Fruit for Christ’s Labour by Yannick Ford, 2015; published by Scripture Truth Publications, and available from John Ritchie Ltd; 83 pages. Price £6.00. (9780901860743)
The title of this book is taken from the second last verse of Isaiah 53, and is the basis of its subject matter. In six main chapters, the author briefly describes some of the results of the death of Christ as they affect us; in addition to the glory, the “fruit” which it brings to the Saviour Himself. The chapters first focus attention on the problem of our sin and the fulfilment of the Scriptures, then they consider God as our Father, the Glorious Man Christ Jesus, our Great High Priest, and Himself as the Man of Joy. The language is straightforward and easy to understand, with some anecdotal material included which is occasionally extraneous. The print is easy to read, and the chapters are well spaced out. Some fine extracts of poetry are also included, with their sources identified, practical applications are regularly made, and each chapter ends with “Some Questions for Reflection”.
The book is written for believers: the author says it is intended to be food for God’s people, to encourage a greater appreciation of His love for us. But he directs any unbelievers who might read it to go first to a seven-page Appendix entitled “Who is Jesus?” so that they “may see ... what Christ has done for you”. As a result, he says, the rest of the book will make more sense to them. In the Appendix, he has included a brief, but interesting, account of his own testimony.
Bert Cargill
The Way of the Righteous in the Muck of Life by Dale Ralph Davis, 2016; published by Christian Focus Publications, and available from John Ritchie Ltd; 144 pages. Price £6.99. (9781781918616)
The best commentary on the Psalms is the experience of life through which God leads His people. As a young man, I confess that I found these 150 poems (generally speaking) repetitive, indistinguishable, and irrelevant. I was, of course, mistaken. It is amazing how a good dose of misery makes them come alive. But even personal experience can be usefully supplemented. This compact study of the first 12 Psalms, using the author’s own translation, is not to be missed.
Unlike expositors who rush into instant typology, Dale Ralph Davis is concerned primarily to let these inspired lyrics speak to saints living and suffering in a damaged world. Always attentive to detail, he is deeply sensitive to the abiding lessons of the poetry. In this sense, he provides a marvellous primer for any new reader of the Psalms. Despite a denominational allegiance to amillennialism, he cannot avoid finding – and rejoicing in – glimpses of coming glory. His account of Psalm 2, for example, teeters on the brink of acknowledging a future messianic kingdom centred on Zion, but doesn’t quite make it. That aside, this is a superbly practical study, eminently readable, and spiced with the author’s trademark illustrations both historical and personal. His style is characteristically memorable: meditation in the Word enables “faith’s fingernails … to hang on for another day” (p 18); “David is both lured by grace yet sobered by fear – just the right packaging for worship!” (p 67); “prayer doesn’t change things, but prayer lays hold of God who changes things and who, in prayer, changes you” (p 80). I relished reading this book. You will do the same.
David Newell
