Exodus by Ryken

[Bethel]

I'm currently reading & studying Exodus by Philip Ryken from the Preaching the Word series. I think that it is well-written and very informative, but the author has cited Peter Enns more than once in the first hundred pages (out of 1100). I'm a little concerned with this because of the posts that I've read about Enns on Green Baggins blog (see here: Wayne Grudem’s 2008 Letter Regarding Pete Enns « Green Baggins).

Is this a solid, reformed commentary on Exodus that I should continue reading or is there a better option?

 

[Jack K]

It's a good commentary, especially for laymen, easy to read with pastoral insights. I like it very much.

Ryken is solid enough. The fact that he quotes Enns, who not that long ago was teaching at Westminster after all and has done considerable Old Testament work, should not be a huge concern. In the scholarly, book-writing world authors give credit where it's due... often even to people with whom they disagree on several matters. And Ryken may have done his initial work on Exodus or first preached sermons on which the book is based back before the Enns issues fully came to light.

 

[DMcFadden]

It would be surprising if an author did NOT cite scholarly sources. In the biblical field, many of the sources are overtly and avowedly non-evangelical. Zondervan published Enns on Exodus in the year 2000 while he was a WTS prof and when he was considered a card-carrying conservative scholar.

In the NT field, you will see commentaries refer to TDNT (Theological Dictionary of NT Theology) frequently. Yet, there is probably not a single contributor among them who would be considered conservative by our standards on the PB.

 

[SolaScriptura]

... Enns' commentary on Exodus is rather frustrating to me. He does offer some good exegetical insights, but even in this commentary one can detect liberal positions.

 

[ShagVT]

It's worth noting that it's pretty rare to find somebody who is always wrong. Doug Kelly's Systematic Theology vol 2 quotes NT Wright all over the place with respect to Wright's work on the resurrection. That doesn't mean that he endorses a word of Wright's NPP (and he certainly does not) but it means that he thinks Wright has done good work on the resurrection.

I am not familiar with Enns' work on Exodus, but perhaps this is a similar situation?

 

[Bethel]

Thank you for the responses! Just FYI--I'm also very sensitive to Peter Enns' name due to the controversy that his bible curriculum Telling God's Story caused in the homeschool world.

Mr. McFadden, I did not think to look at the publishing date of Exodus verses the printing of Enns controversial book and subsequent dismissal from WTS. That does make it clearer as to why Ryken would quote him.

Chaplain Ben, will you elaborate more on the liberal positions that you see in Ryken's work? I'm trying to be more discerning as I read, so your insight would be very helpful.

 

[ShagVT]

In Ryken's commentary on 1 Kings in the REC series, he makes a bizarre speculation about why Elijah is so upset in 1 Kings 19:4. I don't have the commentary with me to quote, but his suggestion is that if you imagine that all the Bible that had been written at that point was up through 1 Kings 18, what would Elijah assume his role was? He would would have thought that he was the Messiah who was going to deliver God's people. He's so upset in 19:4 because when he fled from Jezebel in 19:3 he had shown the world and himself that he was in fact not the Messiah.

That is a pretty amazing leap to make. I think Ryken has a lot of very good insights and his commentaries have much in them that is helpful and true. I really appreciate his commentary on Jeremiah. But his willingness to make a jump like he did in 1 Kings 19 is a flag to me that I need to be proceed with caution as I'm reading him.

(Obviously we should be testing every word we read with discernment, but some writers I feel like I can be a little less cautious with because they have earned my trust.)

 

[SolaScriptura]

Chaplain Ben, will you elaborate more on the liberal positions that you see in Ryken's work?

I was talking about Enns' commentary.

 

[Bethel]

I was talking about Enns' commentary.

I'm sorry, I did misread your statement by assuming you were talking about Ryken, even though you clearly stated otherwise. Thanks again for your input.

 

[Bethel]

he makes a bizarre speculation about why Elijah is so upset in 1 Kings 19:4.

I have found similar speculations in Exodus about why the midwives lied and why Moses argued with God. They are not necessarily bizarre, but just not supported by Scripture. Proceeding with caution is always good, and I plan to do the same.

Thanks for the recommendation of his Jeremiah commentary; I've added it to my wishlist. I really do like Ryken's writing style, and Jeremiah is another Book of the Bible that I need to understand better.

 

[nicnap]

Doug Kelly's Systematic Theology vol 2

Where did you get this? I have not been able to find it, and just assumed it wasn't out yet ... as a matter of fact I was just at RTS Charlotte for Presbytery and did not see it. Please don't tell me I am that poor at my bookstore perusal skills.

 

[A5pointer]

I studied through Enn's on Exodus and found it very helpful. I did not spot much if any of the later problems associated with his work. I did find it a little overly pastoral in application but it was a great help with interpretation. Like said above we need not throw out the baby we will all disagree with a commentator at some points.

 

[ShagVT]

Where did you get this?

Ha - I thought about that after I posted it. You are correct - it isn't published yet, but we used the manuscript as a textbook for Systematic Theology 3.

 

[greenbaggins]

Ryken's commentary represents the best of the expository preaching model available today. Preachers should have all of his commentaries, in my opinion. As with any commentator, there are going to be points here and there where we might disagree. I certainly think Ryken's commentaries require less in the way of correction than most other commentaries. And yes, Enns's commentary was published before the controversy concerning him was started. I think Enns's work on Exodus is very good, and I learn from him all the time, even after he went liberal (which saddened me no end, since he was a professor of mine, and one I liked). Ryken's sermons on Exodus were preached at Tenth Presbyterian Church while I was there, and he had me hooked from the very first sermon I heard there.

 

[nicnap]

Is said manuscript for sale at the bookstore? Or is this one of those Dr. Kelly handouts? (I still have pages and pages of them from his classes.)

 

[SolaScriptura]

I think Enns's work on Exodus is very good,

See, and of all the commentaries on Exodus that I possess, I would rank Enns in the top 33%, but no higher.

 

[A5pointer]

I think Enns's work on Exodus is very good,

See, and of all the commentaries on Exodus that I possess, I would rank Enns in the top 33%, but no higher.

We can't accept this as an official stat unless you own 50 of them.

 

[ShagVT]

Is said manuscript for sale at the bookstore? Or is this one of those Dr. Kelly handouts? (I still have pages and pages of them from his classes.)

No, it's not. I took that class in fall 2011 so you would think it can't be that much longer to market.

 

[SolaScriptura]

I think Enns's work on Exodus is very good,

See, and of all the commentaries on Exodus that I possess, I would rank Enns in the top 33%, but no higher.

We can't accept this as an official stat unless you own 50 of them.

Sorry... at 16 I am well short of 50.

 

[A5pointer]

I think Enns's work on Exodus is very good,

See, and of all the commentaries on Exodus that I possess, I would rank Enns in the top 33%, but no higher.

We can't accept this as an official stat unless you own 50 of them.

Sorry... at 16 I am well short of 50.

16 could work................