These well-produced booklets are part of a 10Publishing series of Old & New Testament "devotionals" – a term defined, in Wikipedia. as a publication providing a spiritual reading for each calendar day. Although devotionals have a long history, they have taken off in the 21st century and in the US. Some might see them as a packaged article designed to meet the needs of busy Christians who want an uplift but are not prepared to sit down with a study Bible or a commentary. If this is the stereotype, then the 10Publishing series seems determined to break the mould.

The booklets under review are not selective, in that each covers the whole of the designated Biblical book – although in the case of Matthew's Gospel, Matt Searles tends to offer fairly large chunks per diem. The commentary is straightforward, either elucidating difficulties in the text or highlighting its main message. The invitations to reflection are brief but challenging. In a word, these booklets appear to the reviewer to do what a Bible "help" ought to do – namely to concentrate attention on the written word rather than to extract from it. They bear the marks of prayerful preparation, and promise well for the rest of the series.

Donald Mackay, Knox Church Perth