Tag: Bible Study

The Shadow of Christ in the Book of Lamentations by C.J. Williams: Finding the Hope of the Gospel in the Laments

DETAILS:
Publisher: Crown & Covenant Publications
Publication Date: November 25, 2022
Format: Paperback
Length: 172 pg.
Read Date: February 5-12, 2023

The people had been warned about this day of judgement for centuries, but as God pleaded with them through the prophets, they became more stubborn in their sin. Now the day had come. If there was ever an “I told you so” moment, this was it. But the speaker does not stand aloof; he gives a voice to the sorrow and suffering of the people. He wept with them and for them with sympathy that arose from the depth of his soul. Although the people had brought this terrible day upon themselves, they were met with compassion and “a spirit of gentleness” with which we are to minister to those who are overtaken in any trespass (Gal. 6:1).

What’s The Shadow of Christ in the Book of Lamentations About?

Based on a series of sermons, Williams walks the reader through the book of Lamentations—in a careful manner. He doesn’t avoid technical points, nor does he dwell on them, moving the book in an esoteric direction. At the same time, he doesn’t keep it so simple that there’s not a lot to learn, to think about, or to meditate on.

As the back of the book says,

The book of Lamentations counsels us on how to:

respond to hardships with faith,

grieve with hope,

and find the renewal of grace during the trials of life.

and Williams is careful to draw out each of these points more than once.

But that’s not the focus of his book—and, Williams would argue, it’s not the focus of Lamentations. The focus is on how Christ is displayed and revealed through this short Old Testament book. This comes through loud and clear and proves comforting and inspiring.

Christ-Centered Perspective

When seen in this light, a book that technically has no direct speech from God comes alive with the voice of the Son whom he would send.

Starting in the introduction and carrying on through the end, Williams makes it clear that this is going to be a Christ-centered book because the role of this book is to reveal Christ to his people. There is a speaker throughout the book, referring to himself as “I.” Williams argues that this is the voice of Christ—he is the lamenting one alongside the other voices in the book.

I’m not going to try to echo his arguments—I don’t have that kind of space. But when he started to enfold it, I was captivated—and as he returned to it throughout the book, I kept being captivated and wanted to spend more time examining these points.

So, what did I think about The Shadow of Christ in the Book of Lamentations?

When believers experience hardship or the chastening of God, asking this blunt question awakens us to the truth: Has God utterly rejected us? To ask the question is to answer it. You may not know how any hardship will end, but as a child of God, you know how it will not end. Nothing can Separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:39).

The conclusion of Lamentations shows us that there js always a path forward when we walk with faith.

Of all the prophetic books, Lamentations is the one that has always resonated with me the most—but I always knew I was missing something about it. Starting in Chapter 2 (where he begins his argument for the Voice of Christ in this book), so many lightbulbs turned on—I know Christ was revealed in this book (as he is everywhere), but I didn’t understand how thoroughly the book did that.

I’m not for one second suggesting that this is an exhaustive treatment of the book, nor that Williams is the final answer when it comes to this idea—but it’s a fantastic place to start.

The rest of the book was just as good—I walked away from every chapter with a better understanding of or refreshed appreciation for the text.

If you’re looking for a trustworthy guide to this dark portion of Scripture (that is also full of light and hope), you’d do well to look to C.J. Williams.

4 Stars

The Shadow of Christ in the Book of Job by C. J. Williams

By HCNewton

On September 24, 2017

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

The Shadow of Christ in the Book of Job

by C. J. Williams

Paperback, 96 pg.
Wipf and Stock, 2017

Read: August 27, 2017

Just some quick thoughts on a quick read…

Williams begins this brief book with a chapter on typology, what is it and why should we use it. Essentially, his definition of a type is: a living prophecy concerning God’s promised (centering on Jesus) for the benefit of God’s people throughout the ages. Which is a pretty handy definition, made more so by the rest of his discussion.

That accomplished, Williams applies it to the book of Job, and its central figure. Essentially, he gives a chronological survey over 10 chapters showing the typology involved. I found these chapters refreshing in their perspective, and instructive for how to look at other biblical texts in the same light. The last chapter, “What the Book of Job Means Today,” applies it to the Christian reader, what can his takeaway be from the book as he seeks sanctification, which was pretty helpful.

