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Fire by Night: Finding God in the Pages of the Old Testament
What do we do with the Old Testament? How do we read words written in a world so different from ours, stories so ruthless and so filled with grace?
In Fire by Night, pastor Melissa Florer-Bixler invites readers to marvel at the Old Testament. Page after page, in stories and poems and prophecies, the Hebrew Scripture introduces us to a God who is unwieldy and uncontrollable, common and extraordinary, and who brings both life and death. Using stories from Scripture and from her ministry, Florer-Bixler braids together the text with the sometimes ordinary, sometimes radical grace of God. The same passages that confuse and horrify and baffle us can, if we are paying attention, lure us closer toward God. This God has traveled with people through cloud and fire, by day and by night, since the beginning of time.
The Old Testament is a perplexing book of profound grace, hope, and beauty. It’s a book of fire. To read the Old Testament is to draw close to God’s love, which continues to burn away our expectations and set us ablaze. This God has traveled with people through pillars of cloud and fire, by day and by night, since the days of the exodus.
In Fire by Night, pastor Melissa Florer-Bixler invites readers to marvel at the Old Testament. Page after page, in stories and poems and prophecies, the Hebrew Scripture introduces us to a God who is unwieldy and uncontrollable, common and extraordinary, and who brings both life and death. Using stories from Scripture and from her ministry, Florer-Bixler braids together the text with the sometimes ordinary, sometimes radical grace of God. The same passages that confuse and horrify and baffle us can, if we are paying attention, lure us closer toward God. This God has traveled with people through cloud and fire, by day and by night, since the beginning of time.
The Old Testament is a perplexing book of profound grace, hope, and beauty. It’s a book of fire. To read the Old Testament is to draw close to God’s love, which continues to burn away our expectations and set us ablaze. This God has traveled with people through pillars of cloud and fire, by day and by night, since the days of the exodus.
192 pages, Paperback
Published April 9, 2019
44 people are currently reading
397 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
March 30, 2019
I had the immense pleasure of reading Fire by Night as a part of the launch team.
Melissa Florer-Bixler's debut will go down as one of my favorite texts on the Old Testament.
Florer-Bixler does not try to give you a complete account of the Old Testament. She also does not try to squeeze Jesus into every page, like I have seen too many Christian books on the Old Testament attempt to do. Rather, she highlights an Old Testament in each chapter and speaks to how we see God through a theme (Darkness, Memory, Wonder). Florer-Bixler effortlessly weaves in stories of her life that really make her vibrant interpretations of OT texts sparkle.
Fire by Night reads like a collection of essays. These "essays" gave me new eyes for some beloved passages (such as the story of Jacob and Esau and how it is an example of redemption), some despised passages (such as the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and how maybe it is a story of God's freedom coming for systemic and corporate sin and not a proof text against our LGBT siblings), and some passages I never imagined myself caring too deeply about (such as the Leviticus purity codes and how they weave justice in the fiber of God's people).
My favorite books are ones that I have to stop myself from finishing in one sitting because I want to soak them in. Fire by Night was this kind of book. I look forward to revisiting these wise words, and counting down the days until we get our hands on Florer-Bixler's next book.
Melissa Florer-Bixler's debut will go down as one of my favorite texts on the Old Testament.
Florer-Bixler does not try to give you a complete account of the Old Testament. She also does not try to squeeze Jesus into every page, like I have seen too many Christian books on the Old Testament attempt to do. Rather, she highlights an Old Testament in each chapter and speaks to how we see God through a theme (Darkness, Memory, Wonder). Florer-Bixler effortlessly weaves in stories of her life that really make her vibrant interpretations of OT texts sparkle.
Fire by Night reads like a collection of essays. These "essays" gave me new eyes for some beloved passages (such as the story of Jacob and Esau and how it is an example of redemption), some despised passages (such as the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and how maybe it is a story of God's freedom coming for systemic and corporate sin and not a proof text against our LGBT siblings), and some passages I never imagined myself caring too deeply about (such as the Leviticus purity codes and how they weave justice in the fiber of God's people).
My favorite books are ones that I have to stop myself from finishing in one sitting because I want to soak them in. Fire by Night was this kind of book. I look forward to revisiting these wise words, and counting down the days until we get our hands on Florer-Bixler's next book.
April 1, 2019
I was lucky enough to get to this book early as part of the launch team.
