They Spoke From God · A Survey of the Old Testament by Williams, William C. -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Title Page Copyright Contents Maps, Charts, and Illustrations

Maps Charts Illustrations

Foreword Contributors Preface Acknowledgments Abbreviations

Scholarly Works Bible Versions Other Abbreviations and Sigla

Chapter 1: What is the Old Testament? (Ronald Wright)

In what Sense is the Bible the Word of God?

What Does the Bible Say about Itself?

How Was the Word of God Given? What Does “Revelation” Mean?

What is General Revelation? What is Special Revelation? How Does Revelation Work? What’s so “Special” about Special Revelation?

What is Meant by the “Inspiration” of Scripture?

What Are Some Erroneous Views of Inspiration?

The Dictation Theory Conceptual Inspiration

How Should Inspiration Be Understood?

The Autographs and Verbal Plenary Inspiration How Should Differences in Ancient Texts Be Regarded?

What Value Did Jesus Place on the Old Testament? What Are the Characteristics of a Divinely Inspired Scripture?

1. How is Scripture Truthful? 2. How is Scripture Authoritative?

How May Authority Be Understood?

3. How is Scripture Effective?

What is Meant by Describing the Bible as “Canon”?

Why Are Some Books Canonical While Others Are Not?

What is Hermeneutics and How is It Used?

What Are the Components of Biblical Hermeneutics? Why Was the Bible Written? How Important to the Task of Interpretation is Personal Preparation? Are There Rules of Interpretation that Can Be Used Immediately?

Literally Grammatically Historically Genre Personal Issues

Study Questions For Further Reading

The Bible Hermeneutics

Chapter 2: In the Beginning (William C. Williams)

What is the Pentateuch? Why Genesis? Where Did Genesis Come From? How is Genesis Laid Out? What Does Genesis 1 through 2 Teach Us?

The Bible Uses Stories to Teach Theology Who is God? God Has Created All that Is God’s Spirit is His Active Agency Human Beings Are Jointly Created in God’s Image The Unity of the Human Species is Shown Biblically, Genetically, and Psychologically The Created Order Has a Theological Meaning Human Marriage is Not Just a Social Issue

Interpreting the Data: Science Supports a Beginning

The Universe is Expanding The Universe is Not Static The Anthropic Principle Heat is Distributed Unevenly throughout the Universe Radioactive Elements Decay into Other Elements

How Did It Happen?

An Old Earth A Young Earth A Little of Both

How Should We Interpret Creation?—Gen. 1:3 through 2:4a Human Beings: What Are They? The Farmer Takes a Wife: Life in Eden and the Creation of Woman—Gen. 2:4b–25

Why Was Woman Created? What Do You Mean—“Helper”!

Study Questions For Further Reading

Chapter 3: Paradise Lost: The Origin and Spread of Human Evil (William C. Williams)

What is the Fall?

What Do We Mean When We Speak of the Fall? What Evidence Do We Have for the Fall? What is the Nature of the Fall? How Far Did We Fall?

What Are the Consequences of the Fall?

We Have Been Separated from God We Have Become Strangers to One Another We Have Become Strangers to Ourselves Community Has Broken Down Human Beings Die Wherever Humans Go, Their Evil Follows

After the Fall: What Do These Stories Teach Us?—Gen. 4:1 through 5:32

Human Beings Are Held Responsible Human Life is Sacred God Has Made Provision for the Redemption of Humanity

How Should the Stories about Adam’s Descendants Be Interpreted?

What Was Wrong with Cain’s Offering? Where Did Cain Get His Wife? How Do We Interpret the Genealogies of Genesis?

What Happened in the Flood?

Its near Eastern Setting Who Were the “Sons of God”? What Was the Extent of the Flood?

How Was the Ark Constructed?

Its Shape and Dimensions Its Materials Its Purpose

The Noahic Covenant The “Curse on Ham” (Canaan): What Does It Mean? Who Were the Descendants of Noah?—Gen. 10:1–32 The Tower of Babel—Gen. 11:1–9 A Message of Hope: The Lineage of Shem—Gen. 11:10–26 Study Questions For Further Reading

Chapter 4: What Was the Old Testament World? (Robert Mullins)

Why Was the Fertile Crescent Important? When Did Civilization Begin?

Mesopotamia

Before 1000 B.C. After 1000 B.C.

Egypt

Old Kingdom Middle Kingdom New Kingdom

Asia Minor Canaan: The Hub of a Wheel Canaan: The Land Between

Canaan’s Major Regions Zone 1: Coastal Plain Zone 2: Hill Country

Northern Block: The Hills of Galilee Middle Block: The Hills of Samaria and Judah Southern Block: The Wilderness Highlands The Sinai Peninsula

Zone 3: Jordan Valley

The Sea of Kinnereth (Galilee) The Lower Jordan Valley The Dead Sea

Zone 4: Transjordanian Plateau

The Contribution of Archaeology What Have We Learned? Study Questions For Further Reading

Chapter 5: A Wandering Aramean (Robert Stallman)

The World of the Patriarchs: The Middle Bronze Age (ca. 2000–1500 B.C.)

