Wallace Benn, the former Bishop of Lewes, is a well-known Bible teacher and preacher in both Britain and Ireland. His new book in Crossway’s ‘Preaching the Word’ is a superb expository commentary on the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther in the tradition of J. C. Ryle’s ‘Expository Thoughts’ on the Gospels. Benn works through each section of these three books in turn, showing the lessons they have to teach us today about how God’s restores and renews the life of his people, and how these lessons relate to the teaching of the New Testament. For example, in his commentary on Ezra 1 he notes that it tells us how God used King Cyrus of Persia to bring his people home from exile to the promised land. He then comments: ‘There is a key lesson to be learned here. In our unstable world of super-powers and wars and rumours of wars, it is not Joe Biden or Vladimir Putin or anyone else who is in control—it is God. His purposes to save, bless, and keep a people for his glory cannot and will not be thwarted. Our God reigns, and he works throughout history and even uses unbelievers to achieve his purposes. If he can use Cyrus, he can use anybody. He rules and overrules the course of human history for his ends. How tremendously encouraging it must have been to a humanly insignificant and captive people to know that their destiny was in safe hands and that God had the power to keep his promises and accomplish all his plans for the good and blessing of his people. In the Western world today, when Christians are often marginalized and seem powerless to stop the neo-pagan tide, how encouraging it is to know that our God still reigns and works out his purposes.’ He also goes on to explain that this same message is taught by Paul in Ephesians 1:19-23. Paul’s description of Christ as ‘head over all things to the church’ tells us, he says, that: ‘Christ’s sovereign authority and power is for the benefit of the church, and he exercises his authority to save, keep, bless, and bring to glory his redeemed people. God’s providential care and sovereignty are exercised through history for the glory of his name and the benefit of his people. So Paul can elsewhere say that “for those who love God all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28). Our God reigns, and he reigns in grace and love, working out his purposes for us if we belong to him.’ This commentary can be highly recommended for anyone who is called to preach or teach on these books, and it will prove equally valuable both for personal devotional study, and for use in home groups. A great new resource.