Though Christians believe themselves to be held in the care of the of the God of love and strength, yet they find that sufferings come their way. Moreover, whole communities, even whole nations, experience sufferings - all of which frequently raises the question, 'Where is the God of Justice?' This book explores this question.

Full of Judgment, Full of Eyes When it comes to the Hebrew prophets of old, few can match the obscurity of Ezekiel, the son of Buzi. Largely ignored by New Testament writers, he is thought to have seen a UFO and provided an archaic description. The rabbis of Israel thought otherwise, convinced that Ezekiel's merkebah held the secrets of all creation. But there is much more than chariots here, as author Joe Conti deftly explains: > Why the cherubim are the essence of life, reflected in life below > Why their 3-to-1 grouping validates the quadriform gospel accounts > Why the fall of Tyre confirms his writings, together with Babylon's tree > Why Gog and Magog are not Russia - Turkey is the nation to watch This is a game of last man standing, as the Son of man gets a glimpse of glory, plunges the nations into the pit, breaks the idolatry of the Jews, and brings them back in fear to Zion, the mountain of the Lord.

The oracle against the King of Tyre, found in Ezekiel 28.12-19, is a difficult text that inspired diverse interpretations in Late Antiquity. For example, according to one rabbinic tradition the text spoke of the first man, Adam, while the Church Fathers found in the same text a description of the fall of Satan. This book studies the rabbinic sources, patristic literature, the Targum, and the ancient translations, and seeks to understand the reasons for the diverse interpretation, the interaction between the exegetical traditions and the communities of interpreters, in particular between Jews and Christians, and the effect the specific form and wording of the text had on the formation and development of each interpretation.

Drawing on both pastoral and scholarly experience, John Holbert offers a fresh approach to the preaching of a familiar scripture.To be a Joban preacher, he says, is to draw on the pain and honesty inherent in the text. Holbert understands the preacher's task as interpreting the whole of the book of job, not just the narrative and the poetry.This integrative approach allows the book's entire theology to inform sermons. Included for illustration are an embodied sermon and a narrative sermon based on passages from Job.

Take a Refreshing Plunge into theBible

Journey inside the pages of Scripture andyou ll meet a personal God who enters individual lives and begins a creative workfrom the inside out. Immersion Bible Studies is your guide forthat journey. Shaped with the individual in mind, Immersionencourages simultaneous engagement both with the Word of God and with the God of theWord to become a new creation in Christ.

Immersion, inspired by a fresh translation, the CommonEnglish Bible, stands firmly on Scripture and helps you explore the emotional, spiritual, and intellectual needs of your personal faith. More importantly, you llbe able to discover God 's revelation to you through readings andreflections.

So, take the plunge and find the transforming loveand knowledge of a personal God. Job features 6 sessions.

2012 Reprint of 1899 Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. This book is a series of eighteen meditations contrasting the Old Covenant with the New Covenant. Murray shows us the blessings God has given us, along with the conditions necessary for the full and continual experience of those. Murray's discussion of covenants is instructive, describing the nature of a covenant, the difference between the two covenants, and the transition between them. His ultimate goal, however, is to show "what exactly the blessings are that God has covenanted to bestow upon us." And here Murray's spiritual insight and ability for profound teaching shines through. His "humble attempt" to instruct the believer can have a renewing and transformative effect.

With An Introduction And Appendices. Eight Lectures Preached Before The University Of Oxford In The Year 1889 On The Foundation Of The Late Rev. John Bampton, Canon Of Salisbury.

Synopsis: Like the book of Romans in the New Testament, the book of Deuteronomy provides the most systematic and sustained presentation of theology in the Old Testament. And like the Gospel of John, it represents mature theological reflection on God's great acts of salvation, in this case associated with the exodus of Israel from Egypt. Unfortunately, for many Christians, Deuteronomy is a dead book, either because its contents are unknown or because its message is misunderstood. The essays in this collection arise from a larger project driven by a passion to recover for Christians the life-giving message of the Old Testament in general and the gospel according to Moses in particular. The "meditations" cover a wide range of topics, from explorations into the meaning of specific texts to considerations of the ethical and homiletical relevance of the book for Christians today. Endorsements: "Dan Block is a world-class scholar and dynamic Bible teacher who has a passion for helping the church understand the Old Testament. In this volume, which is the fruit of decades of careful study in the book of Deuteronomy, Dr. Block brings clarity to crucial issues in biblical interpretation and reveals the grace of God in the law of Moses." --Philip G. Ryken President, Wheaton College "Daniel Block makes a persuasive case for the critical importance of the book of Deuteronomy. It culminates the Pentateuch and throws a long shadow of influence on the rest of the Old Testament. One must understand Deuteronomy to understand the Old Testament. Through his erudition and his love for the word of God, Block powerfully unpacks this crucial book. His passion is contagious and his insight will transform how you read Deuteronomy." --Tremper Longman III Robert H. Gundry Professor of Old Testament Westmont College "Block writes with energy, passion, and clarity. He is at home both in teasing out linguistic details and in delineating large theological landscapes. Known as a first-rate teacher, Block's research is thorough, his arguments compelling (e.g., the Shema' text), and his graphs and tables helpful. This good menu of articles on worship, leadership, mission, the Decalogue, etc., is flavored with spicy ANE input, with challenging applications, and above all with scholarly acumen and spiritual fervor." --Elmer A. Martens President Emeritus and Professor of Old Testament Emeritus Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary Author Biography: Daniel I. Block is the Gunther H. Knoedler Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. He is the author of The Book of Ezekiel Chapters 1-24 (1997), The Book of Ezekiel Chapters 25-48 (1998), Judges and Ruth (1999), and Deuteronomy (NIVAC, forthcoming).

