The eloquent and uncompromising calls for social righteousness by the Minor Prophets are familiar to many, yet the writings themselves are probably the least-studied and least-known texts of the Old Testament. Those who are familiar with these books are also aware of the historical and literary problems that plague their study. Drawing on theological, historical, and literary insights, Leslie Allen’s commentary on Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah carefully and imaginatively reconstructs the context in which the original Hebrew audience received the prophets’ messages. In turn, Allen shows what relevance they hold for contemporary Christians. For each of the books, Allen includes a substantial introduction, presenting and assessing a broad range of scholarship, a select bibliography, and an extensive commentary on the author’s own translation of the text. Allen pays special attention to Micah, in which he treats at greater length many of the forms and motifs that also appear in Joel, Obadiah, and Jonah. The introductory material for Joel includes discussions of canonicity and textual criticism that apply to the entire volume.

This elegant, concise guide by the founder of the University of Philosophical Research distills a lifetime of spiritual seeking into one beautiful, unforgettable blueprint for inner growth. "When you grow exhausted with all of today’s spiritual programs, axioms, seminars, and techniques; when you feel fatigued from searching and cannot find a way forward; when it seems that years of seeking have netted so little – throw yourself upon the essential truths in this book…It can be lifesaving." --Mitch Horowitz, from the introduction For more than a half-century, Obadiah Harris has studied the spiritual path, holding ministerial pulpits in traditions ranging from Pentecostalism to New Thought, and directing programs in continuing education, community-outreach, and distance-learning at major universities. He has worked with the ideas and legacies of spiritual icons ranging from Manly P. Hall, author of the landmark The Secret Teachings of All Ages, to Ernest Holmes, founder of the Science of Mind movement, America's most successful and intellectually rigorous New Thought congregation. When he was growing up in rural Oklahoma, Harris's family provided the first pulpit to internationally known televangelist Oral Roberts. As a scholar and seeker, Harris has traversed and helped shape broad swaths of our modern spiritual landscape. Now, he distills the insights he has found -- all of them potent, powerful, and, above all, useful -- in The Simple Road. The Simple Road is more than a book. This concise statement is a spiritual GPS that guides the earnest seeker past dead-ends and switchbacks to locate the path that most intimately and directly connect us with the Source of all life. The methods and ideas in this book can help rescue you from a crisis and provide a daily source of practice. This brave work addresses head-on topics that are often shunned or ignored in works of "proper" theology, including the question of physical healing by spiritual means -- a topic treated with deepest seriousness -- and with the existence of hostile forces that test us on the spiritual path. The Simple Road is balm for parched souls. Whatever tradition you belong to, or if you belong to no one tradition, The Simple Road helps you locate the thread of universality that runs through all faiths, and leads you to practices, prayers, methods, and parables that lift your daily journey to a higher, better place. This brief, powerful book can bring you literally life-saving solace when facing life's entanglements.

Obadiah, part of the Hearing the Message of Scripture series, serves pastors and teachers by providing them with a careful analysis and interpretation of the Hebrew text of the Old Testament book of Obadiah, quickly allowing pastors to grasp the big idea of the passage and how it fits in its larger context.

What happens when the king’s most obedient soldier is issued a wicked command? Benaiah is valiant against men and beasts. He is known for three heroic deeds that lead to his appointment in the elite force of David’s Mighty Men: aggressively going down into a pit on a snowy day to kill a lion; fighting two Moabite ariels; and challenging a giant Egyptian the size of David’s Goliath, armed with only a staff, and killing him with the man’s own spear. When David is crowned king, Benaiah is made his chief bodyguard and eventually head of the whole army of Israel under King Solomon. Reeling from the tragic cost of disobedience when he was young, Benaiah directs his life toward one chief aim: to be found a faithful, loyal, valiant and obedient soldier, servant of the King and follower of Yahweh. But when “just following orders” leads to his part in adultery, murder and death, he questions his life’s direction. If both obedience and disobedience cause death, how can he ever find redemption?

The NIV Application Commentary helps you communicate and apply biblical text effectively in today's context. To bring the ancient messages of the Bible into today's world, each passage is treated in three sections: Original Meaning. Concise exegesis to help readers understand the original meaning of the biblical text in its historical, literary, and cultural context. Bridging Contexts. A bridge between the world of the Bible and the world of today, built by discerning what is timeless in the timely pages of the Bible. Contemporary Significance. This section identifies comparable situations to those faced in the Bible and explores relevant application of the biblical messages. The author alerts the readers of problems they may encounter when seeking to apply the passage and helps them think through the issues involved. This unique, award-winning commentary is the ideal resource for today's preachers, teachers, and serious students of the Bible, giving them the tools, ideas, and insights they need to communicate God's Word with the same powerful impact it had when it was first written.

When we pray to our Abba, we are presenting a petition on our behalf or the behalf of another. It is a plea; not a demand. In our sincerity, the Father looks at our hearts. But what is it that we are trying to do? Are we asking for something, or are we trying to see if the Father is listening to us? Take a look at the book of Proverbs 28:9, it says, "He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination." So, for all who say, the law is dead; do you think your prayer is being heard? Go to 1 Kings 8:27-29, David wanted to build the Father a temple; but the Father told him no, someone from your loins would build it. Solomon builds the temple, and he is dedicating it. It reads, "But will ELOHIM indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?" Verse 28, "Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O YAHUAH my EL, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day:" Verse 29, "That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place.' So, when we pray; we always pray towards Jerusalem. The reason why is because the Father placed his name there; this is where the temple was built, and the Father's eye would be on it night and day. Let us stay in the same book, and chapter; but go down to verse 38, it reads, "What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house:" This is an instruction on how to pray correctly. There is a right and wrong way to do anything; although we know that in a time that we cannot pray properly; YAHUAH will hear us. However, if it is possible; there is a proper way of doing it. What is going on in verse 38 is; it is being explained how we should do it. Not only are we to face toward Jerusalem; we are to stretch out our arms. Let us look at what Solomon did in verse 22-23, it reads, "And Solomon stood before the altar of the YAHUAH in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven:" Verse 23, " And he said, YAHUAH ELOHIM of Israel, there is no ELOHIM like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart:" Abba knows our hearts; He really does; it is evil from its youth, but those who walk before Him; properly, and do the things that He requires of us. He also knows that heart as well. After the temple was built, Solomon was praying to the Father in the presence of the Elders of Israel. He is explaining in this pray and instructions; that we are to pay towards the temple; forever. Go to 1 Kings 9:3, it reads, "And the Lord said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually." There is so much more for you inside this book; click the buy now button and learn more.