David W. Baker

David W. Baker is an Old Testament scholar of the contemporary era, writing within evangelical scholarship with particular strength in the Minor Prophets.

He is known for helping pastors read Joel, Obadiah, and Malachi with attention to historical setting and theological argument. Baker traces themes of the day of the Lord, covenant faithfulness, and true worship, showing how prophetic warnings aim at repentance and restored communion with God rather than mere condemnation.

He remains valued because he is clear, measured, and consistently text led, which is exactly what preachers need in short prophetic books. Recommended titles include Joel Obadiah Malachi in the NIV Application Commentary, Obadiah in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, and his work on prophetic literature and biblical theology.

Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical

David W. Baker

David W. Baker is an Old Testament scholar of the contemporary era, writing within evangelical scholarship with particular strength in the Minor Prophets.

He is known for helping pastors read Joel, Obadiah, and Malachi with attention to historical setting and theological argument. Baker traces themes of the day of the Lord, covenant faithfulness, and true worship, showing how prophetic warnings aim at repentance and restored communion with God rather than mere condemnation.

He remains valued because he is clear, measured, and consistently text led, which is exactly what preachers need in short prophetic books. Recommended titles include Joel Obadiah Malachi in the NIV Application Commentary, Obadiah in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, and his work on prophetic literature and biblical theology.

Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical

David W. Baker

David W. Baker

David W. Baker is an Old Testament scholar of the contemporary era, writing within evangelical scholarship with particular strength in the Minor Prophets.

He is known for helping pastors read Joel, Obadiah, and Malachi with attention to historical setting and theological argument. Baker traces themes of the day of the Lord, covenant faithfulness, and true worship, showing how prophetic warnings aim at repentance and restored communion with God rather than mere condemnation.

He remains valued because he is clear, measured, and consistently text led, which is exactly what preachers need in short prophetic books. Recommended titles include Joel Obadiah Malachi in the NIV Application Commentary, Obadiah in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, and his work on prophetic literature and biblical theology.

Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical

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Lamentations, ESV Expository Commentary

Mid-levelBusy pastors, Pastors-in-trainingStrong recommendation
8.2
Author: David W. Baker
Bible Book: Lamentations
Series: ESV Expository Commentary
Type: Expository (Mid-Level)
Publisher: Crossway
Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

In Lamentations, ESV Expository Commentary, David W. Baker helps us teach lament as faithful worship, giving the church words for grief that remain anchored in the Lord.

We are helped to see the structure and movement of the poems, so our teaching respects the form and serves real pastoral needs.

Why Should I Own This Commentary?

We should own this volume when we want to help the church learn to suffer biblically. It supports careful exposition, and it helps us apply the text without rushing past the pain.

It also assists sermon planning, because it shows how the poems progress and how key refrains shape the theology of the book.

For pastoral ministry, it offers a steady companion for preaching in seasons of loss and hardship.

Closing Recommendation

We recommend Lamentations, ESV Expository Commentary for pastors and teachers who want to handle grief with biblical realism and durable hope.

As pastoral next steps, we can visit the Bible Book Overview, browse Top Recommendations, and use the Reformed Commentary Index to build a wiser working library.


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Jeremiah, ESV Expository Commentary

Mid-levelBusy pastors, Pastors-in-trainingStrong recommendation
8.1
Author: David W. Baker
Bible Book: Jeremiah
Series: ESV Expository Commentary
Type: Expository (Mid-Level)
Publisher: Crossway
Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

In Jeremiah, ESV Expository Commentary, David W. Baker helps us preach a long and weighty book with steadiness, holding together warnings, tears, and the hope of God’s covenant mercy.

We are helped to track movements across large sections, so our teaching does not become fragmented or merely topical.

Why Should I Own This Commentary?

We should own this volume when we need a clear expository companion for Jeremiah. It helps us keep the argument in view and apply the text without flattening its sharp edges.

It is also useful for planning sermon series, because it encourages proportion, repetition of key themes, and patience with difficult sections.

For those learning to preach prophets, it models a sensible path from text to sermon.

Closing Recommendation

We recommend Jeremiah, ESV Expository Commentary for pastors and teachers who want an expository, mid level guide that supports faithful proclamation through Jeremiah’s length and intensity.

As pastoral next steps, we can visit the Bible Book Overview, browse Top Recommendations, and use the Reformed Commentary Index to build a wiser working library.