Mesopotamia Western Asia: Aram and Canaan Egypt

What Kind of People Were the Patriarchs? The Election of Abraham and the Patriarchs

What Does Election Mean to Us, the Church?

The Patriarchal Narratives—Gen. 12 through 50

Abraham

Westward Ho! To Canaan and beyond—Gen. 12 Uncle Abraham: How Do We Resolve Personal Differences?—Gen. 13 through 14 “Look up and Count the Stars, If You Can.”—Gen. 15 and 17 Trying to Do God’s Work for Him: A False Start with Hagar and Ishmael—Gen. 16 Abraham among the Angels—Gen. 18 through 19 My Wife or My Sister? Abraham Deceives Kings about Sarah—Gen. 12:10–20; 20:1–18 A Time to Laugh: The Birth of Isaac—Gen. 21 Thinking the Unthinkable: The “Binding” of Isaac—Gen. 22 Saying Good-Bye to Sarah and Abraham—Gen. 23; 25:1–11

Isaac

The Match-Maker: Isaac and Rebekah Marry—Gen. 24 Like Father, like Son?—Gen. 26

Jacob

Family Feud: Jacob and Esau—Gen. 25:19–34 Jacob Earns His Name: The Deceiver—Gen. 27:1 through 28:9 Stairway to Heaven—Gen. 28:10–22 Working for Uncle Laban—Gen. 29 through 31 With God on the Wrestling Mat—Gen. 32 through 33 A Stinking Mess—Gen. 34 Jacob Becomes Israel—Gen. 35

Joseph

Joseph’s Dreams Nearly Cost Him His Life—Gen. 37 An Ugly Family Secret—Gen. 38 Out of the Frying Pan and into the Fire—Gen. 39 The Dreamer Knows Dreams—Gen. 40 through 41 What a Strange Family Reunion!—Gen. 42 through 46 Egypt: Not Exactly the Promised Land—Gen. 47 through 50

Appendix: Where Do the Patriarchs Fit in the Past?

1. The Issue of Historicity 2. Locating the Patriarchs in Time

Study Questions For Further Reading

Chapter 6: With a Strong Hand and an Outstretched Arm (Larry McQueen)

The Strong Hand of God From Blessing to Suffering—Exod. 1 through 2

Standing on the Promises The King Who Did Not Know—And the God Who Did The Oppression of the Israelites and Other Hebrews The Birth and Early Adulthood of Moses

The Call of Moses and the Revelation of the Name—Exod. 3:1 through 4:17

Moses: The First Prophet Does God Have a Name? “Go down, Moses …”

The Contest with Pharaoh—Exod. 5:1 through 11:10

The Conflict Begins Signs and Wonders Death of Egypt’s Firstborn

Reenacting Redemption—Exod. 12:1 through 15:21

The Feast of Passover The Feast of Unleavened Bread

The Departure from Egypt—Exod. 12:31–51; 13:17 through 14:9 Victory at the Sea—Exod. 14:10 through 15:21 A Trip through the Desert—Exod. 15:22 through 18:27

Who Was Israel? Who Was God? Who Was Moses?

Establishing the Covenant—Exod. 19:1 through 20:21; 24:1–18

What is a Covenant? Hittite Suzerain-Vassal Treaties Meeting God on the Mountain The Ten Words Accepting the Covenant

The Covenant is Broken and Restored—Exod. 32 through 34

Sin and Punishment Will God Go with Them? Restoration The Shining Face of Moses

Appendix: Chronology of the Exodus Study Questions For Further Reading

Chapter 7: God Reveals Himself to His People (Roger Cotton)

What is the Context of the Covenant and the Ten Commandments? What Terms Define the Biblical Laws? What is the Ancient near Eastern Literary Context for Biblical Laws? What Was the Lord’s Purpose in Giving the Laws? How Can ANE Laws Help Us Understand Biblical Laws? What Are the Distinctives of Israel’s Laws? How Do Penalties in the Pentateuch Differ from Those in the ANE?

Capital Crimes Property and Damages

How Do We Understand the Laws of Exodus 20:22 through 23:19? Instructions for the Worship Center and Priesthood—Exod. 25 through 40 What Was the Tabernacle?

What is Typology? How Was the Tabernacle Laid Out? How Was the Tabernacle Furnished?

How Did the Priesthood Work?

The Priestly Uniforms Commissioning the Priests

What Did the Sacrifices Mean?—Lev. 1 through 16

Sacrifices and Sin Sacrifices and Worship The Atoning Sacrifices

The Whole Burnt Offering—Lev. 1 The Sin Offering—Lev. 4:1 through 5:13 The Guilt Offering—Lev. 5:14 through 6:7

The Worship Offerings

The Fellowship Offering—Lev. 3 The Grain Offering—Lev. 6:14–23

Firstfruits and Tithes The New Moon, Sabbath, and Jubilee The Harvest Festivals

Passover and Unleavened Bread The Feast of Weeks The Feast of Tabernacles

The Day of Atonement—Lev. 16:1–34

The Theology of Holiness The Laws of Leviticus 17 through 27 Study Questions For Further Reading

Chapter 8: Through the Vast and Dreadful Desert (April Westbrook)

Numbers: Who Wants to Read a Bunch of Names, Anyway?

