A guide to the great big family drama that takes up most of the first book of our Bibles. How can you read it wisely, and know what to look out for? This Really Useful Guide to Genesis 12-50 unpacks the fascinating family stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. Richard S. Briggs takes us on a tour of these characters' lives, suggesting different ways of approaching the stories to draw out different facets and looking at how God can be found throughout. With a discussion of the historical background of Genesis and a detailed look at a few key passages, this book will increase your biblical knowledge and make you more aware of God's presence in everyday life.

Academy of Parish Clergy 2022 Top Five Reference Book There are few biblical texts more familiar to Christians than Psalm 23: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want . . ." It is one of the Bible's most popular passages, retaining a special place in ministry and giving hope to the burdened. Internationally recognized Old Testament scholar Richard Briggs helps readers understand the power and vision of Psalm 23. He offers a close word-by-word and phrase-by-phrase reading of this classic and beloved text, showing how it can speak afresh to the life of the church today. Briggs explores the reception of Psalm 23 down through the ages, covers background issues, and examines the ways the psalm addresses practical issues such as stress, death, enemies, and hope. The book helps reconnect the Christian church to the Old Testament, making it perfect for sermon preparation and small group study. The Touchstone Texts series addresses key Bible passages, making high-quality biblical scholarship accessible for the church. The series editor is Stephen B. Chapman, Duke Divinity School.

Synopsis: What does it mean to take the Bible seriously? This introductory book explores how Scripture itself gives us the resources to read it wisely. First, it looks at the basic questions of reading in context--historical, literary, and theological--and understanding the significance of the two-testament structure of the Christian Bible. Then it looks at how the Bible can itself contribute to shaping a wise doctrine of Scripture. Finally, it considers some of the many hermeneutical perspectives that contribute to reading the Bible wisely. New to this revised edition are chapters addressing the significance of the Old Testament, the performative function of Scripture, and how reading Scripture actually helps form the reader. The aim throughout is to explore key questions critical to the task of reading the Bible generously, constructively, and in a comprehensible way, without oversimplifying core theological issues. Endorsements: "Reading and interpreting the Bible is both necessary and challenging. Richard Briggs turns his masterly hand to this and provides an excellent introduction and guide. Writing in an engaging and reflective style, he covers a good deal of ground expertly and accessibly and makes available to the reader his own wisdom and insight. Take Richard as your wise guide in this adventure of faith " -Ian Paul St. John's College, Nottingham "Briggs both thinks and writes wisely. He draws deeply on scholarly resources, lucidly synthesizing crucial ideas from a variety of academic sub-disciplines, while nimbly avoiding the academic tendency to become embroiled in technical jargon and remaining alert to the experience of curious believers encountering the Bible. Readers will absorb a great deal of learning and wisdom with astonishingly little effort and will find their experience of reading the Bible transformed." -Maria Poggi Johnson University of Scranton "With wit, sophistication, and engaging prose, Briggs cuts away much of the dry rot in biblical studies that threatens to the keep the Bible from actually being useful in the church. This book takes Scripture seriously and has taught me that too often attempts to do so fall short because they rely on 'methods.' Finally, something readable to give to Christian friends and family members who ask for a good book on how to interpret the Bible." -Joel N. Lohr Trinity Western University "Written with warmth, wit, and wisdom, Reading the Bible Wisely is a much-needed encouragement to let Scripture be Scripture--in reading it, thinking about it, and living it. -Antony Billington London Institute for Contemporary Christianity "Richard Briggs offers a series of test cases by which to examine the meaning of biblical texts and the issues involved in their theological interpretation. Paying close attention to the assumptions we bring to Scripture and how it transforms our understanding, Briggs writes with a perceptive eye for detail, an unostentatious but profound and rigorous scholarship, and a sparkling, evocative style. A must for anyone wanting to grow in their appreciation of God's Word today." -Richard Harvey All Nations College, United Kingdom Author Biography: Richard S. Briggs is Lecturer in Old Testament and Director of Biblical Studies at Cranmer Hall, St. John's College, Durham University, England, where he teaches Old Testament. He is the author of Words in Action: Speech Act Theory and Biblical Interpretation (2001) and The Virtuous Reader: Old Testament Narrative and Interpretive Virtue (2010).

How should Christian readers of scripture hold appropriate and constructive tensions between exegetical, critical, hermeneutical, and theological concerns? This book seeks to develop the current lively discussion of theological hermeneutics by taking an extended test case, the book of Numbers, and seeing what it means in practice to hold all these concerns together. In the process the book attempts to reconceive the genre of "commentary" by combining focused attention to the details of the text with particular engagement with theological and hermeneutical concerns arising in and through the interpretive work. The book focuses on the main narrative elements of Numbers 11–25, although other passages are included (Numbers 5, 6, 33). With its mix of genres and its challenging theological perspectives, Numbers offers a range of difficult cases for traditional Christian hermeneutics. Briggs argues that the Christian practice of reading scripture requires engagement with broad theological concerns, and brings into his discussion Frei, Auerbach, Barth, Ricoeur, Volf, and many other biblical scholars. The book highlights several key formational theological questions to which Numbers provides illuminating answers: What is the significance and nature of trust in God? How does holiness (mediated in Numbers through the priesthood) challenge and redefine our sense of what is right, or "fair"? To what extent is it helpful to conceptualize life with God as a journey through a wilderness, of whatever sort? Finally, short of whatever promised land we may be, what is the context and role of blessing?