Sixty superlative sermons on familiar Old Testament texts. Many Christian preachers today largely neglect the Old Testament in their sermons, focusing instead on the Gospel accounts of Jesus' teachings and activities. As Fleming Rutledge points out, however, when the New Testament is disconnected from the context of the Old Testament, it is like a house with no foundation, a plant with no roots, or a pump with no well. In this powerful collection of sixty sermons on the Old Testament, Rutledge expounds on a number of familiar Old Testament passages featuring Abraham, Samuel, David, Elijah, Job, Jonah, and many other larger-than-life figures. Applying these texts to contemporary life and Christian theology, she highlights the ways in which their multivocal messages can be heard in all their diversity while still proclaiming univocally, -Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.-

The Homicidal, Obsessive and Delusional Women of the Old Testament is a "Behind the Music" depiction of three women: Leah, first wife of Jacob, Michal, first wife of David and Athaliah, stepdaughter of Jezebel. The book examines the tragedy of their lives and offers valuable life lessons to be learned from them.

Using narrative devices such as allusions and free associations, multivalent expressions, and irony, the author of Esther wrote a story that is about a Jewish woman, Esther, during the time of the Persian exile of Yehudites, and the Persian king, Ahasuerus, who was in power at the time. At various junctures, the author also used secret writing, or we could say that he conveys mixed messages: one is a surface message, but another, often conflicting message lies beneath the surface. For instance, the outer portrayal of the king as one of the main protagonists is an ironic strategy used by the author to highlight the king's impotent, indecisive, "antihero" status. He may wield authority-as symbolized by his twice-delegated signet ring-but he remains powerless. Among all the concealments in the story, the concealment of God stands out as the most prominent and influential example. A growing number of scholars regard the book of Esther as a "comic diversion," the function and intention of which are to entertain the reader. However, Grossman is more convinced by Mikhail Bakhtin's approach, and he labels his application of this approach to the reading of Esther as "theological carnivalesque." Bakhtin viewed the carnival (or the carnivalesque genre) as a challenge by the masses to the governing establishment and to accepted social conventions. He described the carnival as an eruption of ever-present but suppressed popular sentiments. The connection between the story of Esther and Bakhtin's characterization of the carnivalesque in narrative is evident especially in the book of Esther's use of the motifs of "reversal" and "transformation." For example, the young girl Esther is transformed from an exiled Jewess into a queen in one of the turnabouts that characterize the narrative. Many more examples are provided in this analysis of one of the Bible's most fascinating books.

Little known historical background and compelling humor combine to make this an unusual look at the role the Ten Commandments should play in the life of today's Christian. Reflection questions make it perfect for study groups and classes.

2011 Reprint of 1920 Seventh Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Levi H. Dowling (1844-1911), who originally published "The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ" under the sole name of Levi, was a Church of Christ pastor, a Civil War chaplain for the Union Army, a practitioner of homeopathic medicine, a New Thought lecturer, and a religious publisher. Levi maintained he had transcribed the text of the book from the Akashic records. In the later 20th century, it was adopted by New Age spiritual groups. The title is derived from the practice in astrology of naming time periods in terms of constellations and their dominant positions in the sky. In that system, the Age of Aquarius is approaching. The Aquarian Gospel makes the following claims, among others: The revelation of the Aquarian Gospel was prophesied 2000 years ago by Elihu, who conducted a school of the prophets in Zoan, Egypt. Jesus puts on the role of The Christ, but is not automatically Christ by nature. By making himself, through effort and prayer, a fit vessel, Jesus enabled The Christ to dwell within him. Christ is therefore used as a term for the perfect human being that Jesus exemplified, a human being that has been "Christened" (anointed) and therefore made holy. Jesus came to earth to show the way back to God via his lifestyle and teachings. He is the example we must model our own lives after, if we seek salvation. Reincarnation exists, and is the explanation for various seeming injustices. Reincarnation allows people to settle debts they have incurred in past lives. Humanity has forgotten God and is currently working its way back to fully remembering God. Time is separated into ages. These ages last approximately 2,000 years. We are now nearing the start of the Aquarian Age. All souls will eventually mature and become perfect, like Jesus, thus ending the cycle of reincarnation. No soul is ever abandoned by God.

