2013 is the inaugural year of an innovative biblical commentary series edited by John Walton and Mark Straus (published by Baker Books).  It’s called Teach the Text because that is what it is about: helping people to teach the biblical text effectively.  It combines literary, background and exegetical analysis with theological, pedagogical and homiletical discussion.  But it does this in a surprisingly concise and accessible manner. 

The first three volumes, out of a projected thirty-five, are now available on Romans (Marvin Pate), 1 & 2 Samuel (Robert Chisholm) and Job (Daniel Estes).  Two more volumes are anticipated to appear this October and November respectively: Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs (Edward Curtis) and Luke (R. T. France).  Notably, there are four contributors to this series from Talbot faculty: Ed Curtis (mentioned above), Moyer Hubbard (2 Corinthians), Ron Pierce (Daniel) and myself (Judges and Ruth).  

For further information about the series, including videos and endorsements, see http://teachthetextseries.com/.  Here is a short description of the series:

To craft informed sermons, pastors scour commentaries that often deal more with minutia than the main point. Or they turn to devotional commentaries, which may contain exegetical weaknesses. The Teach the Text Commentary Series bridges this gap by utilizing the best of biblical scholarship and providing the information a pastor needs to communicate the text effectively. By keeping the discussion of each carefully selected preaching unit to six pages of focused commentary, the volumes in this series allow pastors to quickly grasp the big idea and key themes of each passage of Scripture. The text and its meaning are made clear, and sections dedicated to effectively teaching and illustrating the text help pastors prepare to preach. Full-color illustrations, maps, and photos are included throughout each volume to illustrate the world and events described in the Bible.