This is a lovely, pastoral, and reflective book. It's clearly born out of Florer-Bixler's rootedness in her community. It's both unflinching--forcing me to look at the darkest parts of the text and the world and myself--and suffused with grace. It draws from every part of the Hebrew Bible--the Pentateuch, the Psalms, the prophets, the histories--and always in ways that connect us to the world we live in now and the concerns we face.
And it makes me want to go back to the biblical text itself, which is always the highest praise I can give a book about the Bible.
This is a lovely, pastoral, and reflective book. It's clearly born out of Florer-Bixler's rootedness in her community. It's both unflinching--forcing me to look at the darkest parts of the text and the world and myself--and suffused with grace. It draws from every part of the Hebrew Bible--the Pentateuch, the Psalms, the prophets, the histories--and always in ways that connect us to the world we live in now and the concerns we face.
And it makes me want to go back to the biblical text itself, which is always the highest praise I can give a book about the Bible.
May 7, 2019
Melissa Florer-Bixler is doing a new thing. Fire by Night is undeniably a theological book, a biblical study, a memoir, and a call to action. Yet it avoids academic dryness, the rabbit trails of historical speculation, needless self-indulgence, and self-righteous triumphalism. Rather, the author selects as her starting point the most difficult stories of the Old Testament, a term she intentionally uses rather than Hebrew Bible to force Christians to come to terms with their relationship with it. Those difficult stories that Christians would rather ignore serve as springboards for Florer-Bixler to weave together her own experiences with God in her pastoral ministry with the biblical narrative and the cries for justice in the heart-wrenching reality of our world today.
Florer-Bixler selects 11 stories to examine – but she begins with prayer, a prayer for readers of the Old Testament, that sets the tone for the rest of the book. The first chapter examines God’s covenant with Israel, combined with the harsh reality of Christian racism and praying at an abbey. Chapter 2 takes the book of Leviticus head on, thinking about God’s care for the chosen people and the interfaith realities of what it really means to be “chosen.” Florer-Bixler sees in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah not God’s condemnation of homosexuality but the cry of an oppressed people to be delivered from violence, like the incarceration of minorities and our rejection of refugees. The story of Israel’s enmity toward the Amalekites (which the author admits she has never preached on) serves as a challenging reminder of biblical history and Israel’s position through the lives of Jacob and Esau, which leads into chapter 6’s reflection on the nature of holy space. An especially lovely poetic reflection on the book of Job (with an epigraph by Kierkegaard) explores how we might find God in the dark rather than just in the light. Chapter 7, “The God of Wonder,” explores the nature of sacrifice and God’s gift of the beauty of excess. Florer-Bixler sees “The God of Birds” in the psalms and medieval bestiaries. The story of Naaman from 2 Kings shows us the limitations of privilege and the danger and the beauty of living in a world of flesh. Abraham’s encounter with three strange men in Genesis 18 serves as a reflection on Rublei’s icon of the Trinity and what it means to meet God at the table. And the final chapter, “God of Friendship,” looks at Naomi and Ruth as images of God’s friendship for us and for each other.
This book would serve equally well as a personal inspiration for journaling and prayer, for small group discussion in Sunday School or book club, or a textbook for undergraduates or seminarians alike. Florer-Bixler is to be commended for her personal stories, her scholarship, her original and beautiful voice, and her ability to deftly combine them all. Don’t take my word for it – read the book.
Florer-Bixler selects 11 stories to examine – but she begins with prayer, a prayer for readers of the Old Testament, that sets the tone for the rest of the book. The first chapter examines God’s covenant with Israel, combined with the harsh reality of Christian racism and praying at an abbey. Chapter 2 takes the book of Leviticus head on, thinking about God’s care for the chosen people and the interfaith realities of what it really means to be “chosen.” Florer-Bixler sees in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah not God’s condemnation of homosexuality but the cry of an oppressed people to be delivered from violence, like the incarceration of minorities and our rejection of refugees. The story of Israel’s enmity toward the Amalekites (which the author admits she has never preached on) serves as a challenging reminder of biblical history and Israel’s position through the lives of Jacob and Esau, which leads into chapter 6’s reflection on the nature of holy space. An especially lovely poetic reflection on the book of Job (with an epigraph by Kierkegaard) explores how we might find God in the dark rather than just in the light. Chapter 7, “The God of Wonder,” explores the nature of sacrifice and God’s gift of the beauty of excess. Florer-Bixler sees “The God of Birds” in the psalms and medieval bestiaries. The story of Naaman from 2 Kings shows us the limitations of privilege and the danger and the beauty of living in a world of flesh. Abraham’s encounter with three strange men in Genesis 18 serves as a reflection on Rublei’s icon of the Trinity and what it means to meet God at the table. And the final chapter, “God of Friendship,” looks at Naomi and Ruth as images of God’s friendship for us and for each other.
