Paul House is a professor of Old Testament at Beeson Divinity School at Samford University in Birmingham (faculty page). He is an excellent commentator on the OT prophets and his Old Testament Survey has become a standard for young seminarians (us old guys cut our teeth on Longman/Dillard and Hill/Walton).
Dr. House spent time with Nancy Guthrie at Help Me Teach the Bible to offer advice about teaching Joel. His interview is very inspiring.
First, he is a deeply humble man. Beyond doubt, he is a very gifted and respected scholar, so it is very impactful to hear him relish in the fact that he is still learning about God’s Word.
Second, he has taught the Bible for a long time and confesses to beginning to notice insightful things about his changing classroom audience over the years. He knows that older audiences interact with prophetic literature differently than younger audiences; he shares insights you may not have considered.
Third, he is a covenantal theologian who views prophetic literature differently than a dispensation theologian. He helps explain, biblically and humbly, how to employ the Bible’s prophecy and God’s real judgment for Christian life and devotion. If you grew up with an end-times view of prophecy, Dr. House will help you appreciate prophecy in a fresh and more vital way. As an example, Nancy Guthrie directs us to a helpful article by Willem VanGemeren, who writes:
“Joel predicts God’s judgment and the magnificence of His redemption! He promises that the “Spirit of Restoration” seals the promises of God for all who call on the name of the Lord. In our despondency, questions, and human frailty, the Spirit of God witnesses within us that we are the Father’s children. The Spirit of Christ witnesses to us that our Lord Jesus will come triumphantly as the great King and that He will bring in a new era of bliss, joy, peace, and tranquility. He is the “engagement” ring, the token that all the promises of God in Jesus will be fulfilled (2 Corinthians 1:20). He beckons us not to be satisfied with the present but to long physically for the moment of consummation, the day of Restoration, for the Spirit will not rest until that time. He prays in all God’s children, “Come, Lord Jesus! Maranatha!”
