Speaking with God: Probing Old Testament Prayers for Contemporary Significance

by Phillip G. Camp (Editor), Elaine A. Phillips (Editor)

Overview

"Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy!" (Ps 86:1). God's people, past and present, know that the Lord of all creation listens to their prayers for mercy, help, forgiveness, and justice. God's people cry out to the heart of their God, sometimes through intense struggle and perplexity, and they expect an answer. There can be no less in a true relationship. They also celebrate their experiences of God's faithfulness. There is no area of life outside the bounds of prayer. The essays in this collection, written by biblical scholars, explore Old Testament prayers in order to enrich our understanding of Israel's beliefs about and relationship with God. Equally important for each of the authors is the following question: Why do these prayers matter for the life of the church today?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781725283527
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	09/30/2021
Series:	McMaster Biblical Studies Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	294
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Phillip G. Camp is Professor of Old Testament in the Hazelip School of Theology at Lipscomb University in Nashville. He is also a minister for the Natchez Trace Church of Christ. He is the author of Living as the Community of God: Moses Speaks to the Church in Deuteronomy (2014) and co-editor of Praying with Ancient Israel: Exploring the Theology of Prayer in the Old Testament (2015).



Elaine A. Phillips is the Harold John Ockenga Distinguished Professor of Biblical Studies (emerita) at Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts. She is the author of With God Nothing is Impossible: In Step with Women of the Bible (2014) and An Introduction to Reading Biblical Wisdom Texts (2017).

Phillip Camp is an Assistant Professor of Old Testament in the Hazelip School of Theology at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. He also serves as an associate minister at the Natchez Trace Church of Christ in Nashville. He and his wife Amy have three sons, Jim, Davis, and Tim.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Showing prayer’s many cadences and contexts, these essays challenge pat answers to the question ‘What is prayer?’ Thoughtful scholarship applied to the prayers of kings, prophets, and ordinary folk—this volume not only informs but serves as a resource for any who say, ‘Teach us to pray!’ I came away inspired in my own prayer life.”

—Lissa M. Wray Beal, Professor of Old Testament, Providence Theological Seminary



“Far too little scholarly notice has been given to prayer in the Old Testament. Speaking with God seeks to remedy this dearth of attention through more than a dozen essays that probe Old Testament prayers for their contemporary significance. These studies will not only provide readers with a host of rich new insights about how prayer relates to Old Testament theology but will also help believers to cultivate more meaningful prayer lives.”

—Ralph K. Hawkins, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Averett University



“This treasure is a diverse collection of essays on individual prayers in the Old Testament. . . . The prayers give both a timeless model and a challenge for God’s people as they call out to their God in whatever circumstance or place they may find themselves. May our own prayers lead us deeper into relationship with our God, who hears and responds to the honest cries of the heart.”

—Rhoda Carpenter, Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible, Sioux Falls Seminary, Retired



“Phillips and Camp bring together a rich array of devout scholars who deliver provocatively faithful discussions of prayers preserved in the pages of the Old Testament. . . . Because they do not shy away from difficult issues of interpretation, . . . the authors provide readers with invaluable resources for deepening their own prayer lives and enriching their relationships with God.”

—Timothy M. Willis, Professor of Religion, Pepperdine University

Editorial Reviews

Showing prayer’s many cadences and contexts, these essays challenge pat answers to the question ‘What is prayer?’ Thoughtful scholarship applied to the prayers of kings, prophets, and ordinary folk—this volume not only informs but serves as a resource for any who say, ‘Teach us to pray!’ I came away inspired in my own prayer life.”

—Lissa M. Wray Beal, Professor of Old Testament, Providence Theological Seminary



“Far too little scholarly notice has been given to prayer in the Old Testament. Speaking with God seeks to remedy this dearth of attention through more than a dozen essays that probe Old Testament prayers for their contemporary significance. These studies will not only provide readers with a host of rich new insights about how prayer relates to Old Testament theology but will also help believers to cultivate more meaningful prayer lives.”

—Ralph K. Hawkins, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Averett University



“This treasure is a diverse collection of essays on individual prayers in the Old Testament. . . . The prayers give both a timeless model and a challenge for God’s people as they call out to their God in whatever circumstance or place they may find themselves. May our own prayers lead us deeper into relationship with our God, who hears and responds to the honest cries of the heart.”

—Rhoda Carpenter, Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible, Sioux Falls Seminary, Retired



“Phillips and Camp bring together a rich array of devout scholars who deliver provocatively faithful discussions of prayers preserved in the pages of the Old Testament. . . . Because they do not shy away from difficult issues of interpretation, . . . the authors provide readers with invaluable resources for deepening their own prayer lives and enriching their relationships with God.”

—Timothy M. Willis, Professor of Religion, Pepperdine University

From the Publisher