This is not a commentary on Job (I’d love to read one in this vein, especially by Williams), he’s brief by design. I think he could’ve been slightly less brief without making the book inaccessible or too involved. This brevity frequently frustrating — he’ll give an idea in a sentence, or disagree with a thought in a sentence, that could easily have been a paragraph (the latter was more annoying to me). Just a little more development of some of these ideas would’ve greatly improved the book.

A helpful way of seeing how typology can be faithfully utilized, as well as a reminder of the character of our Lord seen in the lives of His saints. A good use of an hour or two of your time.

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3 Stars

Learning to Love the Psalms by W. Robert Godfrey

By HCNewton

On April 23, 2017

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

Learning to Love the Psalms

by W. Robert Godfrey

eARC, 263 pg.
Reformation Trust Publishing, 2017

Read: April 2 – 16, 2017

Godfrey’s Afterword begins:

In our study, we have made a beginning of learning to love the Psalms. We have looked at some of the attractions and difficulties of the Psalter. We have summarized the great themes, subjects, and emotions of these songs. We have examined some of the forms and uses of the Psalms. But this book is at best an introduction and invitation to growing in an appreciation of the Psalter. You need to carry on with what we have started together.

That right there is a great 80 word summary of the book — both in intention and execution. If that summary appeals to you, you’ll dig the book.

Godfrey starts with a few short chapters talking about the Psalter as a whole. He discusses his own personal history with the Psalms and what attracted him to them and the benefit he’s gained — then a very quick look at Psalms in Church History (notably their impact on the Reformation). Then he discusses why people are discouraged from getting into them, how to overcome that, how to approach the Psalms and some basic things to think about why studying them/using them for yourself. He gives 10 questions to use when coming to any Psalm that are easy enough for any rookie to put to use and also for any one who had studied the Bible for years to benefit from.

Following that he looks at each of the 5 collections or books or whatever you want to call the groupings of the Psalms that make up the whole Psalter. These would be:

BOOK ONE – THE KING’S CONFIDENCE IN GOD’S CARE: Psalms 1– 41

BOOK TWO – THE KING’S COMMITMENT TO GOD’S KINGDOM: Psalms 42– 72

BOOK THREE – THE KING’S CRISIS OVER GOD’S PROMISES: Psalms 73– 89

BOOK FOUR – THE KING’S COMFORT IN GOD’S FAITHFULNESS: Psalms 90– 106

BOOK FIVE – THE KING’S CELEBRATION OF GOD’S SALVATION: Psalms 107– 150

THE CONCLUSION OF THE PSALTER: Psalms 146– 150

In these parts, Godfrey explores the structure and themes of each and then looks at at least 5 psalms in that book — opening them up for the reader, seeing how they work together with the other around them, in some cases how they don’t fit the theme of the rest of the book. All of these are brief, but thorough, chapters (an overview chapter and then individual chapters on each Psalm) — insightful and helpful on their own — much more so when combined with the other chapters in that section or the book as a whole. But really, if you wanted help with, say, Psalm 78 (to choose at random) as a refresher for something — the chapter on that from this book would be a great way to start. Godfrey explains:

The intention of this study is not to provide an exhaustive exegesis of each psalm considered, but rather to open a way to a growing understanding of the Psalms. God gave His people the Psalter so that we could more and more be defined by it, so that we could find our identity in it. We as the people of God today need to learn for ourselves what it means to live in the Psalms. In a real sense, they give us words to express what it means to live as a Christian. We should live in and out of the Psalms.

“They give us words to express what it means to live as a Christian ” I love that line — as I have really started to explore the Psalms for myself over the last couple of years, that’s really what I’ve been seeing and will immediately start using that phrase to describe it.

These sections of the book are the heart of it — as helpful as the initial chapters are. It’s not a commentary, as he states, but it does do a great job of jump-starting your individual study. I probably jotted down more quotations from these sections than I have from others lately, and the temptation to list them all is great. I’m going to limit myself to three, just so you can get a taste of Godfrey’s language and the variety of topics/themes he addresses:

The difference between this praise song [based on Psalm 103] and the actual psalm [103] is striking. The song is repetitive in vague terms: He has done great things. The psalm, by contrast, is specific about the various blessings received. Taking the psalms as our standard of praise should warn us against the repetitiveness of many contemporary songs and lead us to praise that is much more pointed and specific. Genuine gratitude reviews in detail the wonderful gifts of our God.