The First Census: How Many Came out of Egypt?—Num. 1:1 through 2:34

“The Census is Not Historically True,” Some Say “How Many Israelites Are in an ’Eleph?”: Another Point of View Does the Census Tell Us Anything about God?

And the Moral of the Story is …—Num. 3:1 through 10:10

What Does Holiness Mean?

From Sinai to the Promised Land … Almost—Num. 10:11 through 14:45

A Complaining People Two Models of Leadership The Rebellion at Kadesh Barnea

Forty Years in the Desert—Num. 15:1 through 21:35

A Levite with a Bad Attitude An Amazing Response Moses Makes a Mistake The Edomites Give a Rude Response The Bronze Snake

A Stubborn Soothsayer and a Talking Donkey—Num. 22:1 through 25:18

One Story or Two? How Did Balaam Know Yahweh? A Blind Seer and a Willing Donkey

The Second Census and More Laws—Num. 26:1 through 36:13

Zelophehad’s Daughters: Women on a Mission Miscellaneous Legal Matters Taking the Land

Deuteronomy: Speaking of Covenant

The Book of Deuteronomy: A Sepher Torah

1. “Remember that You Were Slaves in Egypt …” 2. “Love the Lord Your God …” 3. “Fear the Lord Your God …” 4. “Hold Fast to Him …” Is the Book of Deuteronomy the Record of a Covenant?

The Decalogue: Honoring God and Each Other—Deut. 1:1 through 5:33 Israel from the past to the Future—Deut. 6:1 through 11:31

“Hear, O Israel …” I Thought He Was a Loving God A Blessing and a Curse

What Do We Do When We Get to the Promised Land?—Deut. 12:1 through 26:19

One God, One Place of Worship Justice in the Promised Land What Do You Mean, “Don’t Learn”? Rules of War “Until Death Do Us Part” What’s the Difference between “Levite” and “Levirate”? Israel: God’s Special Treasure

Mount Ebal: The Covenant Renewed—Deut. 27:1 through 31:30

Blessings and Cursings, Again

Moses’ Last Words: The End of an Era—Deut. 32:1 through 34:12

Study Questions For Further Reading

Chapter 9: Canaan: Conquest, Covenant Renewal, and Crisis (William Barnes)

The Book of Joshua: More than Just about Miracles

Introduction What Was Joshua’s Invasion Strategy?—Josh. 1 through 12

The Central Campaign—Josh. 1 through 8

Introduction—Josh. 1 Two Spies and a Prostitute—Josh. 2 Crossing the Jordan River on Dry Ground—Josh. 3 through 4 The Commander of the Army of the LORD—Josh. 5:13–15 Jericho’s Walls Collapse—Josh. 6 through 8

The Southern Campaign—Josh. 9 through 10 The Northern Campaign—Josh. 11 through 12

How Did Joshua Divide the Promised Land?—Josh. 13 through 21 How Was the Covenant Renewed at Shechem?—Josh. 22 through 24

The Book of Judges: Times of Agony and Ecstasy

Introduction What is a Judge? The Cyclical Pattern of Rebellion and Deliverance in the Book of Judges The Incomplete Conquest of Canaan—Judg. 1:1 through 2:5 The Generations after Joshua—Judg. 2:6 through 3:6 From Othniel to Samson—Judg. 3:7 through 16:31

Othniel—Judg. 3:7–11 Ehud—Judg. 3:12–30 Deborah—Judg. 4:1 through 5:31 Gideon and Abimelech—Judg. 6:1 through 9:57 Jephthah—Judg. 10:6 through 12:7 Samson—Judg. 13:1 through 16:31

Two Appendixes to the Book—Judg. 17 through 21

The Book of Ruth: A Woman of Valor, a Narrative of Grace

Introduction Structure of the Story

Conventional and Unconventional Means of Blessing Naomi’s Complaint against Her Unjust Suffering—Ruth 1 Ruth’s Boldness, Born of Desperation—Ruth 2 Ruth’s Bold Action without Compromise—Ruth 3 Boaz’s Heroic Actions: The Biblical Response to Justified Complaint—Ruth 4

Appendix: Judges or Kings for Israel? Study Questions For Further Reading

Chapter 10: From Tribal League to Kingdom (William Raccah)

Who Wrote These Books? The Gathering Storm

How Was Israel Organized before the Monarchy?

