"Go and marry a prostitute." These are the first words God spoke to his prophet Hosea. Why would he ask this of one of his special spokesmen? Because he wanted to teach Hosea, the nation of Israel, and all of us today a lesson we will not forget, a lesson that is painful yet joyous.Hosea's sombre portrait of the human condition is our lesson in pain. All of us have played the harlot by forsaking God and his ways. The picture is not pretty but it's true. Yet Hosea's...

'Vanity of vanities', says the Preacher, 'Vanity of vanities! All is vanity'.Is that what life is? A wisp of vapour, a puff of wind, a mere breath - nothing you can get your hands on - the nearest thing to zero? So says the Preacher in the book of Ecclesiastes. But is this the whole message of Ecclesiastes?With imagination and clarity Derek Kidner introduces this Old Testament book which speaks so powerfully to our generation. His love of Hebrew poetry and ...

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 ...