Waiting for the Land: The Story Line of the Pentateuch (Leder)

How should Israel’s waiting for their land shape our reading of the Pentateuch, and how should this shape the hope of the church today?

Treating the Pentateuch as a coherent and progressive story, Waiting for the Land is the first book-length exploration of these questions. Following an introduction to the Pentateuch, Leder examines each book, showing that the promise of the land was not realized. He then shows how the contemporary church should wait for its land.

Table of Contents:

1. The Storyline of the Pentateuch
2. The Plot, Scope, and Structure of the Pentateuch
3. Narrative Coherence and Conceptual Pattern of the Pentateuch
4. Genesis: The Journey Begins and Ends in Exile
5. Exodus: From Pharaoh's Store Cities to the Lord's Throne Room
6. Leviticus: Priestly Instruction for Life in God's Presence
7. Numbers: The Next Generation - The Priestly Army of the Lord
8. Deuteronomy: Moses' Torah - When You Take Possession of the Land
9. Waiting for the Land Today: The Church as a Desert People

Author 

Arie C. Leder is Senior Professor in Old Testament Studies at Calvin Theological Seminary. He has also been both a pastor and missionary.

Endorsements 

"A solid contribution to our understanding of land theology from a biblical/theological, redemptive/historical perspective. Sensitive to narrative theology, Leder tells the Bible's story of the land, engaging both the reader's mind and his heart, as it relates to our ultimate hope for the divine presence. Readers will be challenged both theologically and ethically." — Miles V. Van Pelt, Associate Professor of Old Testament

"I benefited from reading this book to such a degree that I am changing some of my lectures on the Pentateuch. Although I did not agree with all of Arie Leder's constructions in Waiting for the Land, it is a stimulating literary analysis of the narrative of the Pentateuch." -- Bryan D. Estelle, Westminster Seminary California, Escondido, CA

"With theological and literary sensitivity, Arie Leder has set forth a cohererent reading of Torah that is of great value for any Christian teacher or student. Carefully researched and clearly written." -- Ellen F. Davis, Duke Divinity School, Durham

"Interesting perspectives are opened up, enabling the reader to explore new meanings to a corpus of literature we though we knew. The book is up to date with the scholarly debate and well-informed narrative theory." - Fanie Snyman, University of the Free State, Bloemfontain, South Africa

"He combines in a refreshing way scholarly interaction with the secondary literature, a high view of biblical authority, and new exegetical proposals." - Al Wolters, Redeemer University College, Ancaster, ON, Canada