Who Was Samuel?—1 Sam. 1 through 4:1a

Hannah’s Vow—1 Sam. 1:1–19 What’s in a Name?—1 Sam. 1:20–28 Hannah’s Psalm—1 Sam. 2:1–11 The Priesthood of Shiloh—1 Sam. 2:12–25 How Did God Call Samuel to Ministry?—1 Sam. 3:2–21

The Philistines Capture the Ark—1 Sam. 4:1b through 7:2

What Happened at Aphek?—1 Sam. 4:1b–11 What Happened to the Ark?—1 Sam. 4:12 through 6:21 What Afflicted the Philistines?—1 Sam. 5:9–12

The End of the Judges—1 Sam. 7 through 8

The Mizpah Crisis—1 Sam. 7:3–17 Israel Asks for a King—1 Sam. 8:1–22

Was Saul Really Anointed King?—1 Sam. 9 through 11

Saul, Warrior and “Administrator” Saul and the Prophets—1 Sam. 10:9–12 The Length of Saul’s Reign—1 Sam. 13:1

Major Events in Saul’s Reign—1 Sam. 11 through 15

Lifting the Ammonite Siege of Jabesh Gilead—1 Sam. 11:1–15 Samuel’s Farewell—1 Sam. 12:1–25 Where Did Saul Go Wrong? The Gilgal Incident—1 Sam. 13:3–15 Jonathan and the Battle of Micmash—1 Sam. 13:16 through 14:45 When Do We Run out of Second Chances? The Amalekite War—1 Sam. 15

Saul and David—1 Sam. 16 through 31

David Anointed King—1 Sam. 16:1–13 David Becomes Saul’s Armor-Bearer and Musician—1 Sam. 16:14–23 David Defeats Goliath—1 Sam. 17 Saul Becomes Jealous of David—1 Sam. 18 David Pursued by Saul—1 Sam. 19:1 through 28:2; 29 through 30

Saul’s Tragic Death—1 Sam. 31; 2 Sam. 1; 1 Chron. 10 Appendix 1: Theology of Kingship

Kings as Charismatic Leaders The Rise of the Monarchy—1 Sam. 9 through 15

Appendix 2: Theology of Anointing Study Questions For Further Reading

Chapter 11: Israel Acquires Empire (Dale Brueggeman)

What Are the Sources for This Story?—2 Sam. 1 through 1 Kings 11; 1 Chron. 10 through 2 Chron. 9 Shouldn’t Israel Have Expected a Monarchy?—Gen. 17:6; 35:11; 49:10; Num 24:7; Deut. 17:14–20 David and the Empire

The Selection and Rise of David—1 Sam. 16 through 2 Sam. 2 How Did David Develop into Israel’s Great Warrior-King?—1 Sam. 16 through 30 How Did David Come to Rule over Both North and South?—2 Sam. 1:1 through 5:5; 1 Chron. 11:1 through 12:40

David First Ruled the South from Hebron—2 Sam. 2–4; 1 Chron. 12:23–40 David Ruled “All Israel” and “The Nations” from Jerusalem—2 Sam. 5; 1 Chron. 11:1 through 16:43

David’s Own Person Was a Unifying Factor—1 Chron. 11:1–3 David’s Own City, Jerusalem, Was a Key Unifying Factor—2 Sam. 5:6 through 6:23; 1 Chron. 11:4–47; 13:1 through 16:43

How Great Did David’s Empire Become?—2 Sam. 8; 10; 1 Chron. 18:1 through 20:8

David Conquered the Transjordan and Much of Aram—2 Sam. 8; 1 Chron. 18

David Overran the Southern Transjordan Territories of Moab and Edom—2 Sam. 8:1–4; 1 Chron. 18:12–13 David Subdued Aram—2 Sam. 8:5–12; 1 Chron. 18:3–11 David Established Profitable Relations with the Phoenicians of Tyre—2 Sam. 5:11; 1 Kings 5:1–16; 2 Chron. 2:1–18

How Did Sin in David’s Family Affect His Ability to Rule?—2 Sam. 11 through 1 Kings 2

David Sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah—2 Sam. 11 through 12 Nathan Announced David’s Judgment—2 Sam. 12:10–12 Bitter Rivalries among the Children of David’s Polygamous Marriages—2 Sam. 13 through 20

More Philistine Opposition—2 Sam. 21:15–22; 1 Chron. 20:4–8 Why Did David Turn over Saul’s Sons to the Gibeonites?—2 Sam. 21:1–14 Why Did David Conduct His Misguided Military Census?—2 Sam. 24; 1 Chron. 21 David Prepares for the Temple—1 Chron. 22:2 through 26:32; 28:1 through 29:9 Why Didn’t God Remove David from Office after All His Sins? What Do We Make of David’s Final Words to Solomon?—1 Kings 2:1–9

Solomon and the Temple

How Did Adonijah Make a Try for the Throne?—1 Kings 1:5–27; cf. 1 Chron. 29:21–25 How Did Solomon Build on the Base that His Father, David, Had Fought to Establish?—1 Kings 2:13–46 Solomon Consolidated His Political Power Base at Home

