At one point I convinced myself that as a pastor, if I had one good exegetical commentary and one good pastoral/practical commentary on every book of the Bible, I would at least have a sufficient supply of commentaries to last me and my time in the pulpit. Looking over my shelves and some of the recent books I have purchased, my arguments were obviously not that convincing. Being at a seminary with a bookstore does not help either.
Something like the above is very hard to choose since there are simply so many good books (old and new) available. No too long ago I purchased a scholarly commentary on The Acts of the Apostles, by David Peterson. A few months ago I heard that Derek Thomas was writing a (pastoral commentary) on the book of Acts in the Reformed Expository series. This commentary is now available. Thomas, by the way, was recently called as Associate Pastor at First Presbyterian Church, Columbia SC (where Sinclair Ferguson is pastor).
Stephen J. Nichols writes of this commentary “Somewhere along the way the idea developed that commentaries are supposed to be a resource, but are not supposed to be all that readable. Derek Thomas and his treatment of Acts defies convention. Here you have a tremendous resource for pastors and students. And here you have a most readable, insightful, and enjoyable book for all. Dr. Thomas writes with a theologian’s acuity, a pastor’s heart, and a fellow disciple’s humility and dependence upon the Holy Spirit – all resulting in a great gift for the church.”
