Christian Book Notes

Murphy, Martin. Return to the Lord: A Brief Commentary and Exposition of Hosea. Dothan: The Theocentric Publishing Group, 2010. 130 pp. $8.95. Purchase at Amazon.

Introduction

Martin Murphy is no stranger to the readers of Christian Book Notes. He has been reviewed and interviewed here a few times. You can read those reviews here. He is also one of the co-founders of The Theocentric Publishing Group.

Summary/Review

Just as the subtitle alludes to, this book is a commentary and exposition of Hosea. This is not like your typical commentary, however. What you will find is a guided tour of not just the main highlights of Hosea, but a gentle push to delve deeper into the Word of God.

As with any commentary, Martin’s “perspective” is inevitably obvious at some points though he leaves the door wide open for the reader’s interpretation. His use of pronoun’s like “I” is the main reason for this comment, but overall, he does an excellent job of remaining objective…a trait that is difficult when writing any commentary or expositional thoughts on a book of the Bible.

I appreciated most his questions sprinkled throughout the book. Those questions, while not loaded, will direct the reader to some profound thoughts on what it means to be in covenant with God. (As believers in Christ Jesus, we are in a covenant with Him!)

Recommendation

Return to the Lord can be used for personal edification or for preparing a lesson. What is more, this resource can be used for sermon preparation. It will not give you “Martin Murphy’s thoughts on Hosea” as many commentaries offer. Rather, it will lead, guide, and direct you as you seek to understand the central message of this Old Testament Prophet. In the end, you will be asking yourself, “Have we returned to the Lord?”