IVP BOOKS

Extravagance, greed and exploitation were the most notable features of the society in which Amos lived. Standards had gone to pot. Authority and the rule of law were despised, and national leadership, while revelling in the publicity and dignity...

'Vanity of vanities', says the Preacher, 'Vanity of vanities! All is vanity'. Is that what life is? A wisp of vapour, a puff of wind, a mere breath - nothing you can get your hands on - the nearest thing to zero? So says the Preacher in the book...

The book of Isaiah is outstanding in its brilliance of style, its poetic power, and its foretaste of the hope of the gospel. It tells us how God himself has provided the highway to holiness for those who have been 'redeemed' or 'ransomed'....

The Prophet Jeremiah addressed the people of Judah and Jerusalem over a forty-year period leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC. The book of Jeremiah addressed the exiles, especially those in Babylon, in the years after...

The destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 587 BC is the likely setting for the book of Lamentations. This was the most traumatic event in the whole of Old Testament history, with its extreme human suffering, devastation of the ancient...

Obadiah, Nahum and Zephaniah are probably among the least-read books of the Bible and are rarely preached. However, Gordon Bridger encourages us to study and apply these three Old Testament prophets for several compelling reasons...

In unrivalled poetic language, the Song of Songs explores the whole range of emotions experienced by its two lovers as they work out their commitment to each other, consummated in marriage. The Song's powerful and unabashed affirmation of love...

The Book of Ruth is a tale of charm and delight, providing a contrast to the concurrent anarchy depicted in the book of Judges. Telling the simple story of a family who are struck by tragedy, but experience love and acceptance in unexpected ways...