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Obadiah, Jonah, Micah

Mid-levelBusy pastors, General readers, Pastors-in-trainingStrong recommendation
8.2
Author: David W. Baker
Bible Book: Jonah Micah Obadiah
Series: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries
Type: Expository (Mid-Level)
Publisher: IVP
Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

We find David W. Baker’s Obadiah, Jonah, Micah in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries a compact guide that helps us keep the message of each book straight. He offers clear exposition and helps us feel the pastoral aim of these texts, not only their historical setting.

We are shown how Obadiah speaks against gloating pride, how Jonah exposes our thin compassion, and how Micah combines sharp judgment with promises of a coming king and a restored people.

Why Should I Own This Commentary?

We should own this commentary when we want a manageable, preacher friendly companion for these shorter prophets. It gives us the main line of argument, highlights key themes, and helps us avoid preaching these books as isolated moral tales.

We also benefit from its steadiness. It does not chase novelty. It helps us apply the text by keeping our attention on covenant faithfulness, true repentance, and the Lord’s mercy toward sinners.

For church teaching, it supports sermons that are plain and weighty, calling us to humility and directing us toward the Lord’s promised rescue.

Closing Recommendation

We recommend this as a useful mid level volume for preaching and teaching Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah. It is especially helpful when we need clarity and direction without being buried in detail.

As pastoral next steps, we can visit the Bible Book Overview, browse Top Recommendations, and use the Reformed Commentary Index to build a wiser working library.


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Obadiah, Jonah, Micah

Mid-levelBusy pastors, General readers, Pastors-in-trainingStrong recommendation
8.3
Author: Bruce K. Waltke David W. Baker T. Desmond Alexander
Bible Book: Jonah Micah Obadiah
Series: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries
Type: Expository (Mid-Level)
Publisher: IVP
Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

We find T. Desmond Alexander, Bruce K. Waltke, and David W. Baker’s Obadiah, Jonah, Micah in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries a richly guided walk through three books that confront pride, expose our narrow mercies, and call God’s people back to covenant faithfulness.

We are helped to see how these short prophecies carry surprising weight. Obadiah warns nations and hearts that rejoice in another’s fall. Jonah reveals the Lord’s compassion and our reluctance to share it. Micah tears down false security and lifts our eyes to the Shepherd King.

Why Should I Own This Commentary?

We should own this commentary when we want clear exposition across three diverse books in one place. It helps us trace each book’s argument, and it keeps application tethered to what the text is doing, not what we wish it were doing.

We also benefit from its readiness for the pulpit. The explanations are shaped for teaching, and the theological centre remains clear, the Lord judges pride, pursues the lost, and promises a ruler from Bethlehem.

For church use, it supports sermons that both humble us and comfort us, calling us to repentant obedience under the Lord’s gracious reign.

Closing Recommendation

We recommend this as a strong mid level volume for preaching and teaching Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah. It keeps us honest about sin and expansive about grace, and it gives a clear path from text to faithful proclamation.

As pastoral next steps, we can visit the Bible Book Overview, browse Top Recommendations, and use the Reformed Commentary Index to build a wiser working library.


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Joel, Obadiah, Malachi

Mid-levelBusy pastors, General readers, Pastors-in-trainingStrong recommendation
8.1
Author: David W. Baker
Bible Book: Joel Malachi Obadiah
Series: NIV Application Commentary
Type: Application
Publisher: Zondervan
Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

We find this volume a strong example of the NIV Application Commentary approach. It helps us hear Joel, Obadiah and Malachi in its own world, then brings the text into ours with care and balance.

Baker keeps our attention on the day of the Lord, the pride of nations, and weary religion. Across the passages, we are repeatedly drawn back to judgment and hope, and what faithful waiting looks like.

Why Should I Own This Commentary?

We should own this commentary when we want help moving from explanation to application without flattening the text. It makes us slow down, ask what the passage meant, and then ask how the same truth should shape a congregation today.

We also benefit from the way it models responsible connections. Application is not a leap, it is a bridge built from context, themes, and the book’s own aims.

For those of us teaching with Reformed convictions, this format fits well. We can press the gospel, call for repentance, and aim at the heart, while keeping the argument anchored in what the text actually says.

Closing Recommendation

We recommend this as a mid level companion for preaching and teaching. It is clear, pastorally alert, and consistently useful when we need help turning study into sermon work.

Used alongside a more detailed exegetical volume when needed, it gives us a steady route from text to life.

As pastoral next steps, we can visit the Bible Book Overview, browse Top Recommendations, and use the Reformed Commentary Index to build a wiser working library.

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