An old prophet of Bethel lies to the man of God from Judah, only to lead him to disobey God's command and to die as a result. The man of God is killed for disobedience, while the old prophet lives on and eventually even benefits from the death (2 Kgs 23:18). Why did God punish his prophet who was deceived, not the one who deceived? The text keeps silent about this as well as about the motive of the old prophet's lying. This strange story takes up a big portion of the Jeroboam narrative (1 Kgs 11-14). For what purpose would the narrator have included the story in his coverage of Israel's history during the reign of King Jeroboam? Does this story have any relevance to the rise and fall of the first king of the northern kingdom? If so, how? As it untangles the difficult details of the story, this book reveals the narrator's perspective on the way God intervened in the history of Israel and focuses on the suffering that God's prophets sometimes had to undergo as bearers of God's words.

Born the son of a clergyman on October 18, 1662, Matthew Henry was ordained into the British Presbyterian Church where he held the pastorate in Chester from 1687 to 1712. He was widowed, married again and had 10 children, three whom died in infancy. Henry died in 1714. Henry began work on his commentary as "Notes On The New Testament" in 1704 and the monumental work was completed shortly before his death in 1714. Remembered as a caring pastor, a passionate lover of the Word of God, and a man of great personal integrity, Matthew Henry has left his mark on the hearts of countless Christians who seek a deeper understanding of the riches that Scripture contains. This edition of Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible uses the King James text and is abridged from the original six volumes while faithfully retaining all of the vibrant themes of that classic work. Everything here is in Matthew Henry's own words and nothing relevant to today's reader has been omitted.

Leading biblical scholars from Liberty University offer a thorough survey of the complete Old Testament, with book introductions, theological concepts, practical applications, word studies, and more.

A companion to the newly revised and expanded second edition of Old Testament Survey, this student workbook features all-new exercises for seminary classroom settings, including map work, fill-in-the-blanks, etc. Professors should note this is all new text that is not connected to the previous edition of the workbook that accompanied the original 1992 edition of Old Testament Survey.

The author shows how King Josiah's reform program to unify Israel and Judah around the Jerusalem temple, laid the foundation for the exilic thinkers who rescued Judaism from the obscurity of Babylonian defeat and exile.

This landmark commentary marshals the vast experience and brilliant insights of one of today’s most revered Old Testament scholars. To those familiar with the work of Bruce K. Waltke, the significance and value of Genesis will be instantly apparent. Others who are unfamiliar with Waltke have only to read the first few chapters to understand why he has earned the reputation of a scholar’s scholar, and why this masterful volume stands like a monolith among Old Testament commentaries. Exploring the first book of the Bible as "theological literature," Waltke illuminates its meanings and methods for the pastor, scholar, teacher, student, and Bible-lover. Genesis strikes an unusual balance by emphasizing the theology of the Scripture text while also paying particular attention to the flow and development of the plot and literary techniques--inclusion, irony, chiasm, and concentric patterning--that shape the message of the "book of beginnings". Genesis Models the way to read and interpret the narratives of the book of Genesis Provides helpful exegetical notes that address key issues and debates surrounding the text Includes theological reflections on how the message addresses our contemporary theological and social issues, such as ecology, homosexuality, temperance, evil, prayer, and obedience Addresses critical interpretive issues, such as authenticity, date, and authorship For all the author’s formidable intellect and meticulous research, Genesis is amazingly accessible. This is no mere study tool. Lucidly and eloquently written, it is a work of the heart that helps us not only to understand deeply God’s Word in its context, but also to consider how it applies to us today.

The NIV is the world's best-selling modern translation, with over 150 million copies in print since its first full publication in 1978. This highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English has the largest library of printed and electronic support material of any modern translation.

The 18 essays by members of the Canadian Society for Biblical Studies published in this volume showcase the work of leading authorities on ancient Israelite and Jewish historiography as it intersects with the phenomenon of prophecy. A deep divide exists between the traditions of historiography and prophecy in the academic study of the Hebrew Bible, and the concern of the contributors is to close that gap, to expose the close relationship between these two traditions in the literature of the Hebrew Bible. The first section of the book explores prophecy and prophets in ancient Israelite and Jewish historiographic books (Torah, Deuteronomistic History, Chronicles, Ezra–Nehemiah, Second Temple Jewish historiography). The second section surveys historiography in Israelite and Jewish prophetic books (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Book of the Twelve, Daniel, 1 Enoch). The contributors engage diverse methodological perspectives in these studies, the goal first being to show the role that the prophets played within the great Hebrew historiographic works and, second, to demonstrate the role that historiography plays within the great Hebrew prophetic works; this makes it clear that the influence is bidirectional. Prophets, Prophecy, and Ancient Israelite Historiography will be of value for advanced students and scholars working on historiographic and prophetic materials in the ancient Israelite and Jewish traditions, featuring the best of research and analysis and interacting with many major ancient literary traditions of historiography and prophecy.

Practical Strategies for Gospel-Centered Children's Ministry When building a children's ministry at a church, there is so much to consider: Which curriculum should we use? How many volunteers do we need? How do we keep parents in the loop? And that's before we run into stalled check-in computers, missing activity sheets, and floors that need to be vacuumed. While all of the tasks of children's ministry are important, leaders can get easily distracted with the everyday work of doing ministry and lose sight of the main focus—the gospel. Writing from personal ministry experience, Jared Kennedy shares a four-fold approach for gospel-centered, missional children's ministry: hospitality, teaching, discipleship, and mission. This practical resource covers a variety of topics ranging from creating child protection policies to putting together lesson plans to catechism, helpful for children's ministers and volunteers alike as they disciple children with the powerful message of the gospel. Applicable: Includes questions for reflection and evaluation Helps Leaders Disciple the Next Generation: Features advice for sending kids and their families on mission Ideal for Nursery–5th Grade Teachers and Leaders: A practical and helpful resource for children's ministries Published in Conjunction with the Gospel Coalition (TGC)