"Behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord GOD,
"When I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water,
But rather for hearing the words of the LORD.
People will stagger from sea to sea
And from the north even to the east;
They will go to and fro to seek the word of the LORD,
But they will not find it.
In that day the beautiful virgins
And the young men will faint from thirst.
As for those who swear by the guilt of Samaria,
Who say, 'As your god lives, O Dan,'
And, 'As the way of Beersheba lives,'
They will fall and not rise again."
~Amos 8:11-14
I normally don't do book reviews unless necessary for a class but have been so blessed with a book I have just read I feel I must share this with others in hopes that God may use it to teach and remind them of the importance and necessity of His Word being proclaimed and preached powerfully for His namesake and glory.
In conjuction with a class I am currently taking on homiletics (basically the art and science of preaching), I have been reading several books regarding preaching. Some of these books are required for the class while many are supplimants as I personally seek to faithfully exposit the Word of God. Out of all of the books I have perused the past couple of months, the best book (not counting the Bible of course!) I have found concerning expository preaching has been Steven J. Lawson's Famine in the Land: A Passionate Call for Expository Preaching.
Lawson's book is based on Amos 8:11-14 which speaks of the coming judgment on Israel for her rebellion and many sins against the Lord. Part of the divine judgment on the nation is a spiritual famine where the people will not be able to hear the words of the LORD. They will travel all over in an attempt to hear God's word but not be able to find it. Even those youthful will faint from not being quinched by God's Word and those who place their trust in other gods will fall and not rise again. Lawson argues that such a famine has fallen upon us today. While preaching is not hard to find with several orators and televangelists, most pulpits lack true biblical preaching. This book is a plea for pastors to return to true expository preaching. As he states in his introduction: Indeed, we are living in such days of drought, a time when many forces are suffocating biblical preaching. Now more than ever, pastors must return to their highest calling, the divine summons to "Preach the word" (2 Tim 4:2) (17-18).
In calling pastors back to expository preaching, Lawson discusses the Priority of biblical preaching, the Power of biblical preaching, the Pattern of biblical preaching, and the Passion of biblical preaching. To help communicate the importance and centrality of biblical preaching, he has found some of the most powerful quotes and statements from some of the greatest expositors in history such as John Calvin, Martin Luther, Charles H. Spurgeon, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Merrill Unger, and John MacArthur. I have much of their quotes highlighted and am considering compiling them as a constant reminder of the weight of teaching and preaching God's very own divine Word.
Not only does Lawson explain expository preaching, but models it as well. Each chapter has one focus and is an exposition of a passage of Scripture. For instance, the Priority of biblical preaching is an exposition of Acts 2:42-47 while its Power is demonstrated from Jonah 3:1-10, its Pattern seen from Ezra 7:10; Nehemiah 8:1-18, and its Passion taught from Paul's words to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:13-16. Basically, Lawson shows what Scripture itself says about the importance, necessity, and centrality of its proclamation and exhortation. This sets the book apart from most other preaching books which give a lot of the author's suggestions on how to reach the congregation or maintain the listeners attention. This focuses on the role of preaching in the life of a church and the need of strong expositors behind the pulpit to feed flocks of sheep which are hungering and thirsting for the richness of God's Word.
John Piper once made a comment concerning recommending books that one should never say that a book is a "must read" as only one book fits that description so I will refrain from making such a comment. However, I would highly encourage anyone called into the ministry of the Word to read this book. I am considering rereading this book every year to serve as a reminder of the importance that teaching and preaching God's Word will play in the ministry the Lord will bless me with. May God raise up more expositors seeking to accurately handling the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15)during this Famine in the Land.
In Christ,
Lee
Soli Deo Gloria!!!
Steven J. Lawson. Famine in the Land: A Passionate Call for Expository Preaching. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2003.
I am concerned that the church has developed many cliches such as 'God's Word' which differs from Christ's usage of the Word. John 5:37-39 shows a clear difference between the word and scripture and emphasized in John 10 that "my sheep hear My voice." I am afraid that we in our modern age have replaced this simple thing of hearing his voice with exegesis of scripture and have fallen into the same trap as the Jewish religious leaders who completely missed the message of LIFE. I believe that there is a famine in the land, but it is one where the word of the Lord is replaced by religion. Instead of the scripture leading us to Christ, it replaces Christ. People are encouraged to 'get into the word' when the word is something revealed by God. The best that we can do is look and listen for the word. My experience with God's word or his revelation to me is it imprints itself into my soul. I can't remember any sermons from even a year ago. But the times that he has spoken to me personally I can never forget.
ReplyDeleteMay we truly have a revival in the church of the word of the Lord.
Bob