2011 Reprint of 1944 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. In "What Religious Science Teaches," Ernest Holmes references the great spiritual texts of the world, from the Upanishads to the Kabala, showing us how we are the masters of our own fate. According to Holmes, shorn of dogmatism, freed from superstition, and always ready for greater illumination, Religious Science offers the student of life the best that the world has so far discovered. Holmes shows how the ideas of Religious Science have been treated by Taoism, Hindu scriptures, the Koran, the Talmud and other great teachings of the world.

Severus of Antioch was the Patriarch of Antioch and a moderate Miaphysite. Sergius the Grammarian is a lesser-known figure, but the content of his letters demonstrates that he was a more extreme Miaphysite. The early 6th century correspondence between the two consists of a set of three letters apiece and an apology by Sergius. Made available in Syriac along with Torrance's translation, these letters are an important part of the working out of concerns associated with the Council of Chalecedon.

DJD XXXII presents the first full critical edition of the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsa]a) and the Hebrew University Isaiah Scroll (1QIsa]b), which constitute almost 30% of all the preserved biblical material, in the styles of the DJD series. That is, whereas the photographs and transcriptions have been available since the 1950s, this volume provides a fresh transcription of all the known fragments, notes clarifying problematic readings, and the first comprehensive catalogue of the textual variants. It is not, and cannot be, a comprehensive analysis of all these highly influential manuscripts, on which innumerable studies have been published over the past half century. Part 1 contains the photographic plates (1QIsa]a in colour) with the transcriptions on facing pages for easy comparison. Part 2 contains the introductions, notes, and catalogue of variants. The main introduction narrates the discovery and early history of these two manuscripts.

The Psalms can be very helpful, but they can also be hard. Following on from The Way of the Righteous in the Muck of Life and Slogging Along the Paths of Righteousness, Dale Ralph Davis delves into Psalms 25 to 37. Using his own recognisable humour and razor-sharp observations these expositions help us to engage with the conflict in these twelve psalms.

This is a new commentary volume looking at the theological and literary motivations of "Genesis" 1-11. Joseph Blenkinsopp provides a new commentary on "Genesis" 1-11, the so-called 'Primeval History' in which the account of creation is given. Blenkinsopp works with the conviction that, from a biblical point of view, creation cannot be restricted to a single event, nor to two versions of an event (as depicted in "Genesis" 1-3) but, rather, must take in the whole period of creation arranged in the sequence: creation - uncreation - recreation (as can be derived from "Genesis" 1-11). Through the course of the commentary, presented in continuous discussion rather than in a rigid verse-by-verse form, Blenkinsopp takes into account pre-modern interpretations of the texts, especially in the Jewish interpretative tradition, as well as modern, historical-critical interpretations. Blenkinsopp works from the perspective of acknowledging the text's literary integrity as an 'authored' work, rather than focusing simply on the its background in various sources (whilst of course paying due attention to those sources). This enables Blenkinsopp's engaging discussion to focus upon the literary and theological artistry of the material at hand.

Description: The themes of these stories are profoundly human themes, capturing the persistent interaction between God and humankind. These narratives invite us to witness the manner in which God enters human community in all of its complexities, struggles, challenges, fears, and ultimately hope. As the narratives unfold, not only is it clear that God will not be restricted by societal and cultural conventions, but the human journey will be generated by faith and doubt, fear and hope, promise and fulfillment. Hemchand Gossai not only explores the various themes within a variety of texts, but maintains a constant eye on the implications for the church and contemporary readers. In this regard, some of the literal and particular experiences such as barrenness, wilderness, and wrestling with God are examined as metaphors for our experiences. The richness and texture of metaphors allow us to embrace these stories in a way that makes them our stories. Endorsements: ""Hemchand Gossai has long been working on the stories of Abraham and Sarah with great clarity, literary sensitivity, and theological savvy.In this volume, he expands upon that journey with newstudiesregarding God, the human characters, and their interrelationships.Gathering the major themes from these narratives, Gossai presents them in such a waythat Israel's stories canspeak once again into the complexities of our interreligious world.Students and scholars alike will benefit from his many insights."" --Terence E. Fretheim, Elva B. Lovell Professor of Old Testament, Luther Theological Seminary; author of Abraham: Trials of Family and Faith About the Contributor(s): Hemchand Gossai is Director of Religious Studies at Georgia Southern University. He is also the author of Social Critique by Israel's Eighth-Century Prophets and River Crossings: Memories of a Journey--A Memoir.