Our castaway this time is Paul Williams, Pastor of Newtown Evangelical Church. Paul was brought up in the south of England but his roots are very much in the Principality. (published Spring 1996
If I am to be on the island for an unspecified length of time, then I must choose my books carefully. They will need to stimulate my mind, search my conscience, and stir my heart. There are plenty of good books that only require reading once. But these books must be capable of being re-read again and again, with further profit.
Firstly, a good all-round commentary on Romans would serve as a reminder of the greatness of God, both in His wisdom and power. Desert Island life may encourage feelings of self-importance. Therefore it will be good to be humbled by the glorious Gospel of our blessed God. I would choose The Epistle to the Romans by John Murray. There are some commentaries that manage to avoid all those real questions that we wrestle with in the course of studying God's Word. But Professor Murray can never be accused of that. With honesty he faces up to those important questions about the meaning of the text, and he does so with remarkable logic, exposing my heart to the truth. This volume will also be a source of instruction for practical daily living and a stimulus to pray for the advance of the Gospel worldwide.
My second choice would be The Confession of Faith by A. A. Hodge. I was given a copy of this book by a very wise Pastor whilst I was a theological student. It helped me enormously at that time, with its lucid, systematic explanation of Christian doctrine. I still turn to it from time to time, to clarify my understanding of certain matters. I regard this as a precious volume. The questions at the end of each chapter will provoke much thought during the long hours alone. If one day I should leave the island, then I would hope to be more useful in God's service as a result of studying the confession.
An entire lifetime could be spent profitably with my third choice, which is The Glory of Christ, being Volume 1 of the Works of John Owen. What an unspeakable privilege it would be to have unbroken hours meditating upon the glorious mystery of the Person of Christ, and of the Glory of Christ. Surely such times will cause me to be lost in wonder, love, and praise! There is an excellent abridgement available of The Glory of Christ for those with less time and patience, but island life would provide a good opportunity for a thorough study of the Gold Edition. Dr. Owen reminds us that it is not uncommon for a believer to know spiritual decay, even after a long profession of walking in the ways of God and the Gospel. To that end he provides a very helpful chapter on how to recover from such decay, and to obtain fresh springs of grace. That will be important to know. From time to time it will be a help in self-examination, and a source of comfort as he directs me to meditate upon the glory of Christ as an antidote to inward decay.
Fourthly, I wish to have an Old Testament commentary with me. The one that I would choose is Jonah by Hugh Martin. This will be of great help to me when something less demanding is required. His writing is full of experimental warmth on every page. When my faith is on trial, I will take comfort from Jonah's prayer in the belly of the great fish. When I feel sorry fo rmyself in the lonelieness of an isolated island, and self-pity sets in, I will read again of God's dealings with Jonah under the gourd. When I fear that I have failed the Lord, it will restore my peace to learn again that God is gracious in restoring the backslider. I will often want to turn to this book to learn more about our Lord Jesus Christ, being one greater than Jonah, who was "delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification".
Finally, a more academically rigorous book will be appropriate to continue stretching my thinking and understanding. Preferably it should also remind me that being marooned on a desert island does not isolate me from history. If it helps me to understand the Bible better and warms my heart too, then I will be very happy. This may seem a very tall order but bearing all these things in mind, my final choice is the two volume edition of The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah by Alfred Edersheim. He was a Jewish scholar of the last century, was was converted in Budapest under the ministry of "Rabbi" Duncan. His clear evangelical convictions are combined with a profound understanding of the Gospel in its Jewish context. In this way he has done great service to the Christian Church. This was perhaps his greatest work. As long as I am on the island, I can wile away the hours reading and re-reading these pages and always finding something new.
With such books at hand, I would be a happy castaway indeed.