Solomon Solidified His National Defenses Solomon Pursued an Ambitious Foreign Policy Solomon Maintained a Vast Empire, but Not without Opposition

Did Solomon Eliminate and Neutralize All of His Potential Threats?—1 Kings 11

Solomon Eventually Faced External Enemies—1 Kings 11:14–25 Jeroboam Rebelled against Solomon—1 Kings 11:26–40

How Did Solomon Get so Wealthy?—1 Kings 10; 2 Chron. 1:14–17; 9:13–28

Solomon Pursued Extensive Maritime Trade—1 Kings 5:1–12; 9:26–28; 10:11–12, 22 Solomon Pursued Caravan Trade with Arabia—1 Kings 10:1–13; 2 Chron. 9:1–12 Solomon Traded in Horses and Chariots—1 Kings 10:28–29; cf. Deut. 17:16

Were Solomon’s Days Israel’s Golden Age?

Solomon Fostered Massive Buliding Projects—1 Kings 5 through 7 Solomon Contributed to the Flowering of Hebrew Culture—1 Kings 10

Was Solomon the Finest Manifestation of Kingship or a Burden on the People?

Solomon Asked for Wisdom to Rule Well—1 Kings 3:4–15; 2 Chron 1:2–13 Solomon Failed to Rule All that Wisely Solomon Established Twelve Administrative Districts—1 Kings 4:7–19 Solomon Imposed Extreme Socio-economic Measures Solomon Led a Glorious Kingdom to the Precipice of Destruction—1 Kings 9 through 11 Solomon Led Because He Was David’s Promised “Son”—1 Kings 11:9–13 Why Didn’t God Remove Such a Faulty King from His Throne? Solomon Died after a Forty-Year Rule—1 Kings 11:41–43; 2 Chron. 9:29–31

Theological Aspects of David’s Dynasty

Covenant: How is the Monarchy Defined by the Davidic Covenant?—2 Sam. 7; 1 Chron. 17

Key Words in the Davidic Covenant Conditional vs. Unconditional Covenant

Priest and Temple: How Did the Monarchy Relate to the Worship of God? Theocracy: How Did the Monarchy Relate to the Rule of God? New Testament: What Can the Monarchy Teach Us about the Kingdom of God?

Study Questions For Further Reading

Chapter 12: Sweet Singers and Sages: Israel’s Poetry and Wisdom (Dale Brueggeman)

What is Old Testament Poetry and Wisdom Literature?

Why is It Called Poetry?

How Does Parallelism Work? Doesn’t Hebrew Poetry Use Other Artistic Devices Too? Why is It Called Wisdom Literature? How Many Ways Can Wisdom Be Expressed? Is Wisdom Literature Unique to Israel’s Religion? How is “Wisdom” Related to “Knowledge”?

Job: Israel’s Debate about Suffering

Job’s Cultural and Literary Setting

How is Job to Be Dated? What is Job’s Literary Context? How May Job Be Summarized?

Prologue: Key to Understanding the Book—Job 1 through 2 Job Interacting with Human Wisdom—Job 3 through 31 Elihu Summarizes Human Wisdom—Job 32 through 37 Job Interacting with Divine Wisdom—Job 38:1 through 42:6 Epilogue—Job 42:7–17

What Does Job Teach about Life?

Psalms: Israel’s Prayer Book and Hymnal

The Structure of the Book

What about the Material in the Psalm Headings? How Did We Get Five “Books” of Psalms?

How Can I Use the Different Psalm Types for Prayer and Worship?

Various Approaches to Interpreting the Psalms The Psalm Genres as Guides to Interpretation

Hymns Laments (Petition Psalms) Thanksgiving Psalms Psalms of Confidence Psalms of Remembrance Wisdom Psalms Kingship Psalms (Royal Psalms)

What Does the Book of Psalms Teach about Life?

Proverbs: Israel’s Accumulated Wisdom

What is the Date and Authorship of Proverbs? What is the Setting of Proverbs? How is Proverbs Organized?

Introduction—Prov. 1:1–7 A Father’s Exhortation of the Young—Prov. 1:8 through 9:18 More Proverbs of Solomon—Prov. 10:1 through 22:16; 25:1 through 29:27 Words of Wise Men—Prov. 22:17 through 24:22 Further Words of Wise Men—Prov. 24:23–34 Words of Agur—Prov. 30:1–33 Words of King Lemuel—Prov. 31:1–9 An Acrostic on the Wise Wife—Prov. 31:10–31

How is Proverbs to Be Interpreted? What Does Proverbs Teach Us about Life?

Ecclesiastes: Israel’s Hard Questions

What Does Solomon Have to Do with Ecclesiastes? How is Ecclesiastes to Be Read? What Does Ecclesiastes Teach about Life?

Song of Songs: Israel’s Love Poetry

What Does Solomon Have to Do with Song of Songs? How is Song of Songs to Be Read? What Does the Song of Songs Teach about Life?