This book would serve equally well as a personal inspiration for journaling and prayer, for small group discussion in Sunday School or book club, or a textbook for undergraduates or seminarians alike. Florer-Bixler is to be commended for her personal stories, her scholarship, her original and beautiful voice, and her ability to deftly combine them all. Don’t take my word for it – read the book.
May 17, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It is a rare and therefore incredibly valuable book on the Old Testament. 1. It’s short. 2. It is thematic without glossing over the difficult parts. 3. While it is written from a Christian perspective, it is respectful towards Judaism and Islam. 4. The chapter on friendship alone is worth buying this book.
May 18, 2019
Herald Press is not a mainstay for most readers, but all who care anything about the Hebrew Bible (which the author refers to by its Christian title, the Old Testament) should pick up this title and read it carefully. According to Worldcat, there are 141 holding libraries, most having bought it because of a strong review in Publishers' Weekly, I assume, and with good reason. The author is unflinching in looking at the meaning of the stories, most in the Old Testament but a significant number in the New Testament. They bring her into reflection on the stories in her own life as a pastor, and she treats both sets of stories with dignity and humor. If the God you follow (if you follow one) is tame and yields to your every request, then this book is definitely not for you. But if your God is wilder and less predictable, like the God whom Melissa Florer-Bixler describes in this her first book, then by all means buy and read. Well done, good author and good colleague.
July 11, 2019
Melissa writes with the passion of someone who loves the Bible, loves the church, and loves people. She has the scholarship to back up her writing and doesn't need to "show her homework," as she relates stories of the Old Testament to stories of herself, the people she knows, and the world we live in. She's unashamed of her faith and includes Jesus in a way that is never forced, and doesn't "clean up" or rewrite the Old Testament in a way that is simply organized to comfort Christians. She is thoroughly Anabaptist, but is gentle with other traditions, including Orthodox, Catholic, and Reformed. I appreciated her invitational style and writing. It is apparent she is a deep and grounded pastor. This book is great for long-time students of the Bible, and for beginners too.
September 7, 2019
gorgeous theological reflections on Old Testament stories. Surprising, but also accessible to readers from a wide variety of backgrounds--and very diverse sources as well!
November 26, 2020
Beautifully written. Worth it for the writing alone.
May 16, 2019
I loved this book for many reasons, I learned more about the Old Testament and about Melissa. One of my favorite parts was the metaphor of fire for describing God- "Unwieldy and uncontrollable, common and extraordinary, bringing life and death, at the same time a gift of life and a source of fear, making light and revealing hidden places, burning up and burning away." So much to think about and reflect on from this book.
July 28, 2019
True confession: I am not an especially devoted fan of the Old Testament.
In theory, I get that there is a connection between the Old and New Testaments. And that the first five books of the Old Testament comprise the Torah.
When Jesus walked the earth, he didn't trash-talk the Old Testament. In fact, he said that he came to fulfill it. It would stand to reason that anyone who wanted to get to know God, or Jesus, better, would be motivated to spend some time searching its pages.
That's where Melissa Florer-Bixler's FIRE BY NIGHT: Finding God in the Pages of the Old Testament comes in.
Florer-Bixler has a way of finding the wisdom-diamonds hidden underneath the mines of antiquity. She writes about the corporate nature of evil, how our enemies are interconnected with our allies and how the church is routinely tempted to control holiness.
We "expect that we can make God show up. Often we believed that places were marked as holy by naming them as such. We think we are owed this as God's people." Ouch!
But Florer-Bixler offers a way out of this trap of self-righteousness. "Reckoning with our past, seeing how our Scriptures have been used for both devastation and for blessing - this can help us to live differently into the future are we embody practices, policies and habits that rechannel our desire to control God."
