The Wrath Of God In The Former Prophets

Is the wrath of God capricious, arbitrary, irrational, unethical, partial, inexplicable...or is it the just expression of a providential God? Is His wrath true to HIs character in dealing with sinful man? In this scholarly book, the Rev. Dr. Herbert M. Haney interprets the wrath of God as exemplified in the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. It is his view that interpretation of the Divine wrath as recorded by the Former Prophets is basic to an understanding of God's wrath as revealed in the New Testament. The term "covenant wrath" is used here because it was under the Mosaic covenant that provision was made for the wrath of God, the author explains. "The covenant wrath of God was found to be always punitive, often remedial, and sometimes condemnatory. It was always bound up in the very character of God Himself. His righteousness caused His wrath to be punitive wherever there was sin: His love caused His wrath to be remedial whenever there were repentance and faith: His faithfulness caused HIs wrath to be condemnatory wherever there were persistence unrepentance and faithlessness." Evincing a masterly sense of order in his exposition, Dr Haney interrelates each type of wrath and each subject of wrathful visitation, giving evidence that every case represented a violation of the covenant...constantly drawing from the Bible and other primary sources and from authoritative secondary sources to support his argument. THE WRATH OF GOD IN THE FORMER PROPHETS is Dr. Haney's doctoral dissertation, and it reflects the depth of thought and scholarship such a work requires. The problem with which he deals is an extremely important one for religious thinking in these days, when the notion of a wrathful God has been so tempered that this aspect of His nature is all too frequently minimized. Laymen as well as students of theology will find this book a truly inspiring aid to Bible understanding. -Publisher

How can we make sense of violence in the Bible? Joshua commands the people of Israel to wipe out everyone in the promised land of Canaan, while Jesus commands God’s people to love their enemies. How are we to interpret biblical passages on violence when it is sanctioned at one point and condemned at another? The Violence of the Biblical God by L. Daniel Hawk presents a new framework, solidly rooted in the authority of Scripture, for understanding the paradox of God’s participation in violence. Hawk shows how the historical narrative of the Bible offers multiple canonical pictures for faithful Christian engagement with the violent systems of the world.

Terence E. Fretheim has long been a leading voice in Old Testament theology. In this volume, thirty of his classic studies have been gathered together for the first time under the rubrics “God and the World”, “God and Suffering”, “God, Wrath, and Divine Violence”, “God and the Pentateuch”, “God and the Prophets”, and “God and the Church’s Book”. Here readers can find a compelling answer to the question that has motivated Fretheim’s work for more than forty years—namely, what kind of God is the God of Scripture? The studies are introduced by a critical overview of Fretheim’s career and theology by the editors and a retrospective by Fretheim himself.

The Former Prophets of the Hebrew Bible includes the books of Joshua through 2 Kings; it is a narrative of ancient Israel's history of some seven hundred years from the 'conquest' of Canaan to the exile, when Israel lost the land. Thomas Mann adoptsa critical perspective and incorporates many distinct literary sources from different times into his work. The result is a compelling example of ancient historiography as well as an impressive artistic achievement. The book contains fascinating (andoften horrifying) stories of war, religious fanaticism, terror, and disaster, as well as stories of deep personal loyalty, friendship, and faith. Finally, in a deeply thoughtful and constructive way, The Former Prophets addresses perennial questionslike, amongst others, 'What is the relationship between divine sovereignty and human political institutions?' or 'In what sense are historical events the result of human acts and also of divine Providence?'

This book seeks to get the attention of the Christian community that calls themselves the body of Christ, because the revelation that God has given author Howard Bean concerning this book is to open the blinded eyes of those that have become hardhearted, rebellious, and backslidden, to what God says in his Word. The prophets that have been used in this book present a clear picture of the type of apostasy that we have today, which are those who twist his Word and disobey the word of God. This book is to warn the church of the apostasy that they have gotten themselves into as Israel had done against God, years ago in the Old Testament. If we, as children of God, will open his Word and asked him to open our blinded eyes in the name of Jesus for the truth that is not being preached today in many churches, then he will do so as Jesus saidask and you shall receive. In many ways, this book can be used as a guide to help Christians study the Word of God, but it is not to replace the Word as many have and caused error in the church. It also can be used in Sunday school as a tool to help teach students, from teenagers to adults, the truth of how God expects his children to live for him and have faith, as the prophets of the Old Testament shows every one today.