by Greg Harris
To become a seasoned expositor of God’s Word requires a method, or a series of specific steps. Equally important, however, is one’s starting point, which is, sadly, quite often lacking. One’s starting point is important not only for learning how to become a better expositor, but also as a means of attaining reverence for God, another aspect of biblical exposition that is often overlooked. In short, we start—and stay—with God.
I have had the high privilege and calling of teaching Bible Exposition classes for more than thirty years. Very often, when I finish a class on a book such as Isaiah or Hebrews, students will sigh and say, “Oh, if we could only go back to the beginning of the Bible and do what we are doing now, it would be so tremendously rewarding!” I agree—such is the richness of God’s Word. However, I remind them that if we were to do that, they would be in seminary for twenty or more years and never leave our campus or go to minister to churches or institutions. Yet it is in response to this desire, and through God’s sovereignty, that the current volume, The Expositor’s Handbook: Old Testament Edition, has come into existence.