Appendix: Imprecation Study Questions For Further Reading

Hebrew Poetry Wisdom Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Songs

Chapter 13: The Great Divorce (Andrew Davies)

History and Destiny The Earliest Kings of Israel History: Why Do We Need It and What Can We Do with It?

So What is Salvation History? How Helpful is the Concept of Salvation History? But Why Do We Need History?

Kings and Chronicles: Why Do We Need so Much History?

The Value of Chronicles History in Chronicles Can We Trust Chronicles?

The Monarchy and the Kingdom of God: Who Would Be King? What Provoked the Great Divorce?

1. Was There Ever a Wedding? 2. Unreasonable Behavior? 3. Early Signs of Dissent Divine Judgment

Decree Absolute: The Conference at Shechem—1 Kings 12:1–19

What Was the Main Issue at the Shechem Conference?

The Rejection of Rehoboam Israel’s Hope? The Northern Kingdom under Jeroboam—1 Kings 12:20 through 14:20

The Concept of Kingship Jeroboam’s Early Years as King How Did Jeroboam Influence Israelite Religion? Jeroboam’s Alterations to the Cult The Downward Spiral Jeroboam’s Legacy

Southern Discomfort: Judah under Rehoboam—1 Kings 14:21–29

Attempts at Forced Reconciliation Rehoboam: The Verdict

From Bad to Worse: Abijah of Judah—1 Kings 15:1–25; 2 Chron. 13 Appendix: Problems of Egyptian Chronology Study Questions For Further Reading

Chapter 14: Long Day’s Journey into Night: Israel, the Northern Kingdom (Robert Stallman)

Unhappily Ever After Seeing the Big Picture Jeroboam’s Dynasty: Shechem in the West and Peniel in the East—1 Kings 12:20 through 15:32 Baasha’s Dynasty at Tirzah—1 Kings 15:33 through 16:20 Civil War Follows Destruction of Baasha’s Dynasty—1 Kings 16:21–22 Omri’s Dynasty at Samaria—1 Kings 16:23 through 2 Kings 8:29

The International Situation Omri—1 Kings 16:23–28 Ahab and Jezebel—1 Kings 16:29 through 22:40

Episode 1: Prologue to Qarqar: Ahab and Ben-Hadad—1 Kings 20 Episode 2: Ahab and Naboth’s Vineyard—1 Kings 21 Qarqar—853 B.C. Episode 3: Epilogue to Qarqar: Ahab’s Death at Ramoth Gilead—1 Kings 22:1–40; 2 Chron. 18:2–34

The Remaining Omride Kings—1 Kings 22:51 through 2 Kings 9:26

The Careers of Elijah and Elisha—1 Kings 17:1 through 2 Kings 2:11; 1 Kings 19:16 through 2 Kings 13:20

The Career of Elijah The Career of Elisha

Jehu’s Dynasty at Samaria—2 Kings 9:1 through 15:12

Jehu’s Revolt and Its Consequences—2 Kings 9:1 through 10:36

Jeroboam II and His Reign—2 Kings 14:23–29

Disintegration and Anarchy—2 Kings 15:13 through 17:6 A “Deuteronomistic” Conclusion—2 Kings 17:7–41 Appendix 1: Ancient near Eastern Sources and the History of the Northern Kingdom Appendix 2: Parallels between 1 Kings 14 through 2 Kings 16 and Chronicles Study Questions For Further Reading

Chapter 15: Just Stayin’ Alive: Judah from Rehoboam to Hezekiah (Dwaine Braddy)

Introduction How Do We Read the Books of Kings and Chronicles Today? What Are the Historical and Theological Perspectives of Kings and Chronicles? Who Was the Audience for 1 and 2 Kings? A Pattern is Established The Parade of Judean Kings: From Abijah to Hezekiah—1 Kings 15 through 2 Kings 20; 2 Chron. 13 through 32

The Pre-assyrian Era

Abijah—1 Kings 15; 2 Chron. 13; 913–911/10 B.C. Asa—1 Kings 15; 2 Chron. 14 through 16; 911/10–870/69 B.C.

Jehoshaphat—1 Kings 22; 2 Kings 3; 2 Chron. 17 through 21; 872/71–848 B.C. Jehoram to Amaziah—2 Kings 8; 11 through 12; 14; 2 Chron. 21 through 25; 853–767 B.C.

Uzziah—2 Kings 14:21; 15:1–7; 2 Chron. 26:1–23; 792/91–740/39 B.C. Jotham—2 Kings 15:32–38; 2 Chron. 27:1–9; 750–732/31 B.C.

Assyrian Domination

Assyrian Aggression and Expansion Isaiah and the Kings of Judah

Ahaz—2 Kings 16; 2 Chron. 28; Isa. 7:1 through 8:22; 735–716/15 B.C. Hezekiah—2 Kings 18 through 20; 2 Chron. 29 through 32; Isa. 36 through 39; 716/15–687/86 B.C.

