Christopher Ash’s ‘Job’ achieves a remarkable feat; it is a detailed exegetical Old Testament commentary and at the same time a book full of Christ’s comfort and hope. Part of the ‘Preaching the Word’ series, the book is deliberately aimed at those who write sermons rather than academic books, but its analysis is penetrating and detailed. Moreover, it is insistent at every step of the necessity of seeing Jesus and the Cross in the message of Job, as the author says: ‘[Job] makes no sense apart from the cross of Christ.’ As a result, this book is also a powerful encouragement concerning suffering, by using the detail of Job’s suffering and distress to repeatedly point back to Jesus. I was particularly struck by his analysis of Elihu’s speeches in Job 32-37, and the idea that Job’s suffering is not be caused by sin, but it does cause some sinful attitudes to appear. This is a timely warning for all of us!

Miriam Montgomery, Free Church Books