Week by Week (eBook)

We are not likely to discover the treasure of the so-called Old Testament if we regard whole passages as historically interesting, yet without relevance to our Christian life; if we pick out a few favorite passages; if we attribute the statements of the O.T. primarily to ourselves without asking what the words, addressed originally to Israel, may have to say about our relation to the Jewish people. Often we do not devote ourselves to the first two-thirds of the Bible just as intensely and joyfully as to the latter third. And there may be a lack of clear inner connection to the Jewish roots of our faith. For those who strive more and more to understand the coherence of God´s plan of salvation, the exegesis of weekly sections from the Old Testament (that follow the Jewish schedule throughout the year) are meant to enrich spiritual life and to newly arouse the love of God and His Chosen People, the Jews.

Winfried Balke was part of the leadership of an Evangelical Free Church in Germany for many years. As he became aware of the Jewish roots of the Christian faith, of the riches of the Old Testament and of the relevance of Israel in God´s plan of salvation, he has committed himself to lectures and publications about those biblical topics, also covering the current situation of Israel in biblical perspective.