A Review of The Wisdom and the Folly: An Exposition of the Book of First Kings
This work is penned with the presupposition that the God of the Bible is a sovereign, covenantal God Who works through all events in history for His glory and honor.
- Byron Snapp
The reader is reminded in the introduction that I and II Kings span four hundred years of history. The author concentrates on the era of history set forth in I Kings. These include the golden age of Solomon’s reign and the spiritual impoverishment that existed during the years after the kingdom was torn into the nations of Israel and Judah.
Professor Davis divides his material into twenty-nine chapters. We see the wisdom and foolishness of King Solomon and the mayhem of King Ahab and his wife Jezebel in the midst of the ministry of Elijah. Overarching and undergirding these chapters is a focus on God’s mercy, chastisement, and judgment on His covenant people.
By his apt and applicable writing style Davis reminds us that one neglects a study of First Kings to his own spiritual detriment. The author does not shy away from difficult texts. His desire is to show how all portions of Scripture apply to lives today. The reader need not fear that portions of the book will be dry or that he will get lost due to a scholarly exposition that is beyond his grasp.
This volume gives every evidence of scholarship. However the author always writes with clarity. Numerous footnotes provide a wealth of additional information that readers will profit from reading.
This work is penned with the presupposition that the God of the Bible is a sovereign, covenantal God Who works through all events in history for His glory and honor. In writing in this framework, he teaches how all history, not just inspired history, is to be studied. He also reminds the reader that God is unchanging from generation to generation and that we, as a people, are prone to the temptations that the covenant people of that era faced. Thus this study is not just a good explanation of history. It can be read with much spiritual profit in our lives.
Davis incorporates other Scripture often and weaves into the text appropriate illustration from Scripture, history, and his life that aid the reader to better grasp the main points of the text with which he is dealing. He also points the reader to the ministry of Jesus Christ.
This volume is a useful addition to church and personal libraries. It deserves wide circulation and usage.
- Byron Snapp
Byron Snapp is a graduate of King College (B.A.) and Reformed Theological Seminary (M.Div.). He was Associate Pastor at Calvary Reformed Presbyterian Church, Hampton, Virginia, from 1994 until his retirement in December 2014. He is a native of Marion, Virginia. He has had pastorates in Leakesville, Mississippi, and Gaffney, South Carolina. He served as Assistant Pastor in Cedar Bluff, Virginia prior to his ministry at Calvary Reformed. He has served as editor of the Presbyterian Witness and was a contributor to A Comprehensive Faith and Election Day Sermons. He is currently a member of Westminster Presbytery in the PCA. He and his wife Janey have 3 children and several grandchildren.