I've got a couple of book reviews in the works...but I have learned they are not all that easy to write. To take pages and pages of content and condense it all down to a few paragraphs is pretty impressive and much more difficult than it seems. Tim Challies does it very well and so does a pastor friend of my husband, David Steele. (If you have never checked out his blog, it's incredibly worthwhile as you wade through the myriad of books in Christendom trying to decide how to best steward your time when it comes to reading.)
So, this is not a book review...it's a Bible recommendation with a big exclamation point!
As I look back on the Bibles I have owned, the first one that comes to my mind quickly was my NASB ultra thin Bible in a deep shade of red. It was the first Bible Bryan bought for me, and I hold it near and dear for that reason alone. It was my Bible of choice for many years, the translation I had grown up with and memorized from.
The next year was an exciting year in the world of Bibles, or at least in my world of Bibles. 1997 marked the release of the MacArthur Study Bible. I wanted to be a faithful student of the Word of God and this Bible became a faithful friend in my studies as I sought to rightly divide the truth and wrestle through hard passages. It was the biggest Bible I had ever carried but the commentary within was worth it's weight in gold.
About a decade later, the ESV translation began to gain steam. I'd love to say I bought my first ESV because I was really interested to see what the excitement of this translation was all about, but the truth is, the cover was beautiful...a green floral pattern with a leather binding. It was love at first sight. ;) I did choose to use it that year in my "read through the Bible" plan and, by the end of that year, I loved more than just the cover. I appreciated the readability while maintaining an accurate translation. In my mind, the ESV was the "new" NASB for the next several generations to come and I figured I'd better take the plunge before I got too old to want to change. :)
I was content. I was not looking for new and improved. I was not seeking a change. I was settled. But then it happened. My husband brought home a Holman Christian Standard Bible. It was beautiful. Goat-skin leather. Soft, flexible, smooth, and in a sharp black color. And it was for me. How could I not at least open it and read it? How else would I show my thankfulness for the money he had spent to bless me? So, I figured I would give it a year and read it from cover to cover.
There were a few translation choices that I was not a fan of in the Holman...but overall, I found it a delight. Then I was told they were updating this translation and dropping the "Holman" name. It would become the CSB: Christian Standard Bible. My excitement grew as I read the names of those who were a part of this endeavor. I thought it couldn't get any better...until I heard a rumor that proved to be true. They had "invited" Charles Spurgeon to be a part of the work!
In November, the CSB Spurgeon Study Bible was released. Bryan and I had pre-ordered copies and were waiting anxiously for their arrival. They did not disappoint. From actual pictures of pages from Spurgeon's sermons, to outlines of some of those sermons, to footnotes on almost every page of Scripture...this Bible is filled with his shepherd's heart and beautiful insights we have known, loved, and been encouraged by over the years.
Instead of my normal routine of reading through the whole Bible each year, I decided to just read through the New Testament. I knew I needed more time to ponder, to meditate, and to think about what I was reading...and I'm doing so using my Spurgeon Study Bible. It has added a sweetness to my communing with the Lord. When I read some of his reflections and ponderings, my own heart has been encouraged to prayerfully consider and ponder more.
Here is a small example of some of what you will find when using the Spurgeon Study Bible. Mark 16 starts off with three women heading to the tomb where Jesus was laid to bring spices to anoint Him. Verse three says: "They were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb for us?" Spurgeon's footnotes simply say, "We often trouble ourselves about difficulties that do not exist." Simple, but thought provoking isn't it? Going on to verse four, God's Word says, "Looking up, they noticed that the stone - which was very large - had been rolled away." Spurgeon shares his thoughts on this, as well. "Anyone who is seeking the Lord, take comfort from this verse. There surely will be stones in one's way, and some of them may be large, but they will be rolled away in the Lord's good time. If the effort needs the strength of an angel, then an angel will be sent from heaven for the purpose. There might have been no angel if there had been no stone - and we might have no revelation of the power of heaven to help us if we had not first had the revelation of our own weakness and inability to roll away the stone." Page after page is filled with the Word of God and the encouragement of the "Prince of Preachers". It's a pretty special combination!
So, there it is. I've taken you down my "Bible memory lane" and brought you to the present. Whether you own all the Bibles I've mentioned in this post or none of them, the Spurgeon Study Bible is worth every penny you'll spend. It's food for your soul in every possible way! So...what are you waiting for? Buy it!
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