Conclusion Study Questions For Further Reading

Chapter 16: Hear the Word of the Lord: The Rise of the Prophetic Movement (Richard Israel Steve Fettke)

What is a Prophet? Prophets in Ancient Israel Who Were Israel’s “Non-literary” Prophets? What Were the Prophets’ Theological Themes? What Did the Prophets Say about Worship? The Book of Jonah

Who Was Jonah? What Was Jonah’s World Like? What Does Jonah Teach Us? Important Theological Issues in the Book of Jonah

The Book of Amos

Who Was Amos? What Was Amos’s World Like? What Does Amos Teach Us?

Judgment on the Nations—Amos 1 through 2 Warnings of Judgment on Israel and Judah—Amos 3:1 through 6:14 Visions of Judgment—Amos 7:1 through 9:10 Hope beyond Judgment—Amos 9:11–15

The Book of Hosea

Who Was Hosea? What Was Hosea’s World Like? What Does Hosea Teach Us?

Hosea’s Broken Marriage, Israel’s Broken Covenant—Hos. 1 through 3 Judgment on Israel and Judah—Hos. 4:1 through 11:11 Israel’s past Defines Who They Are—Hos. 11:12 through 14:9

The Book of Micah

Who Was Micah? What Was Micah’s World Like? What Does Micah Teach Us?

Judgment and Deliverance—Mic. 1 through 2 False Leaders and a True King—Mic. 3 through 5 Hope in the Face of Despair—Mic. 6 through 7

The Book of Joel

What Was Joel’s World Like? What Does Joel Teach Us?

The Present Crisis: A Locust Plague, Prayers, and Repentance—Joel 1:1 through 2:17 The Lord Answers—Joel 2:18 through 3:21

The Book of Isaiah

Who Was Isaiah? What Was Isaiah’s World Like? What Does Isaiah Teach Us?

Judgment against Judah, Israel, and the Nations—Isa. 1 through 33 Promise and Fulfillment—Isa. 34 through 66

Isaiah and Critical Studies

Study Questions For Further Reading

Chapter 17: On the Edge of Night: Judah from Manasseh to the Exile (Malcolm Brubaker)

Who Were the Last Kings of Judah?

Manasseh: A Wickedly Long Reign—697/87–643 B.C.

Does a Long Reign Mean God’s Approval?

Amon: A Short, Evil Rule—643–641 B.C. Josiah: Judah’s Last Godly King—641–609 B.C.

What Triggered Josiah’s Godly Reforms? Goodbye Assyria, Hello Neo-babylonia A Sudden End to a Long Reign

Jehoahaz: A Victim of Egyptian Interests—609 B.C. Jehoiakim: Coping with Babylonian Dominance—609–597 B.C.

Living like a King, Dying like a Donkey

Jehoiachin: Brief Rule, Long Captivity—597 B.C. Zedekiah: Split Allegiances and Weak Character—597–586 B.C.

What Do We Learn from This? The Late Judean Prophets

Nahum: Prophet of Assyria’s Demise—Late 600s B.C.

What Do We Know about Nahum? What Do We Know about Nineveh? What’s in a Name? Can Any Good Come out of Nahum?

Zephaniah: Prophet of Doom—Middle to Late 600s B.C.

What Kind of Ministry Does a Voice of Alarm Have? What Does Zephaniah Say about Wickedness? Is This Prophet All Bad News?

Jeremiah: Prophet of the New Covenant—626–586 B.C.

Why is Jeremiah so Autobiographical? What Do We Know about the Structure of Jeremiah’s Book? What Kind of Writer Was Jeremiah? What is This Business about LXX and MT? What Lessons Can We Learn from Jeremiah? Why is Jeremiah Mentioned in the New Testament?

Lamentations: The Cry of Jerusalem’s Heart—About 580 B.C.

What is the Book of Lamentations? Who Wrote Lamentations? What is Its Literary Structure? What is Its Message? What Can We Learn from Lamentations?

Habakkuk: The Prophet of Questioning Faith—About 605 B.C.

Habakkuk Who? What is This Book About? What Does Habakkuk Teach Us?

Obadiah: The Prophet of Edom’s Doom—About 580 B.C.

When Did Obadiah Write His Book? What and Where Was Edom? What is Obadiah’s Structure? Lessons from Obadiah—Small Book, Big Lessons

Prophets of the Exile How Did God Answer His People’s Crisis of Faith?

Ezekiel: The Prophet of God’s Presence—593–571 B.C.

How Did Ezekiel Find Himself a Displaced Person? What’s the Big Idea in Ezekiel? Why the Precise Dating in Ezekiel? Would Ezekiel Have Passed English 101? What is Ezekiel’s Theological Legacy?

Daniel: Long-Lived Prophet of God’s Enduring Kingdom—605–535 B.C.

How about a George Lucas Trilogy of Daniel? Why Was Daniel a Babylonian Bureaucrat? A Book about Lions and Leopards and Bears … Daniel—A Bilingual Book? Why is Daniel so Debated? What Does Daniel Teach about the Messiah? What is Daniel’s Message for Us?

