Fast, Fasting Abstinence from food and/or drink as an element of private or public religious devotion. Fasting is nowhere commanded in the Torah and, in fact, is never attested earlier than the time of the judges of Israel (cf. Judges 20:26 ). The fact that Jesus and the disciples sanctioned it by their own example ( Matt 4:2 ; Acts […]
Feasts and Festivals of Israel The major festivals of Old Testament Israel were, in calendar order, Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles or Ingathering). After the exile, the Jews added memorial days for the fall of Jerusalem (eventually […]
Family Life and Relations The Old Testament. In Western societies individuals are often considered the societal units, brought together by some commonly felt need (commerce, industry, mutual defense, etc.). In contrast, Israel’s social structure was tribal and therefore corporate (solidary) in its internal relationships, generating tightly structured communities. Whatever their size, these communities perceived themselves […]
Faithfulness [N] [T] In the Old Testament, God’s faithfulness and covenant love are closely related ( Deut 7:9 ; Psalm 25:10 ; 85:10 ). The most profound example of his faithfulness is the bond between God and the people of the northern kingdom of Israel. In spite of their unfaithfulness, God reminds them that he is betrothed to them in faithfulness ( Hosea 2:20 ). […]
Faith [N] [T] [E] Belief, trust, and loyalty to a person or thing. Christians find their security and hope in God as revealed in Jesus Christ, and say “amen” to that unique relationship to God in the Holy Spirit through love and obedience as expressed in lives of discipleship and service. The Old Testament. The Hebrew language has […]
Eternal Life, Eternality, Everlasting Life The divinely bestowed gift of blessedness in God’s presence that endures without end. This relates especially to the quality of life in this age, and to both the quality and duration of life in the age to come. Key to understanding the biblical meaning of these terms is the Bible’s […]
Ezra, Theology of The Sovereignty and the Works of God. God is “the God of heaven and earth” ( 5:11 ). He raises up kings and grants to them their authority ( 1:2 ). He is able to stir up their hearts so they will do his bidding ( 1:1 ). Mighty Artaxerxes, the king of kings, cannot refuse any request […]
Exodus, Theology of The disclosure of God in the Book of Exodus develops from a distant deity of an oppressed people in Egypt to one in intimate relationship with the people of Israel on their way to the promised land. A theological goldmine results, impacting the concepts and theological ideas of the rest of the […]
Ezekiel, Theology of Ezekiel and his contemporaries confronted what for the Israelites was the most traumatic possible challenge to their faith: the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. It is difficult for the contemporary Protestant to grasp the significance of this theological catastrophe. Perhaps the best we can do is imagine the impact it would […]
Ecclesiastes, Theology of Debate surrounds the interpretation of Ecclesiastes. Some early Jewish interpreters even suspected the canonicity of the book. It sometimes gives apparently contradictory advice. The book’s author, who goes by the name “Qohelet” (translated in modern versions as “the Preacher” or “the Teacher”), can, on the one hand, say that he “hated life” […]