Years ago, I read and then interviewed Christopher Hall on his fine book, Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers.  Among other things, I was struck by something we take for granted in teaching “Bible study methods.”  It was something the early Fathers underscored over and over again, namely, that one’s walk with the Lord directly affects how well one will read Scripture.  Seminary classes I took assumed everyone was walking closely with Jesus (a very big assumption indeed) and that our main lack was in the skills of reading more carefully, making the proper connections, and then making sure our application(s) came directly from our interpretation.

David Crump makes a similar point in his important new book, but from a different angle.  Crump reminds us, by ably interacting with the many riches of Søren Kierkegaard, that one must first commit to the Person of Jesus to gain the real riches of Scripture.  Lest you think this sounds rather subjective and perhaps a bit anti-intellectual, you would be wrong.  Crump does a good job addressing that particular objection and so much more.

There are not many books that pack a lot to think about in less than 135 pages, but this is certainly one which does.

My recommendation to Eerdmanns: Consider making chapter 6 a stand alone book!  It would make a terrific resource for those wanting a lot of wisdom in short compass.