Isaiah 1: 1,10-20 The majestic Book of Isaiah begins by identifying its location, Judah/Jerusalem, and its time, the reigns of the kings of the seventh century B.C.  In this context, the complaint that the prophet brings against God’s people is … Continue reading →

Hosea 11: 1-11 This moving testimony to God’s enduring love for Israel combines God’s awesome power with God’s tender love, which is as intense and as gentle as a parent for a child. God regarded Israel in its ‘childhood’ as … Continue reading →

Hosea 1: 2-10 The beginning of the received text of the story of Hosea is surely one of the most poignant among the Hebrew  prophets.  A narrator declares that it is the Lord who directly instructs Hosea to take a … Continue reading →

Amos 8: 1-12 Amos re-states the requirements of God’s covenant and the consequences when it is ignored.  He describes in detail the exploitation of the poor and needy by those who are better off as a heinous violation of God’s … Continue reading →

Amos 7: 7-17 In this third of five visions, Amos sees the Lord lower a plumb line directly into the midst of the institutions, laws, practices, values and customs of Israel and finds them out of balance.  Amos declares that … Continue reading →

II Kings 5: 1-14 (For a precis, see the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany Year B) Psalm 30 The psalmist rises from  utter despair– “the pit,” “Sheol”– to mountaintop confidence due to the Lord’s help. OR Isaiah 66: 10-14 The … Continue reading →

Deuteronomy 10: 17-21 In Deuteronomy, Yahweh is no longer the greatest god among gods, God is God of all creation, who inexplicably chose the descendants of Abraham and Sarah for a unique relationship.  As Robert Alter explains, this God is … Continue reading →

II Kings 2: 1-2, 6-14 A spectacular departure befits the great prophet Elijah.  The Lord’s prophet rose up in response to the crisis created by the apostasy of King Ahab and his consort, Queen Jezebel.  In this final scene, Elijah … Continue reading →

I Kings 19: 1-4, (5-7), 8-15a The ongoing conflict between King Ahab and the Lord’s prophet, Elijah, now escalates to direct confrontation with the Queen, Jezebel, the non-Israelite wife of Ahab who retained devotion to her own god, Baal.  Ahad … Continue reading →

Proverbs 8: 1-4, 22-31 There is not another text in the whole Hebrew scriptures quite like chapter 8 in the Book of Proverbs, (see Walter Brueggemann’s further comments in the discussion, below).  Here the poet returns to the creation stories … Continue reading →