Book Review - A House of Prayer

A House of Prayer
Andrew Stewart
Welwyn Commentary Series
Evangelical Press

Andrew Stewart, minister of Geelong RPC, has added this companion volume to his one on 1 Chronicles. It picks up where the other one left off and continues in the same easy to read style.

Why should we bother with Chronicles? Andrew Stewart answers that for us in the forward, "Much of this book was written as an encouragement to ordinary Israelites who were struggling to be faithful in daily and mundane matters." Sound familiar? He continues "That is why God has given us the book of Chronicles. It is good for us to learn about their struggles to be faithful to God."

This eminently helpful commentary opens up this often neglected book, and points out the emphases that make this history distinctive from the history recorded in Kings. Most importantly it continually points us to Christ, the fulfilment of the temple with which 2 Chronicles opens; and teaches us how to understand much of the Old Testament's history and how it relates to Christ.

As well as adding to our understanding of the Old Testament and our Saviour, there are many helpful and practical applications to the Christian life so that we can indeed be challenged and encouraged in our struggles to be faithful. Throughout the book key points are clearly illustrated which helps the reader grasp their relevance.

Many have already found the Welwyn series to be a great tool for personal devotions. Since most would find whole chapters too long for personal devotions (unless they have half the morning), Andrew has thoughtfully divided up each chapter into smaller bite sized sections with plenty of explanation and application in each.