Study Solo and Only Afterward Consult Commentaries?

"I have sometimes been encouraged by others, both as a preacher and as a Christian who reads Scripture for myself, only to turn to Bible commentaries as a very last resort, when, after much wrestling and searching for myself, I still could not make out the sense of a passage - or perhaps just to check that what I thought was its meaning was not entirely off-beam. There is certainly merit in not simply turning to learned books to find 'the answers,' as a lazy short-cut to avoid wrestling with Scripture for myself. Yet increasingly, when reading Scripture, I find myself wanting to turn to a good Bible commentary sooner rather than later. My reason is this: a good commentary will give me an insight into the consensus view on the meaning of each passage held by generations of believers who have come before me. Working within that framework seems to be a sensible, humble and faithful place to start." -Timothy Ward in Words of Life

I've already blogged about Ward's new book, Words of Life, but this is a statement with which I really resonate. For exegetical papers and sermon preparation many of us have been instructed along precisely the lines Ward describes. But why not embrace a more mentored approach to the study of Scripture? Why not allow the masters (both deceased exegetes and theologians and contemporary commentators) to prepare us and launch us out into the high seas of biblical exegesis with some reliable reference points?

It might be objected that such a methodology undermines the supreme authority of Scripture. But could it be that we are just gearing up more wisely to study the Holy Writ? Could it be that, if a quicker consultation of commentaries enriches our perspective on a passage, we end up better-positioned to turn around and by the light of the text evaluate those very same commentaries?

In addition, Ward goes on to say that the sermon is a critical means by which the congregation is exposed to the church's historical consensus on biblical texts. He believes that preachers should open themselves up to the process above in order to accomplish the task of conveying the church's heritage to today's saints.

Thoughts?