Wisdom for Faithful Reading, John H. Walton
Wisdom for Faithful Reading, John H. Walton
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Wisdom for Faithful Reading
Principles and Practices for Old Testament Interpretation

Author: John H. Walton

Narrator: Jim Denison

Unabridged: 8 hr 39 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/25/2023


Synopsis

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, trusted Old Testament scholar John Walton lays out his 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.

● 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 audience—and 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.


About John H. Walton

John H. Walton 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.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Parker on March 07, 2024

Walton is a favorite OT scholar of mine because he's extremely attentive to both text and context -- and because he's willing to go out on a limb. Even though I frequently disagree with him, I find that he's worth reading. So a book where he lays out principles of OT exegesis sounds great! And, as i......more

Goodreads review by Zachary on February 25, 2025

In this book, Walton lays out some “methodological sound bites” for interpreting the text of Scripture. While I have some complaints, the book delivers on that promise, and it is definitely a fruitful contribution to my understanding of how to read the Bible in its context. Pros: - The wisdom Walton......more

Goodreads review by Jake on December 27, 2023

It can be tempting to read the Old Testament either as providing a moral set of rules and regulations by which to live by or through the lens of Jesus, trying to "find him" in every passage. Walton cautions against this approach and helps the reader read the Old Testament in line with its purpose, t......more

Goodreads review by Esther on September 10, 2023

4.5 stars. This is not a book that I would recommend to everybody (and definitely not as a first book on how to read the Bible), but rather to someone who has already read books on hermeneutics and is able to think critically. With that said, this is a great book if you’re “deconstructing” out of fu......more