Old Testament Ethics for the People of God
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Christopher J. H. Wright

OLD TESTAMENT ETHICS for the PEOPLE OF GOD

A fully revised, updated and integrated edition of Living as the People of God and Walking in the Ways of the Lord

INTER-VARSITY PRESS

Norton Street, Nottingham NG7 3HR, England

Email: ivp@ivpbooks.com

Website: www.ivpbooks.com

© Christopher J. H. Wright, 2004

Christopher J. H. Wright has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher or the Copyright Licensing Agency.

Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations in this publication are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton, a division of Hodder Headline Ltd. All rights reserved. ‘niv’ is a registered trademark of International Bible Society. UK trademark number 1448790.

Incorporates material first published in

Living as the People of God (IVP, 1983)

Walking in the Ways of the Lord (Apollos, 1995)

(Fully revised and updated for this volume)

First published 2004

Reprinted 2010

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN: 978-1-84474-439-8

Inter-Varsity Press publishes Christian books that are true to the Bible and that communicate the gospel, develop discipleship and strengthen the church for its mission in the world.

Inter-Varsity Press is closely linked with the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship, a student movement connecting Christian Unions in universities and colleges throughout Great Britain, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. Website: www.uccf.org.uk

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CONTENTS

Preface to Living as the People of God

Preface

Introduction

part one: a structure for old testament ethics

1 The theological angle

God’s identity

God’s action

God’s words

God’s purpose

God’s way

God’s goodness

Further reading

2 The social angle

The social dimension of redemption

The distinctiveness of Israel

Israel as God’s paradigm

Further reading

3 The economic angle

The land in Israel’s story

The land as divine gift

The land under divine ownership

The land as covenantal measuring gauge

Further reading

part two: themes in old testament ethics

4 Ecology and the earth

God’s earth: divine ownership

Our earth: divine gift and human responsibility

Cursed earth: human sin and ecological destruction

New creation: ecology and eschatology

Further reading

5 Economics and the poor

Economic ethics in creation perspective

Economics in a fallen world

Economic dimensions to Israel’s story of redemption

Creation values restored in Israel’s economic ...

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About Old Testament Ethics for the People of God

Nothing confuses Christian ethics quite like the Old Testament. Some faithful readers struggle through its pages and conclude that they must obey its moral laws but may disregard its ceremonial and civil laws. Others abandon its teaching altogether in favor of a strictly New Testament ethic. Neither option, argues Chris Wright, gives the Old Testament its due.

In this innovative approach to Old Testament ethics—fully revised, updated and expanded since its first appearance in 1983 as Living as the People of God (An Eye for an Eye in North America) and including material from Walking in the Ways of the Lord—Wright examines a theological, social and economic framework for Old Testament ethics. Then he explores a variety of themes in relation to contemporary issues: economics, the land and the poor; politics and a world of nations; law and justice; society and culture; and the way of the individual.

This fresh, illuminating study provides a clear basis for a biblical ethic that is faithful to the God of both Testaments.

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