The church has too often lost its way in reading the Old Testament for lack of sound principles of interpretation. When careless habits get us off track, we can lose sight of what the Bible is really saying, derailing our own spiritual growth and even risking discredit to God's word.We need a consistent approach to give us confidence as faithful interpreters. In Wisdom for Faithful Reading, the trusted Old Testament scholar John Walton lays out his tried-and-true best practices developed over four decades in the classroom. His principles are memorable, practical, and enlightening, including:- The Bible is written for us, but not to us.- Reading the Bible instinctively is not reliable and risks imposing a foreign perspective on the text.- More important than what the characters do is what the narrator does with the characters and what God is doing through the characters.- Not everything has a "biblical view."Along with identifying common missteps, Walton's insights point the way to stay focused on what the Old Testament text communicated to its original audienceand what it has to say for us today. When we submit ourselves to be accountable to the authors' intentions we experience the true authority of Scripture, and faithful reading fuels a faithful life.Using numerous examples across the breadth of the Old Testament and its genres, Walton equips thoughtful Christians to read more knowledgeably, to pay attention to God's plans and purposes, to recognize good interpretations, and to truly live in light of Scripture. You may never read the Old Testament the same way again.

John H. Walton (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College and Graduate School. His many books include The Lost World of Genesis One and other titles in the Lost World Series, Old Testament Theology for Christians, and the IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament.

List of Figures and Tables Preface AcknowledgmentsPart I. General PrinciplesSection A: Introduction 1. One Quest 2. Two Caveats 3. Three Essential Commitments 4. Four Fundamental Concepts for Interpretation 5. Five Principles for Faithful InterpretationSection B. General Bible6. A Text Cannot Mean What It Never Meant 7. The Bible Is Written for Us but Not to Us 8. Reading the Bible Instinctively Is Not Reliable and Risks Imposing a Foreign Perspective on the Text 9. Literal Reading Means Being Accountable to the Ancient Author's Literary Intentions 10. We Are Accountable to the Author's Literary Intentions, Which Constitute the Affirmations of Scripture 11. A Genre Discussion Must Precede an Authority Conversation 12. All Translation Is Interpretation 13. Words That Are Roughly Comparable in Two Languages Often Carry Different Nuances 14. In a Hearing Dominant Culture There Are No Books or Authors as We Know Them, and"Book" Is the Last Step, Not the First 15. The Old Testament is Not About Jesus, but It Drives Us to Jesus 16. The Holy Spirit Cannot Be Used as an Appeal to Authority 17. Not Everything Has a"Biblical View"Part II: Genre GuidelinesSection A: Pentateuch 18. Creation Is More About Order Than Material 19. The Seventh Day Is the Most Important of the Creation Days 20. Covenant Is More About Yahweh's Presence and Kingship Than About Law, Promise, or Salvation 21. Torah Is More About Instruction That Cultivates Wisdom Than Legislation That Results in Law 22. Torah Is Not Establishing an Ideal Social System but Is Speaking Wisdom into Israel's Social SystemSection B: Narrative 23. Reality Is Bigger Than History 24. We Have to Understand a Text Literarily Before We Can Understand It Historically 25. We Cannot Get Behind the Literary Veil 26. More Important Than What the Characters Do Is What the Narrator Does with the Characters and What God Is Doing Through the CharactersSection C: Wisdom and Psalms 27. Wisdom Is the Pathway to Order 28. Proverbial Sayings Are Generalizations, Not Promises 29. Psalms Commends Prayer but Does Not Command PrayerSection D: Prophecy and Apocalyptic 30. Prophecy Is More About Revealing God's Plans and Purposes Than Revealing the Future 31. Prophecy Is Not Prediction 32. Apocalyptic Is Not Prophecy 33. In Apocalyptic Literature, the Visions Are Not the Message, but the Occasion for the Message 34. Fulfillment Is Distinct from MessagePart III: A Way ForwardSection A: Characteristics of Faithful Reading 35. Reading Scripture Well 36. Five Tendencies to AvoidSection B: Living Life 37. Living Life in Light of Scripture Appendix FAQs Scripture Index