It's almost second nature for Christians to call God Father. Jesus taught his followers as much, although for them it was apparently a surprising practice. The worshiping community of the Old Testament used fatherly images for understanding God's character and actions, but "Father" was not a common way for believers to address God.

In Knowing God the Father Through the Old Testament, Christopher Wright explores in depth the images that pervade the biblical narratives, psalms and prophetic texts of the Old Testament. God is acknowledged as tender yet terrifying, challenging to the nations and yet intimately personal, offering loving care, provision, discipline and forgiveness.

This is the God whom Jesus knew, and whom we can know, as Father. Such knowledge of God is far from merely devotional or doctrinal, but governs our worldview, personal and social ethics, and expectations of the future.



Christopher J. H. Wright (PhD, Cambridge) is international ministries director of the Langham Partnership, providing literature, scholarships, and preaching training for pastors in Majority World churches and seminaries. He has written many books including commentaries on Deuteronomy, Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Ezekiel; The Mission of God; Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit; Old Testament Ethics for the People of God; and the three volumes of Knowing God Throughthe Old Testament. An ordained priest in the Church of England, Chris spent five years teaching the Old Testament at Union Biblical Seminary in India and thirteen years as academic dean and then principal of All Nations Christian College, an international training center for crosscultural mission in England. He was chair of the Lausanne Theology Working Group from 2005 to 2011 and the chief architect of The Cape Town Commitment from the Third Lausanne Congress, 2010.



Preface



Introduction



1 Knowing God as a Father in Action



Introduction



God--The Father Who Carries



God--The Father Who Disciplines



God--The Father Who Pities



God--The Father Who Adopts



Conclusion



2 Knowing God Through Experience of His Grace



Introduction: Deuteronomy 4:32-40



The Uniqueness of the Experience



The Content of the Experience



The Transmission of the Experience



The Purpose of the Experience



3 Knowing God Through Exposure to His Judgment



Introduction



The God Pharaoh Came to Know



The God Israel Came to Know



Conclusion



4 Knowing God as the Father of His People



Introduction



God as Father and Israel as Son



God as Father of Israel?s King



Conclusion



5 Knowing God Tthrough Engaging Him in Prayer



Introduction



Abraham--God?s Friend



Moses--God?s Servant



Conclusion



6 Knowing God Through Reflecting His Justice



Introduction



Knowing God in Comparison with the Best Gifts of God



Knowing God in Contrast to the Worst Evil of Humanity



Conclusion



7 Knowing God Tthrough Returning to His Love



Introduction



Knowledge of God Gained Through Redemption



Knowledge of God Lost Through Rebellion



Knowledge of God Restored Through Repentance



Conclusion



8 Knowing God in Expectation of His Victory



Introduction



Gog and Magog--The Movie



What Gog and the Nations Will Know



What God?s People Will Know



Conclusion



9 Knowing God Tthrough Trusting in His Sovereignty



Introduction



Trusting the God We Know



Living as Those Who Know God



Conclusion



Epilogue: How do you know that you know God?



Scripture Index