"The Bible is consistently a story of humans making sense of God's redemptive action in the world while at the same time wrestling with our desire to control God, to make God do our bidding, to make God into our image."
So what is the purpose of the Old Testament?
"The Old Testament," writes Florer-Bixler, "calls our attention to fragile lives in our world. Throughout the stories of ancient Israel, we are invited to turn our attention to those overlooked and left at the margins of power."
Florer-Bixler re-tells the story of the healing of Naaman highlighting that it was a young slave girl who pointed him in the direction of the prophet who eventually healed him. After Naaman looked past his privileged way of life. "Naaman sees importance in political connections and wealth," she points out. "And he learns that the God of Israel is the God to whom all are precious."
Probably one reason I don't have a particular affinity for the Old Testament is that it can reinforce the view of God as an old rulemaker-in-the-sky who is just waiting for me to do something that ticks God off. But that's not the way Florer-Bixler sees it.
Within FIRE BY NIGHT there's a short, but eloquent, passage where Florer-Bixler describes living for a brief time in one of the L'Arche communities in Washington, D.C. Her goal was to eventually set up a similar community in North Carolina, where she is a Mennonite minister. She quotes Jean Vanier (the founder of the original L'Arche movement in France), saying that many of us "live with the burden of unconscious guilt." She goes on to write "We feel we are not who we should be. So it is a wonder, a profound surprise, to hear you are simply enough as you are."
And Florer-Bixler does a beautiful telling of the story of Ruth and Naomi. She uses the familiar story as an archetype for what Peter Dula calls fugitive ecclesia. "As a church we are offered an elusive interconnectedness as an earthly body of Christ, not a constant and fixed institution... Ruth and Naomi remind us, as does Jesus, that the space where God's life occurs isn't necessarily in church programs or Sunday school classes but in companionship, a spark of God's life - unexpected, unplanned and uncalculated."
The Old Testament, writes Florer-Bixler helps us realize this. "Church is often trust in that which I cannot control, the shared life of another without institutionally mandated promises or production. "
In theory, I get that there is a connection between the Old and New Testaments. And that the first five books of the Old Testament comprise the Torah.
When Jesus walked the earth, he didn't trash-talk the Old Testament. In fact, he said that he came to fulfill it. It would stand to reason that anyone who wanted to get to know God, or Jesus, better, would be motivated to spend some time searching its pages.
That's where Melissa Florer-Bixler's FIRE BY NIGHT: Finding God in the Pages of the Old Testament comes in.
Florer-Bixler has a way of finding the wisdom-diamonds hidden underneath the mines of antiquity. She writes about the corporate nature of evil, how our enemies are interconnected with our allies and how the church is routinely tempted to control holiness.
We "expect that we can make God show up. Often we believed that places were marked as holy by naming them as such. We think we are owed this as God's people." Ouch!
But Florer-Bixler offers a way out of this trap of self-righteousness. "Reckoning with our past, seeing how our Scriptures have been used for both devastation and for blessing - this can help us to live differently into the future are we embody practices, policies and habits that rechannel our desire to control God."
"The Bible is consistently a story of humans making sense of God's redemptive action in the world while at the same time wrestling with our desire to control God, to make God do our bidding, to make God into our image."
So what is the purpose of the Old Testament?
"The Old Testament," writes Florer-Bixler, "calls our attention to fragile lives in our world. Throughout the stories of ancient Israel, we are invited to turn our attention to those overlooked and left at the margins of power."
Florer-Bixler re-tells the story of the healing of Naaman highlighting that it was a young slave girl who pointed him in the direction of the prophet who eventually healed him. After Naaman looked past his privileged way of life. "Naaman sees importance in political connections and wealth," she points out. "And he learns that the God of Israel is the God to whom all are precious."
Probably one reason I don't have a particular affinity for the Old Testament is that it can reinforce the view of God as an old rulemaker-in-the-sky who is just waiting for me to do something that ticks God off. But that's not the way Florer-Bixler sees it.
Within FIRE BY NIGHT there's a short, but eloquent, passage where Florer-Bixler describes living for a brief time in one of the L'Arche communities in Washington, D.C. Her goal was to eventually set up a similar community in North Carolina, where she is a Mennonite minister. She quotes Jean Vanier (the founder of the original L'Arche movement in France), saying that many of us "live with the burden of unconscious guilt." She goes on to write "We feel we are not who we should be. So it is a wonder, a profound surprise, to hear you are simply enough as you are."
