Nice Postcard

A friend in Germany sent me the above postcard at the end of last year. He had been in Switzerland and had found my commentary on Proverbs among some other purchases. The book has a new cover these days and is in its second edition. I believe EP are committed to keeping the Welwyn series in print. It's good to be found in the company of Ryle, Spring, etc. Thanks Stefan.

Bargains at ICM

I notice that all my books are currently available at bargain prices here.

Welwyn Commentary Song of Solomon

Heavenly Love: Song of Solomon Simply Explained 

• Publisher: Evangelical Press
• Publication Date: 2006
• Pages: 256

"In all the world there is nothing to equal the day on which the Song of Songs was given to Israel, for all the Scriptures are holy, but the Song of Songs is the Holy of Holies." This statement by a second-century rabbi contrasts sharply with the attitude of some Christians today, who apparently have little place for this book in their thinking or practice. They hardly ever quote it, read it, or reflect on it. Such extremes remind us that the book has sometimes been controversial. More than one scholar has called the Song of Songs the most difficult book to interpret in the Old Testament.
Gary Brady adopts the view that, when he wrote, the biblical author had in mind both a natural and a spiritual understanding, and that those who originally received the book as Scripture understood it both in terms of human love and intimacy and as a portrait of the loving relationship between God and his people. In our own day a study of this ancient book is crucially needed in both these areas.
Firstly, in this modern world of mass media, through advertising, cinema, television, and the World Wide Web, we are inundated with false images of love, sex, and marriage. We are bombarded with misleading ideas and, even if we are able to keep our minds pure, it is still very easy for inaccurate concepts to worm their way in and have their debilitating effect on us. All of us - single, married, divorced, widowed, young, old, male, female - need to be crystal clear on this vital subject.
Secondly, there is the vital issue of intimacy with Jesus Christ. One of the purposes of this commentary is to help us see how lovely the Lord Jesus is, how attractive, how appealing. The aim is for us to see again something of Christ's beauty and glory, his comeliness and splendour, and so to be drawn to him. The Song of Songs can be of tremendous help to us in this direction.

Welwyn Commentary Proverbs

Heavenly Wisdom: Proverbs Simply Explained

• Publisher: Evangelical Press
• Publication Date: 2003
• Pages: 812

The book of Proverbs is intensely practical. Here is "truth in street clothes." It deals with everyday subjects such as laziness, pride, handling money, and telling lies. Here we meet familiar folk such as the bargain-hunter, the neighbor you see too much of, the practical joker, and the "morning person" who forgets that others take a while to surface.
Charles Bridges once said that of all Old Testament books it is the one which we may think of as most distinctively educational. This is its tone. A speaker speaks to his student, an old man to a young man, and a father to his son.
Above all, Proverbs points us to Christ, the one "who has become for us" who believe "wisdom from God." Here is an excellent place to begin to learn about Christ and about wisdom. It has been said that, as the Psalms give us Christ singing the law, so the Proverbs give us him meditating on it. Truly to understand him, we must get to grips with Proverbs. Truly to be wise, we must get to grips with Christ.

For twenty years, Gary Brady has pastored an inner-city London congregation of all ages, inter-racial and multi-abilitied. This rich commentary on the book of Proverbs began its life in the regular sermons of the Lord's Day. It was written in the midst of all the pastoring, evangelism, committee work, editing, and writing of an exemplary twenty-first century minister of Jesus Christ. I stand in awe and admiration of him.

—Geoff Thomas