Open Your Bible Commentary, Old Testament

The Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) tells the story of the creation of the world and the history the Jewish people -- from their slavery in Egypt, to their escape, to their preparation to enter the Promised Land after wandering in the wilderness for forty years. The Pentateuch lays the foundation for the great themes in the Bible including the nature of God, the effect of sin, the importance of family and community, sacrifice, and the concept of covenant. The Open Your Bible Commentary was written to encourage daily Bible study. Each reading is short, but the content is rich with careful explanation, devotional warmth, and practical relevance. Nearly 200 daily readings let you explore the entire Pentateuch in depth. The Open Your Bible Commentary has four great strengths: • Accessible – it's written for the average, thoughtful Christian without assuming a great deal of background, yet it is never superficial. • Digestible – it's written so you can read a section or two a day, working your way through an entire book of the Bible in days or weeks. • Dependable – it's written by an amazing group of scholars and trusted pastor-teachers. • Practical – it's a rich combination of specific application and encouragement to listen to God for guidance. The commentary for each of the five books of the Pentateuch is introduced by an overview, summary, outline, key themes, and relevance of that book for today.

The historical books of the Old Testament (Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther) tell the story of the Jewish people from the time they entered Canaan; the united kingdom under Saul, David, and Solomon; the division of the kingdom; and the captivity of the northern kingdom by the Assyrians and, later, of the southern kingdom by the Babylonians. The historical books end with some of the Jews in Babylon returning to Jerusalem. Included are the stories of two unique women: Ruth and Esther. The Open Your Bible Commentary was written to encourage daily Bible study. Each reading is short, but the content is rich with careful explanation, devotional warmth, and practical relevance. More than 200 daily readings let you explore all the historical books in depth. The Open Your Bible Commentary has four great strengths: • Accessible – it's written for the average, thoughtful Christian without assuming a great deal of background, yet it is never superficial. • Digestible – it's written so you can read a section or two a day, working your way through an entire book of the Bible in days or weeks. • Dependable – it's written by an amazing group of scholars and trusted pastor-teachers. • Practical – it's a rich combination of specific application and encouragement to listen to God for guidance. The commentary for each of the 12 historical books of the Old Testament is introduced by an overview, summary, outline, key themes, and relevance of that book for today.

The five wisdom books of the Old Testament are distinctly different from each other, but have as a unifying theme a contrast between "the righteous" and "the ungodly," and not simply between "the wise" and "the fool." Job is a dialogue that wrestles with why a righteous person suffers. Psalms, the most beloved book of the Old Testament, is a hymnbook. Proverbs contains practical, everyday philosophy. Ecclesiastes is a monologue about the apparent futility of life. And the Song of Solomon is a drama that extols the preciousness of human love. The Open Your Bible Commentary was written to encourage daily Bible study. Each reading is short, but the content is rich with careful explanation, devotional warmth, and practical relevance. More than 200 daily readings let you explore all five wisdom books in depth. The Open Your Bible Commentary has four great strengths: • Accessible – it's written for the average, thoughtful Christian without assuming a great deal of background, yet it is never superficial. • Digestible – it's written so you can read a section or two a day, working your way through an entire book of the Bible in days or weeks. • Dependable – it's written by an amazing group of scholars and trusted pastor-teachers. • Practical – it's a rich combination of specific application and encouragement to listen to God for guidance. Commentary for each of the five wisdom books of the Old Testament is introduced by an overview, summary, outline, key themes, and relevance of that book for today.

Isaiah, Jeremiah (and his Lamentations), Ezekiel, and Daniel were the radicals of their generation who spoke from what they knew of God and his revealed will. Their message is one of hope amid dark times. They exposed the sinful practices of the people, they called the people back to the law of God, they warned of coming judgment, and they anticipated the coming Messiah. The Open Your Bible Commentary was written to encourage daily Bible study. Each reading is short, but the content is rich with careful explanation, devotional warmth, and practical relevance. More than 200 daily readings let you explore the writings of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel in depth. The Open Your Bible Commentary has four great strengths: • Accessible – it's written for the average, thoughtful Christian without assuming a great deal of background, yet it is never superficial. • Digestible – it's written so you can read a section or two a day, working your way through an entire book of the Bible in days or weeks. • Dependable – it's written by an amazing group of scholars and trusted pastor-teachers. • Practical – it's a rich combination of specific application and encouragement to listen to God for guidance. The commentary for each of these five prophetic books is introduced by an overview, summary, outline, key themes, and relevance of that book for today.

The last 12 books of the Old Testament -- Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi – are "minor" only in the sense that they are short, not that they are unimportant. For instance, a sentence in Habakkuk – "the just shall live by his faith" – became a foundation of the Protestant Reformation. Jonah is a striking picture of God's giving a person a second chance. And Micah states most succinctly what God expects of his people: to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. Knowing God, these prophets became the moral, religious, and political counselors of their generation. The Open Your Bible Commentary was written to encourage daily Bible study. Each reading is short, but the content is rich with careful explanation, devotional warmth, and practical relevance. Nearly 100 daily readings let you explore the writings of the twelve minor prophets in depth. The Open Your Bible Commentary has four great strengths: • Accessible – it's written for the average, thoughtful Christian without assuming a great deal of background, yet it is never superficial. • Digestible – it's written so you can read a section or two a day, working your way through an entire book of the Bible in days or weeks. • Dependable – it's written by an amazing group of scholars and trusted pastor-teachers. • Practical – it's a rich combination of specific application and encouragement to listen to God for guidance. The commentary for each of these prophetic books is introduced by an overview, summary, outline, key themes, and relevance of that book for today.