Presence, Power and Promise: The Role of the Spirit of God.

A rigorous exploration of the Spirit of God in the Old Testament - where breath, wind, wisdom, and prophecy converge across history, poetry, and the ancient Near East.

What happens when the Spirit of God enters the landscape of Ancient Israel? With contributions from leading scholars like Tremper Longman III, John H. Walton, and Daniel I. Block, this compelling volume traces a rich and intricate portrait of the Spirit - moving from Genesis' primordial wind to the creative insights of Israel's wisdom literature, prophetic oracles, and even the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran.

Far from theological abstractions, these pages focus on specific questions: How did Israel's understanding of ruah - "breath," "wind," "spirit" - shape its vision of leadership, prophecy, and divine presence? Where do creation, poetry, law, and restoration merge under the empowering hand of the Spirit? How do figures like Bezalel, Job, and the psalmists encounter God's energy on the ground? Readers encounter topics ranging from leadership and empowerment to the Spirit’s creative force in both the mundane and miraculous.

Perfect for those passionate about Old Testament theology, biblical exegesis, or the roots of Christian pneumatology, this book grounds every discussion in the Old Testament's gritty, evocative imagery. Its reflections open a window on how the Spirit's presence, power, and promise still shape the big questions - and details - of faith, vocation, and community.

David G. Firth is Director of Extension Studies at St John's College, Nottingham, England. He is the author of '1 & 2 Samuel' (Apollos Old Testament Commentary) and 'The Message of Esther', and co-editor of 'Interpreting the Psalms', 'Interpreting Isaiah' and 'Words and the Word'.

Paul D. Wegner (PhD, Kings College, University of London) is distinguished professor of Old Testament at Gateway Seminary, Ontario, California, with a specialty in the study of Isaiah. He taught at Phoenix Seminary for eleven years and, before that, at Moody Bible Institute for nearly thirteen years. He is the author of A Student's Guide to Textual Criticism, The Journey from Texts to Translations, Using Old Testament Hebrew in Preaching, and An Examination of Kingship and Messianic Expectation in Isaiah 1-35