Best commentaries for lay people

At our Bible study the other evening one member of our church asked what criteria should a lay person use when selecting a commentary. It was a great question, completely off topic, and I gave only a partial answer. My initial response was

• Learn as much as you can about the theology of the author/editor as you can. Most lay people will want a commentary that is a good fit with their theology. However, I also shared that I have several in my own library written by persons with whom I differ in some aspects of theology, but I know that when I am using their commentaries in my study and take that in consideration in my study.
• Buy commentaries produced by reputable Christian publishers. I cautioned our group against buying a commentary that is self-published or published by the publishing arm of a cult.
• My third recommendation was to carefully review any commentary before purchasing. Good ones are not cheap, and it's easy to spend a lot of money on study tools that aren't very helpful.

Now that I've had more time to think about my answer I would add some additional suggestions. In fact, next Sunday evening at the start of our study I will share with our group what I'm listing here.

• Spend some time actually using a commentary before investing in it. Most college and university libraries have Bible commentaries in their libraries. We have a college about ten minutes from my house, and they permit anyone to use their resources. We have a seminary about an hour away, and in my early years of ministry I often went there for an afternoon of study. Our local library has some commentaries available although most of them are older. Still, any of these provide opportunity for you to check out a commentary before buying it.
• Make sure the commentary you are considering is a good fit for you, not only theologically but educationally as well. Some commentaries are very heavy in their usage of Greek and Hebrew, and if you are not educated in those languages they will not be very helpful.
• Avoid buying sets but concentrate on commentaries for individual books of the Bible. In a multi-volume set of commentaries there is the likelihood that some books will not be as helpful as others. Besides, sets cost more, and there is a good chance you might not use all the books in the set.
• Seek the help of others in selecting the best commentaries for you. A local pastor who knows you might be able to recommend good options. Spend some time online researching the best commentaries for each book of the Bible, and just buy a commentary for the particular book you are currently studying.
• One volume commentaries on the entire Bible will give you an overview, but because of its size will not go in depth in any particular book of the Bible much less individual verses. 
• Remember that some commentaries are better at certain areas of study that others. For instance, I have a set of NT commentaries written by an individual whose theology differs from mine in many areas. However, I find his commentaries are very good at giving background information. I use that particular set primarily to gain perspective about what the context was at the time the actions or teachings occurred.

I really appreciated the question because it demonstrated a desire for deeper study of the Scriptures by this individual. This is one of the emphases this year in the church I'm currently serving. We are wanting to encourage our folks to get involved in Sunday school, small groups, and individual study so they can grow in the faith.

The question also reminded me that some lay persons do not know how to select the proper tools to help their personal study of the Scriptures. Those of us in ministry take these tools for granted, but many lay persons wonder which are the best tools for them when so many are available. If we want to see our people grow deeper in the faith, let's help them identify the best tools to help them do that.