— Both a pointed critique and a challenge/encouragement for how to go express our gratitude biblically.

From Psalm 73:

Pictures that reconstruct the temple almost invariably misrepresent the scene as very clean and tidy. In fact, the altar must have been a rather horrible sight of blood and charred remains. It was surrounded with the odors of blood, burnt flesh, and death. Flies probably swarmed around. What the psalmist saw was what God intended His worshipers to see: that the wages of sin is death in all its horror. The altar testified that sin leads to destruction, and the only way to avoid the just consequences of sin is to find a substitute and sacrifice. The altar testified that the blood of a spotless substitute was necessary for sin to be forgiven. . .The altar and the sacrifices point to Jesus and His saving work. He is the true sacrifice and substitute for His people.

From his discussion of Psalm 74:

Here is a concern often repeated in the Psalter: Why does the Lord not act more promptly in response to the needs and prayers of His people? Why? First, we should notice that this questioning by the psalmist stands against the advice offered today by some well-meaning Christians who say that we should never ask why. Such advisers voice a kind of Christian stoicism, teaching that we must just grin and bear it. The psalmist, by contrast, gives strong expression to the depths of his emotions. Indeed, God, by the example of the psalmist, encourages His people to a refreshing honesty in prayer, including honesty in expressing our emotions. Fear, anger, frustration—all are emotions that we find poured out in the Psalter. But we must remember that they are emotions expressed by a believer who still trusts his God. It is immediately after these questions that the psalmist asserts his faith in the words of verse 12.

Again, I could keep going, but I’m going to force myself to stop. But we have here gratitude, sacrifice, mercy, despair, fear, faith and that’s just in 3 Psalms — only bits of his explorations of 3 Psalms, actually. Godfrey’s guide to the Psalter touches on almost as many aspects of the Christian life as the Psalter itself does.

I should note that this one of those books whose end-of-chapter discussion questions are actually worth reading and using. It’s such a rarity, that it needs to be pointed out when you do see it.

I’m not going to say that this is a flawless work, there are a few places where my notes consist primarily of question marks or “that seems like a stretch.” But most of those are on comments about the structure of the Psalter as a whole, about the organization of the “books” of the psalms and that sort of thing — which isn’t to say I disagreed with anything he said there, it’s just that he didn’t convince me. But given my lack of study on this sort of thing, it’s very possible I just need to think about it all some more. Mostly my notes are along the lines of “excellent,” “great point,” or “why didn’t I have this book years ago to help me with topic/discussion X?”

Earlier, I quoted from the Afterword, which could’ve been longer (most of the book could’ve been longer, really — but it would’ve become imposing, intimidating and less attractive for its target audience if it had) but was a great way to sum up the book and spur the reader on for further study, reflection and devotion in the Psalms. It served as a good call to action with some very handy tips.

Now, I must admit I didn’t read this one the way I should’ve — it would’ve taken me a couple of months to do so and I really figure that Reformation Trust wanted something a bit more timely than that from a NetGalley offering. This is the kind of book to read with a Bible and notebook within reach and to use both of them frequently. It’s a book that takes study and time to get everything out of — and I fully intended to return to this book soon for just that purpose — which isn’t to say that it’s not approachable or that it’s difficult to read. Not at all, this is one of the least technical books I’ve read in a long time when it comes to Bible Study. There’s nothing here stopping anyone from profiting from the book. But to get everything out of the volume, you need to put in the time to read what Godfrey says and reflect on it while reading (or singing) the Psalms discussed and working through them on your own.

All in all, this is a very helpful book — a good study, a good aid for individual/group use (I think it’d be great for family worship/devotions/whatever you call it), and an encouragement to dig into one of the more intimidating yet wonderful books of the Bible in order to find those “words to express what it means to live as a Christian”. I heartily recommend this book.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Reformation Trust Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for this post — thanks to both for this, I benefited from this greatly.
N.B.: As this was an ARC, any quotations above may be changed in the published work — I will endeavor to verify them as soon as possible.

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5 Stars