Reading Joshua can be, frankly, a jarring experience. Serious, troubling questions about God s attitude toward his created peoples arise, questions with no easy answer. But the book of Joshua presents itself, warts (and wars ) and all, and asks readers to let it tell its story from its point of view and out of its ancient context. It asks them to give it the benefit of the doubt and permit it to speak to them. This commentary aims to give its voice a clear hearing --- to translate its ancient cultural form in such a way that it freely speaks about the life of faith today. Basically, the book of Joshua tells how biblical Israel navigated a major historical transition early in its national life. The book shows that guiding these changes is Israel s God, Yahweh, through his chosen servant, Joshua. The introductory sections to follow set the scene for entering the book of Joshua and the ancient world about which it reports. Most Bible commentaries take us on a one-way trip from our world to the world of the Bible. But they leave us there, assuming that we can somehow make the return journey on our own. They focus on the original meaning of the passage but don t discuss its contemporary application. The information they offer is valuable --- but the job is only half done The NIV Application Commentary Series helps bring both halves of the interpretive task together. This unique, award-winning series shows readers how to bring an ancient message into our present-day context. Joshua helps readers learn how the message of Joshua can have the same powerful impact today that it did when it was first written."

This isn't the Ruth, the Naomi, or the Boaz we thought we knew. Carolyn Custis James has unearthed startling new insights from this well-worn story ... insights that have life-changing implications for you. Naomi is no longer regarded as a bitter, complaining woman, but as a courageous overcomer. A female Job. Ruth (typically admired for her devotion to Naomi and her deference to Boaz) turns out to be a gutsy risk-taker and a powerful agent for change among God's people. She lives outside the box, and her love for Yahweh and Naomi compels her to break the rules of social and religious convention at nearly every turn. Boaz, the Kinsman Redeemer, is repeatedly caught off-guard by Ruth's initiatives. His partnership with her models the kind of male/female relationships that the gospel intends for all who follow Jesus. James drills down deeper into the story where she uncovers in the Old Testament the same passionate, counter-cultural, rule-breaking gospel that Jesus modeled and taught his followers to pursue. Within this age-old story is a map to radical levels of love and sacrifice, combined with the message that God is counting on his daughters to build his kingdom. The Gospel of Ruth vests every woman's life with kingdom purposes and frees us to embrace wholeheartedly God's calling, regardless of our circumstances or season of life. This story of two women who have lost everything contains a profound message: God created women not to live in the shadowy margins of men or of the past, but to emerge as courageous activists for his kingdom.

Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, now in its third edition, is a bestselling hermeneutics textbook that sets forth concise, logical, and practical guidelines for discovering the truth in God's Word. With updates and revisions throughout that keep pace with current scholarship, this book offers students the best and most up-to-date information needed to interpret Scripture. Introduction to Biblical Interpretation: Defines and describes hermeneutics, the science of biblical interpretation Suggests effective methods to understand the meaning of the biblical text Surveys the literary, cultural, social, and historical issues that impact any text Evaluates both traditional and modern approaches to Bible interpretation Examines the reader's role as an interpreter of the text and helps identify what the reader brings to the text that could distort its message Tackles the problem of how to apply the Bible in valid and significant ways today Provides an extensive and revised annotated list of books that readers will find helpful in the practice of biblical interpretation Used in college and seminary classrooms around the world, this textbook is a trusted and valuable tool for students and other readers who desire to understand and apply the Bible.

This workbook accompanies the third edition of Introduction to Biblical Interpretation by William W. Klein, Craig L. Blomberg, and Robert L. Hubbard Jr. Following the textbook's structure, it offers readings, activities, and exercises designed to teach students how to understand and apply the Bible. This workbook gives students a chance to get hands-on experience in interpreting biblical texts as they are guided along by insightful questions and pointers from the authors. Ultimately the workbook is designed to get students interacting with the content of the textbook and with the biblical text in a way that helps reinforce classroom learning, while at the same time giving both student and instructor a way to gauge how well the student is learning the material from the textbook. The third edition of a classic hermeneutics textbook sets forth concise, logical, and practical guidelines for discovering the truth in God's Word. A valuable tool for readers who desire to understand and apply the Bible, this text: Defines and describes hermeneutics, the science of biblical interpretation Suggests effective methods to understand the meaning of the biblical text Surveys the literary, cultural, social, and historical issues that impact any text Evaluates both traditional and modern approaches to Bible interpretation Examines the reader's role as an interpreter of the text and helps identify what the reader brings to the text that could distort its message Tackles the problem of how to apply the Bible in valid and significant ways today Provides an extensive and revised annotated list of books that readers will find helpful in the practice of biblical interpretation

By the waters of Babylon, in the sixth century B.C., the Jewish people felt like permanent refugees in a foreign land. Israel had undergone captivity once before, in Egypt. This time the people were in exile because of disobedience.
The books of 1 and 2 Kings were meant as an antidote for the sorrow of heart that afflicted their souls. Robert L. Hubbard, Jr. guides you through the maze of kings and empires, prophets and priests, that are the subjects of those two Old Testament historical books. In those books, Hubbard says, are "peaks of unbelievable glory and valleys of unforgettable despair."
His study of 1 and 2 Kings and of the chaotic time chronicled in those books is written in a comfortable style but with scholarly care. Hubbard applies to our lives today the lessons learned through years of pain. Scholar and layman alike will appreciate the combination of readability and scholarly investigation that marks this book.