Fire by night : finding God in the pages of the Old Testament

Fire by night Finding God in the pages of the Old Testament

Melissa Florer-Bixler

Book - 2019

"What do we do with the Old Testament? How do we read words written in a world so different from ours, stories so ruthless and so filled with grace? In Fire by Night, pastor Melissa Florer-Bixler invites readers to marvel at the Old Testament. Page after page, in stories and poems and prophecies, the Hebrew Scripture introduces us to a God who is unwieldy and uncontrollable, common and extraordinary, and who brings both life and death. Using stories from Scripture and from her ministry, Florer-Bixler braids together the text with the sometimes ordinary, sometimes radical grace of God. The same passages that confuse and horrify and baffle us can, if we are paying attention, lure us closer toward God. This God has traveled with people th...rough cloud and fire, by day and by night, since the beginning of time. The Old Testament is a perplexing book of profound grace, hope, and beauty. It s a book of fire. To read the Old Testament is to draw close to God's love, which continues to burn away our expectations and set us ablaze." --

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Subjects
Bible. > Old Testament > Criticism, interpretation, etc.
God > Biblical teaching.
Published
Harrisonburg, Virginia : Herald Press [2019]
Language
English
Main Author
Melissa Florer-Bixler (author)
Physical Description
191 pages ; 21 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN
9781513804187
9781513804194
  • God of reckoning
  • God of neighbors
  • God of victims
  • God of memory
  • God of wanderers
  • God of darkness
  • God of wonder
  • God of birds
  • God of the vulnerable
  • God of the table
  • God of friendship.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

In her fantastic debut, Mennonite pastor Florer-Bixler guides readers through a slow, participatory reading of the Old Testament that leads to thoughtful musings on issues including white supremacy, immigration, and the treatment of people with intellectual disabilities. Insisting that the God of the Old and New Testaments is one God, and refusing to interpret Old Testament stories solely through a Christian framework, Florer-Bixler invites readers "to witness the lives of people in Scripture who struggled with God's presence and God's absence." She engages texts that present complicated depictions of God and God's relation to humanity-such as Leviticus's Holiness Code, Genesis's tale of Sodom and Gomorrah, or Job's suffering-and ponders the discomfort, frustration, wonder, and awe these stories evoke. Weaving in rabbinical teaching, reflections from her Mennonite tradition, and stories from her ministry, Florer-Bixler unearths forgotten contexts, such as the constant threats of violence Israelites faced, and consistent themes, like God's unrelenting compassion for the poor and oppressed. In discerning how these ancient tales spoke to their original audience, Florer-Bixler proves herself a challenging teacher and inspiring preacher. Her impressive exploration of Old Testament themes will be a blessing for Christians seeking intellectually grounded spiritual guidance. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

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