Summary
We find this volume a strong example of the NIV Application Commentary approach. It helps us hear Hosea, Amos and Micah in its own world, then brings the text into ours with care and balance.
Smith keeps our attention on covenant love, social injustice, and true worship. Across the passages, we are repeatedly drawn back to a people drifting from the Lord, and the Lord pursuing them with both warning and mercy, which is exactly the kind of focus that serves preaching.
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. That helps us avoid both moralism and vague generalities.
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.
Gary V. Smith
Gary V. Smith is an American evangelical Old Testament scholar of the late twentieth and early twenty first century, working within a conservative and broadly Reformed theological framework.
He is best known for his substantial work on the prophets, especially Isaiah and the Book of the Twelve. His commentaries combine detailed historical and literary exegesis with careful theological reflection, helping readers follow prophetic argument, structure, and purpose. He has written major commentary volumes that serve both pastors and students who want depth without losing sight of proclamation.
Smith is valued for steadiness and clarity. He reads prophetic texts attentively, resists speculative interpretation, and keeps the focus on the Lord’s character, covenant purposes, and call to faithful response.
Recommended titles include Ezra and Nehemiah: A Discourse Analysis of the Hebrew Bible.
Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical