Exalting Jesus in Ezra-Nehemiah

Christ-Centered Exposition

by James M. Hamilton Jr.

Edited by David Platt, Daniel L. Akin, and Tony Merida, this new commentary series, projected to be 48 volumes, takes a Christ-centered approach to expositing each book of the Bible. Rather than a verse-by-verse approach, the authors have crafted chapters that explain and apply key passages in their assigned Bible books. Readers will learn to see Christ in all aspects of Scripture, and they will be encouraged by the devotional nature of each exposition. Exalting Jesus in Ezra-Nehemiah is written by Jim Hamilton.

Genres: Christian, Reference, Nonfiction, Christianity, Old Testament, Theology

270 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2014

About the author

James M. Hamilton Jr. (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is professor of biblical theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and preaching pastor at Kenwood Baptist Church. He is the author of God's Glory in Salvation through Judgment and the Revelation volume in the Preaching the Word commentary series.

Reviews

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid and faithful Reformed commentary on Ezra-Nehemiah. This is a homiletical commentary series, and the only weakness I found is that this volume felt like it tried to live somewhere between sermon manuscript and textual commentary. At times the sermon application felt a bit forced or superficial because it was woven in with covering an entire chapter or two of text; but, at other times, I wanted more textual exegesis of a particular section. It might have served this volume to tip towards one or the other of those two options, rather than trying to do both at the same time. But still contained helpful thoughts on Ezra-Nehemiah.

[Becky Pliego · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. (2019)

Really liked it. Reads more like a devotional than a commentary.

[Isaac · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only read the part of this book referring to Nehemiah 1:1-11 in preparation for a sermon, so keep that in mind.

My impression is that Hamilton's heart is in the right place. I like the experiential thrust of what he writes, in that sense it is superior to many a commentary. However, I don't think it's very exegetically robust. I wouldn't use this book again for the purposes of sermon prep, and there are other places I would go for devotional reading too.

I'm sure others will benefit more from it, but that's my take.

[Averi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not enough argumentation, too much conjecture, and far too many rhetorical questions.

Enjoyed the context chunks at the beginning of each paragraph.

Learned the word fabulist.

"It is not loving to let Levites linger in lethargy." I feel that this should make it into a child catechism Sunday school song chant.

"As you fill your mind with God’s greatness and fill your mouth with prayer, recognize how the sin that tempts you would crush those you love in its iron jaws, grinding them in its merciless evil." Sigh.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hamilton does a great job of making Ezra & Nehemiah directly applicable to contemporary Christian life. I found his work to be most helpful in structuring a sermon series on Nehemiah, and found myself thinking it would also be a great small-group resource to run concurrently. Each chapter has a selection of life-application questions at the end. It leans heavily toward a more pastoral/preaching approach than research/scholarly.

[Joshua Reichard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Hamilton does an exquisite job at articulating the depths of Ezra and Nehemiah. As this commentary is taken from his sermons at Kenwood Baptist Church it is great to see a faithful pastor preach and teach faithfully through two books of the Bible normally overlooked. His in-depth and detailed descriptions of each chapter and verse were helpful and be that this book is short makes it an even more helpful for those who just need a quick and helpful insight into one or both of these books!

[Jonathan Grubbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hamilton has impressive knowledge of the Old Testament with connection to Jesus. He explains themes, hard to understand parts, and is very good at teaching the narrative of God’s redemptive history. Very solid work for introductory study of Ezra and Nehemiah

[Amy Kannel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent popular-level commentary--it's essentially a series of sermon transcripts, so it's very readable and accessible, but it still sheds a great deal of light on the text. Thoughtful about the original audience/meaning and then intensely practical & applicable to the modern Christian, and gospel-focused throughout. I look forward to checking out more commentaries in this series.

[Jacob O'connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

+ Keeps it's promise.  It exalts Jesus.  Hamilton writes from an evangelical perspective 

+ told in an easy, homiletic style

+ Stays focused.  

- sometimes Hamilton finds Jesus more in his own reflections than in the text

- I didn't come away learning as much about the Ezra as I'd like

[Courtney Carrico · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good! I read through this book with my resident director during my senior year of college. Thankful for the content and the wisdom from leadership.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this resource for my study on Ezra/Nehemiah. Very handy and accessible for a layperson like myself. Word of advice: read the last chapter first. When working toward interpretation and application, the patterns and types mentioned in the final chapter are very helpful!

[Ken]

This series affirms that the Bible is a Christ-centered book, containing a unified story of redemptive history of which Jesus is the hero.Its presented as sermons, divided into chapters that conclude with a "Reflect & Discuss" section, making this series ideal for small group study, personal devotion, and even sermon preparation.Its not academic but rather presents an easy-reading, practical and friendly commentary.The series is projected to be 48 volumes.