A set of two inspirational commentaries on the message of the Minor Prophets. Respected preacher James Montgomery Boice discusses the life and works of each prophet, starting with Hosea and ending with Malachi.
James Montgomery Boice was a Reformed theologian, Bible teacher, and pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia from 1968 until his death in 2000. He was also president and cofounder of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, the parent organization of The Bible Study Hour on which Boice was a speaker for more than thirty years.
Based on my experience with Boice thus far, I wanted to like this book. But twas not to be. I've read Haggai, Jonah, half of Zechariah, and parts of other minor prophets and remain underwhelmed. Significant details are glazed over, insignificant details are magnified and overinterpreted in excruciating detail, and in sermonic fashion he presses applications that are not always integral to the text. Thus far I've found McCominsky and Henry most helpful.
This book is extremely helpful for understanding the Minor Prophets of the Old Testament. As I read each chapter, I felt as if I was in Dr. Boyce’s study, he himself teaching me and challenging me to follow Christ more deeply. He provides much needed historical background and also well-applied anecdotes that help explain and open up the meaning of a given passage of Scripture. It is a book I will read again and I believe an excellent companion to studying the Old Testament prophets.
These are from a series of sermons Boice preached so each segment is an easy length to read, clear to follow and full of insight. They were a help in understanding the context and message of the twelve minor prophets, and the book was a blessing to me.
...actually, I didn't read the WHOLE 2-volume series! Just the section on Habakkuk, the prophet that God keeps bringing to mind, and whose life I've been studying. Boice gave me even more insights than I anticipated, and God is using them in my life circumstances to help me persevere when it seems impossible, even when the outcome may be so much worse than what I want it to be. Boice is easy to read, but challenging in terms of living out your faith.