2 Kings (Reformed Expository Commentary | REC)

by Philip Graham Ryken

Publisher:

P&R

, 2019

Overview

Despite the tragic events of 2 Kings, hope remains as God holds to his promise never to forsake David’s line. This historical book has everyday relevance as it shows both the consequences of idolatry and God’s concern for people in serious hardship. Most important, it prepares us to see our need for the true and greatest Prophet and King. Tracing the overarching narrative, Philip Graham Ryken connects it to Christ and explores its applications for ordinary Christians in today’s world.

As are all Reformed Expository Commentaries, this book is accessible to both pastors and lay readers. Each volume in the series gives careful attention to the biblical text, is doctrinally Reformed, focuses on Christ through the lens of redemptive history, and applies the Bible to our contemporary setting.

Key Features

• Presents a comprehensive exposition characterized by careful attention to the details of the text
• Focuses on the unity of the Bible and its central message of salvation in Christ
• Applies the text of Scripture to contemporary challenges of life

Contents

Top Highlights

“The best evangelist is a joyful Christian who is generous enough to share the good news.” (Page 144)

“The young maiden is one of the boldest evangelists in the Bible” (Page 96)

“Naaman’s objection was not much different from the objection that some people have to the cross of Jesus Christ—what Dale Ralph Davis terms ‘the scandal of particularity.’⁶ The leper wondered why he could be cured only in the Jordan River. Why not some other body of water? Similarly, many people object to the particularity of Christianity. ‘Why can’t we be saved through some other religion?’ they wonder. The answer is that God saves us on his terms, not ours, and the way he has chosen to save us is through the life-giving sacrifice of his Son, and no other way. And yet, like Naaman, many skeptics criticize the narrowness of the gospel.” (Page 99)

“We should not think of child sacrifice as a pagan practice that belongs only to the distant past. On the contrary, abortion on demand has made child sacrifice more common than ever. According to the American Center for Law and Justice, on average two children are aborted every minute of every day in the United States.⁵ In effect, Planned Parenthood and other abortion clinics have become ‘the high places’ of the postmodern world. The logic today is really the same as it was in the ancient world: I want my life to be as happy as possible, and I am willing to sacrifice someone else to make sure I get the happiness I think I deserve.” (Page 279)

“It is the same way with the good news of the gospel. The claims of Christ cannot be held off forever. Either Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of the world or he isn’t. If he is, then standing back and waiting for better evidence before we believe is not shrewd, but foolish. There are no skeptics or agnostics in hell, only enemies of God. The people who simply hear and believe will be proved right in the end.” (Page 142)

Endorsements

Phil Ryken has consistently proved to be among our most trusted and most helpful contemporary biblical commentators. Each one of his commentaries is marked by faithful interpretation and explanation of the biblical text along with insightful application to today’s believers. His new work on 2 Kings is a welcome addition to his collection. . . . Whether you use it week by week to prepare Bible studies or sermons or whether you read it straight through, you’ll be both edified and encouraged.

—Tim Challies, Blogger, Pastor, Grace Fellowship Church, Toronto

I cannot imagine a more comprehensive tool for teaching or sermon preparation than Phil Ryken’s expository commentary on 2 Kings. Combining the head of a scholar, the heart of a pastor, the insightful illustration of a master communicator, the depth of a theologian, and the homiletical skills of an extraordinary preacher, Dr. Ryken takes readers with him from the ancient text through the empty tomb as each exposition locates the narrative in the grand sweep of God’s redemptive work in Christ. Filled with gospel delight that moved me to rejoice in the truth and relevance of God’s Word, this commentary made me want to preach 2 Kings as soon as possible!

—Hershael W. York, Dean, School of Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Product Details

• Title: 2 Kings
• Author: Philip Graham Ryken
• Series: Reformed Expository Commentary
• Publisher: P&R
• Print Publication Date: 2019
• Logos Release Date: 2019
• Pages: 480
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Bible. O.T. 2 Kings › Commentaries
• ISBNs: 9781629954462, 9781629954479, 9781629954486, 1629954462, 1629954470, 1629954489
• Resource ID: LLS:REC12KI2
• Resource Type: Bible Commentary
• Metadata Last Updated: 2023-08-25T23:16:09Z

About Philip Graham Ryken

Philip G. Ryken (1966–) has served as the president of Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, since 2010. He earned degrees from Wheaton College, Westminster Theological Seminary, and a doctorate from the University of Oxford.

Ryken was the senior minister of Philadelphia’s Tenth Presbyterian Church (where James Boice and Donald Barnhouse served previously) for about 15 years before he became the president of Wheaton College. He has been ordained as a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America.

Ryken has authored over 30 books, including several volumes in the Preaching the Word Collection, the Reformed Expository Commentary, the Crossway Spiritual Growth Collection, Written in Stone, Discovering God in Stories from the Bible, and Exodus: Saved for God's Glory.