Wrapping It All Up Study Questions For Further Reading

Chapter 18: The Lord Brought Back the Captives to Zion (Malcolm Brubaker)

How Did the Jews Get Home?—Ezra 1 through 2 What Did They Do after They Got There?—Ezra 3 What Other Opposition Did the Jews Face?—Ezra 4 What Spark Reignited the Jews to Complete the Temple?—Ezra 5 through 6 Haggai

Who Was Haggai? What Does Haggai Tell Us?

Zechariah

Who Was Zechariah? Who Wrote the Book? What Sort of Literature is It? What Does Zechariah Tell Us?

Where Does Ezra the Priest Fit in His Own Book, and What Makes Him so Special?

Who Was Ezra?—Ezra 7 Ezra’s Travel to Jerusalem—Ezra 7 through 8 What Cultural Challenges Did Ezra Face?—Ezra 9 What Impact Did Ezra Have on the People?—Ezra 10

The Book of Nehemiah: How Do Politics and Religion MIX?

How is Judah Faring? How Did Nehemiah Respond to the Crisis?—Neh. 1 What Obstacles Did Nehemiah Face in Completing His Goals?—Neh. 2 How Did Nehemiah Win the Hearts of His Countrymen?—Neh. 3 through 5 So What Happened?—Neh. 6 through 7 Where Did the Word of God Fit into Human Effort and Ability?—Neh. 8 through 10 What’s a Wall without People?—Neh. 11 through 12 Whatever Happened to Nehemiah?—Neh. 13 What Lessons Can We Learn from Ezra–Nehemiah?

Esther: What’s a Classic Story of Humor, Heroism, and Haman Doing in the Bible, without “God” Being Mentioned!

What is the Setting of the Story of Esther? What is This Book About? How is This Story Crafted? How Did Esther Become Queen of Persia?—Esther 1 through 2 Why Was Haman the Villain?—Esther 3 through 7 What Became of Haman’s Plot?—Esther 8 through 10 Why Did Haman Hate the Jews? Why Didn’t the Jews Plunder Their Defeated Foes? Okay … but Why is Esther in the Bible? Who Wrote the Book of Esther, and When?

The Book of Malachi: What Happens in a Spiritual Cooldown?

What Do We Know about Malachi Himself? What Unique Literary Traits Characterize Malachi? What Does Malachi Teach Us about God? What Significant Legacy Does Malachi Leave Us? So, is Postexilic Judah the Zenith of Old Testament Spirituality?

What next? The Old Testament as an Unfinished Drama Study Questions For Further Reading

Glossary and Indexes

Glossary of Terms

Acrostic Aegean Akkadian Language Allegory Amphictyony Anatolia Annals of the Kings Apocalyptic Literature Apocalyptic Style Apocrypha Apostasy Aram Ark of the Covenant Asherah Assyria Atonement Attributes Authority Autograph Baalism Babylonia Bless/Blessing Canon Canonicity Case Law Chaldeans Cherem Chesed Chiasm Christ Chronicler Clean and Unclean Code of Hammurabi Command, Commandment Consort Coregent/Coregency Covenant Creationists Cult Cuneiform Curse Cycle Damascus Davidic Covenant Day of The Decalogue Diaspora Disputation Dynasty Ecclesiastical Election ‘Eleph (EL-Eff) Elohim Ephod Eschatology Etiology Evangelical Exile Exodus/Exodus Fertility Gods Firstborn Genre Gilgamesh Glory Go’el Habiru Heart Hebrew Hermeneutics Hieroglyphics High Places Historiography Holiness Holocaust Holy War Honor Hospitality Hyksos Hyperbole Imminent Imprecation Inspiration Interpret Israel Jehovah Jew Jubilee Judah Judea Judean Kinsman-Redeemer Lament Law Law of the Medes and the Persians Levant Levites Lex Talionis or Talion LXX Ma’at Mashal (Ma-SHAL) Masoretic Text (MT) Messiah Metaphor Midian Monotheism Mosaic Covenant Myth/Mythology Name Neo-babylonian/Chaldean Empire Offerings Oracles against the Nations Parallelism Passover Patriarch Pharaoh Prophet / Prophetism Psalter Purim Qarqar Qoheleth Recombinant DNA Redemption Reform/Reformation Remnant Retribution Theology Revelation Ruach (RU-Ach) Sabbath Sabbath Year Schism Scythia, Scythian Seer Semite/Semitic Septuagint (LXX) Shekel Shephelah Simile Sins of Jeroboam Sitz Im Leben Sons of the Prophets Stanza Statute, Statutory Law Stele Suzerain Suzerain-Vassal Treaty Syncretism Syro-Ephraimitic War Tabernacle Targum Taunt Tell Testament Tetragrammaton Theocracy Theophany Tithe Torah/Torah Transcendent Transjordan Tribal Standard Typology Urim and Thummim Vassal Vassal State Vassalage Wadi (WAH-Dee) Yahweh Yahwism

Scripture Index

Old Testament New Testament

Name Index Subject Index

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