, Galatians, and other NT books. Then there's Rick Holland's Uneclipsing the Son, and Ken Ramey on Expository Listening.

Unless you're a regular Pyro reader, you may or may not have heard that I also have a book on Proverbs. It isn't a commentary proper. At the moment, it's Kress' top seller, and it's called God's Wisdom in Proverbs.

It's nicely-bound hardcover, 403 pages long (footnotes! of course!), has eight chapters, an Epilogue, four appendices, and two indices (major subjects and scriptures). Thanks to this sale, instead of the usual $24.99 ($16.82 at Amazon), you can get it for $8.75 a copy.

What the book does is provide an introduction to Proverbs as well as a series of studies. It helps readers understand how to read Proverbs, what it's specific genius and intent is — this is where readers, writers, and preachers alike have often made shipwreck. It also discusses wisdom, and includes a full chapter on the all-important, pan-Biblical theme of the fear of Yahweh. There are also chapters on how to obtain wisdom, trusting and worshiping God, cultivating relationships, marriage, and child-training.

The appendices debate the authorship (and discuss what difference it makes), study words related to teaching, gives suggestions as to how to preach and teach Proverbs, and suggest (at length) that Proverbs 22:6 doesn't mean what you've been told it means.

As with the slightly-earlier book, people who read it rather tend to like it. For instance, pastor and professor James M. Hamilton, Associate Professor of Biblical Theology at SBTS, reviewed the book in Themelios, saying:

The teaching of Proverbs is desperately needed today. As our society descends into decadence, this book of the Bible will give us a backbone and help us to stand, and this applies to everything from fearing God to relating appropriately to others and cultivating marriage and training children, to say nothing of sound economic policy. We need no more “explanations” of Proverbs that nullify its teaching or assume it has no connection to its OT context. Rather, we need balanced, studied, serious, joyful, and wise explanation and application of Proverbs. Enter Dan Phillips. This would be a great book for men’s discipleship groups, for a pastor planning to preach through Proverbs, for the recent graduate, and for much else. We can thank Phillips especially for his balanced and courageous presentation of how parents should use the rod for reproof.

Also: "[Phillips] takes the biblical languages seriously...so while this book does not have an academic feel, it consistently engages the Hebrew text of Proverbs."

Nine reviews at Amazon give it an average 4.7 star rating. Rachael Starke says "get my friend's book and read it ; you will not be disappointed, and you will not be unchanged." Jacob Sweeney calls it "Excellent" and says:

Dan Phillips has written God's Wisdom in Proverbs to help bridge the gap between technical commentaries and the multitudes of "how to read" books. ...This book is easy to read, yet packed with information and insight. He does what a teacher is to do: help us receive his knowledge. This is a book I will keep for many years and plan to turn to often.

David Shaw says

Phillips has written a book that will be invaluable whenever I turn to Proverbs. He has taken the time to give us the meaning of the Proverbs in the original language it was written in (Hebrew). He shows us the style and structure and how we are to gain wisdom from reading Proverbs. ...It is obvious that this book took years of study to prepare.

Robert Sakovich:

When I first read this book, I was amazed at all of the research that went into it. I couldn't help but to think of how people should be reading it and studying it to get a better understanding of the book of Proverbs. So I decided to start a small group study on the book. We had people of all ages (from 7 to 60+) and everybody learned and participated in the study of this book. And every single person said that they loved the book...in fact one of the couples has bought about 5 more copies to give to their friends.

Dan Phillips loads you up with a good deal of theology, word study, and Scripture references, but also ties in all the application one could ask for. The chapters on godly relationships, godly marriages, and godly parenting are worth the price of the book by themselves. He doesn't just give you the theology and leave you there...he challenges you in each of these areas based upon the Scripture. I can definitely say that I was convicted in some areas and experienced growth through working on them in light of Scripture. 

I highly recommend this book to anybody who wants to grow in fear of the Lord.

Mark Stamper:

One can see that the author has spent much time, study and prayer in writing this book. I am using it as the basis of an ABF class for my church for people ages 19-25. I have recommended this book to everyone in the class as it is understandable to a wide range of audiences. I feel that the chapter on the authorship of the book and the chapter on the fear of Yahweh are worth the price of the book.

Readers of Challies and Justin Taylor (and of me!) have seen the name of professor David Murray many times. Murray is a pastor and Professor of Old Testament and Practical Theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. He heartily recommended the book, saying "the writing is clear, snappy, punchy, Solomonic even!," and adding:

It’s more “A Practical Theology of Proverbs,” and at 430 pages it’s one of the most thorough treatments of Proverbs I've come across.

Pastors and scholars will be benefit from the significant chunks devoted to issues such as authorship, Hebrew poetry, and the various proverbial forms. However, the more general reader will find a ton of helpful material in the major sections on worship, relationships, marriage, and parenting – the best treatments of these Proverbial themes I've encountered. I’ll be re-reading them many times and encouraging my wife to do so too. Dan’s explanation and application of “the fear of the Lord” was the highlight of the book for me. Absolutely outstanding.

My buddy Fred Butler says:

Dan writes as a wise pastor concerned for the best instruction he can give his people providing them rich, theological insights that lay a ground work so that they too can receive the maximum benefit from reading the Proverbs. Most academic commentaries don’t have that in mind. 

..exemplifies what makes good Bible teaching. He has the giftedness to communicate profound theology, making it understandable for regular folks and enjoyable to learn. ...I am currently going through his book a second time now that I am able to go much slower, chew longer, and digest what I am reading. What I truly appreciate about this second time is how Dan is sharpening my thinking about God. He has helped me to re-evaluate what I think about wisdom and how I should convey that to my family and in my broader ministry to other Christians.

If you are someone who is looking to teach the Proverbs from the pulpit, or in Sunday school, or maybe a home Bible study group; or even if you just want to personally have a better understanding of this wonderful treasure God has given us, you have to get this book. Dan writes with knowledge of the subject and a passion for God and His people. Believe me; You’ll benefit greatly from this study

Finally, this being Pyromaniacs and all, it might be apposite to quote Phil Johnson's recommendation. He says the book

is written brilliantly at a level that will challenge anyone who is interested enough in gaining wisdom and understanding to be serious in that quest. Readers will range from serious students of Scripture to casual lay readers on their way to a more serious approach to Scripture. It explains the wisdom of Proverbs (and the biblical nature of wisdom per se) in a clear, readable fashion that will be extremely helpful to everyone from students entering the academic world for the first time, to new parents seeking biblical insight into the process of child-rearing, to anyone in a position of responsibility or leadership. I recommend it for all who are tired of the superficial, self-centered themes that have filled evangelical pulpits and bookshelves for the past three decades (or more). If you are hungry for biblical material, God’s Wisdom in Proverbs will feed your appetite.

So... maybe you want to consider it as a Christmas present? I highly doubt you'll ever see a better price. Give it to your pastor (unless I'm your pastor; I've already got a copy), give it to your elders, your group leader, your Sunday School teacher, your professors or teachers at college and seminary, your church library, your favorite high-visibility blogger who usually likes and reviews solid, Reformed, Christian work on OT books in general and Proverbs in particular (unless that's me; I've already got a copy).

Remember: the sale is only through November, and it is only at the Kress site, and you must use the coupon code BR60833557256.

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