After his graduation from Calvary Bible College (Kansas City) in 1974 Richard married Melinda his wife (50 years this year) and they went on to Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana (MDiv 1977). From there they moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to pursue the Doctor of Philosophy program in Ancient Near Eastern Studies and Biblical Hebrew at the Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning (degree achieved in 1987; now known as the Annenberg School of Judaica at the University of Pennsylvania).

In 1980 Richard moved back to Grace Theological Seminary where he took a position as a Professor of Old Testament Studies and taught until 1990.  Melinda and Richard have two sons (Nathan and Micah) and two grandsons (Levi and Orion). Richard also has an MA degree in Counseling from Grace in 1989. From 1990 to 1994 Richard taught at Dallas Theological Seminary, and then moved to Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois, where he has been teaching Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern studies for the last 29 years.

Richard publishes in the fields of Hebrew and Old Testament Studies (especially the Pentateuch), Biblical Theology, Ancient Near Eastern History, Languages, Literature, and Religion (Sumerian, Akkadian, and Ugaritic), the relationship between ancient Near Eastern Studies and the Old Testament, as well as Spiritual Formation, and Counseling. He is the author of The OT Law for the Life of the Church: Reading the Torah in the Light of Christ (InterVarsity Press, 2022). Richard is currently writing a commentary on Genesis and writing and editing essays for various multiple author volumes. Melinda and Dick enjoy living in southern Wisconsin and spending time with their sons and grandsons and good Christian friends.