And Florer-Bixler does a beautiful telling of the story of Ruth and Naomi. She uses the familiar story as an archetype for what Peter Dula calls fugitive ecclesia. "As a church we are offered an elusive interconnectedness as an earthly body of Christ, not a constant and fixed institution... Ruth and Naomi remind us, as does Jesus, that the space where God's life occurs isn't necessarily in church programs or Sunday school classes but in companionship, a spark of God's life - unexpected, unplanned and uncalculated."
The Old Testament, writes Florer-Bixler helps us realize this. "Church is often trust in that which I cannot control, the shared life of another without institutionally mandated promises or production. "
June 12, 2019
My interest in this book is a given, considering I enthusiastically follow the author on Twitter and I happen to also be a pastor with a tremendous affection for the Hebrew Scriptures. In my role as a pastor, I deliver a weekly sermon on a passage of Scripture that I select based on my adherence to following the Revised Common Lectionary, which gives me four passages from which to choose each Sunday of the year. The Hebrew Scripture (Old Testament) selection attracts my interest more often than not, as I am drawn to the fascinating stories, characters, and theology one finds there. Much like the author, I have always believed there is a wealth of knowledge, edification, encouragement, and even entertainment that can be gleaned from these passages, and I love attempting to examine the grace, compassion, and love of God as portrayed in God's relationship with the Hebrew people, then compare and contrast that with the same qualities revealed in the life of God's Son, Jesus Christ in the New Testament.
The author's tremendous scholarship and obvious pastor's heart contribute to creating a book that helps the reader encounter this document with fresh eyes and an open mind. Rather than dismiss the God of the Hebrew Bible as a deity of wrath, judgment, and vengeance, we are given the encouragement and tools necessary to discover the character of God as displayed in Jesus Christ is present all throughout Scripture. God's guidance and protection for the people God loves is displayed in pictures and stories of kindness, gentleness, and grace if we are willing to see it. This book is a helpful addition to the body of literature on understanding the consistency of God as portrayed in both sections of our Bibles.
The author's tremendous scholarship and obvious pastor's heart contribute to creating a book that helps the reader encounter this document with fresh eyes and an open mind. Rather than dismiss the God of the Hebrew Bible as a deity of wrath, judgment, and vengeance, we are given the encouragement and tools necessary to discover the character of God as displayed in Jesus Christ is present all throughout Scripture. God's guidance and protection for the people God loves is displayed in pictures and stories of kindness, gentleness, and grace if we are willing to see it. This book is a helpful addition to the body of literature on understanding the consistency of God as portrayed in both sections of our Bibles.
June 8, 2019
This book came out of nowhere for me, browsing through Barnes and Noble one day, I saw it and started reading through the Prayer for Readers of the Old Testament and knew it was a book I needed. I love the stories in the OT but I hate they way they have been used to oppress and hurt people for centuries. The KKK have used the laws in Leviticus to cause so much pain and Melissa took us through those verses but then made sure to keep going in the text, to see the whole picture and showed us the Holiness of diversity in those scripture and it literally made me burst into tears.
There are plenty of hard verses in the OT to grapple with and far to many stories of how they have been wielded to separate, oppress, condemn, and harm people but when read as a whole, with context, with love, and with open hearts and minds, there is redemption and beauty. I’m so grateful for this book, for The God of Neighbors, The God of Victims, The God of Wanderers, The God of Friendship, and every other chapter filled with Truth of who God is and always has been.
There are plenty of hard verses in the OT to grapple with and far to many stories of how they have been wielded to separate, oppress, condemn, and harm people but when read as a whole, with context, with love, and with open hearts and minds, there is redemption and beauty. I’m so grateful for this book, for The God of Neighbors, The God of Victims, The God of Wanderers, The God of Friendship, and every other chapter filled with Truth of who God is and always has been.
August 11, 2019
The first 1/3 or so of this book was pretty good but most of the book after that was not what I had been wanting to read about going in. Overall there are a number of insights on the old testament that are good and thought provoking, but in the end I had to return this book to the library over two weeks late because I just couldn't get myself to read it and finish it.
"Denouncing heretics wasn't only about keeping out opinions the church didn't like, though it was certainly that. Heresy, [Rowan] Williams helped me see, also did the important work of naming the doctrines that cleared up mystery too quickly-theological positions that put too fine a point on descriptions of God.
The concept of heresy helps us to understand the problem with saying that the Trinity is like candy corn or a clover or an apple. These attempts at metaphor are too easy and too neat. Heresy cuts away the knots, replacing them with the appearance of order. Heresies turn God into an idea we can manipulate with our good deeds or our intellect or our power."
"Denouncing heretics wasn't only about keeping out opinions the church didn't like, though it was certainly that. Heresy, [Rowan] Williams helped me see, also did the important work of naming the doctrines that cleared up mystery too quickly-theological positions that put too fine a point on descriptions of God.
The concept of heresy helps us to understand the problem with saying that the Trinity is like candy corn or a clover or an apple. These attempts at metaphor are too easy and too neat. Heresy cuts away the knots, replacing them with the appearance of order. Heresies turn God into an idea we can manipulate with our good deeds or our intellect or our power."
May 3, 2020
Florer-Bixler reminds Christians of the importance of the Old Testament, particularly those who choose to ignore or overlook much of it because they would rather focus on the New Testament. This isn't a comprehensive review of the Old Testament. Instead Flores-Bixler chooses several stories of the OT and using a blend of analysis, story-telling, mixed with contemporary issues, finds ways to make sense of the story. The insights she shares from Jewish rabbis give important perspective and the connections she makes to the poor, women, black and brown people make the stories relevant and meaningful. Flores-Bixler doesn't provide trite answers and allows room for the readers imagination to wonder, something I appreciated. As I approached the end of the book I began to wish the author would have helped interpret some additional stories, so maybe there will be a sequel. If so I'd really like to read her take on Elisha, siccing the bears on the children who mocked him.
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December 15, 2021Melissa Florer-Bixler begins this book by noting that "the Old Testament itself is kind of 'elephant in the room' " for many Christian readers of the Bible. The wars, the ethnic strife, the seemingly sexist and exclusionist laws and much more make it hard for Christian readers of this older testament to know what to do with these stories. In brilliant fashion, she takes up the challenge of exploring difficult passages in Deuteronomy, Leviticus, Job, Ruth, and more. Her grasp of language, culture, and Biblical interpretation is fresh and integrated with stories from her ministry and the people she seeks to serve. Though I consider myself a lifelong student of the Bible, I was continually invited to see these seemingly troubling obscure passages through a new set of eyes that opened up vistas of understanding I did not previously see. I highly recommend this slim book for those who want a fresh look at a part of the Bible many of us choose to avoid and ignore.
March 26, 2021
If I could give this book 6 stars I would.
Effortlessly beautiful. She weaves her encounters with God in the Old Testament with stories of the people around her and this world we find ourselves in.
Each chapter considers a primary section or story of the Old Testament and connects it to a particular experience or struggle that we have as we read it with her.
Melissa invites us into the work of considering how we meet God, and how God meets us as we are, all of us, loved and valued as Gods own, without leveling away our individual identities.
And it’s beautiful and clear and wondrous and exquisite.
It’d be great as a text for a small group discussion for seeing the story God desires to tell about our lives within Gods love.
Even as she quotes Tertulian and Gregory of Naziansus, she does it by inviting us into the wonder of how these friends found God in the text.
Effortlessly beautiful. She weaves her encounters with God in the Old Testament with stories of the people around her and this world we find ourselves in.
Each chapter considers a primary section or story of the Old Testament and connects it to a particular experience or struggle that we have as we read it with her.
Melissa invites us into the work of considering how we meet God, and how God meets us as we are, all of us, loved and valued as Gods own, without leveling away our individual identities.
And it’s beautiful and clear and wondrous and exquisite.
It’d be great as a text for a small group discussion for seeing the story God desires to tell about our lives within Gods love.
Even as she quotes Tertulian and Gregory of Naziansus, she does it by inviting us into the wonder of how these friends found God in the text.
April 9, 2019
Melissa Florer-Bixler has done a phenomenal job in this book. This is not a boring systematic look at all of the issues in the Old Testament, but a series of reflections upon how God appears in the pages of the Old Testament. She handles issues which arise on account of our modern sensibilities when we read scripture, but this is not the focus of the work. Rather, she draws upon personal experience and her faith tradition to give the reader new eyes when reading the Old Testament. A book like this is much needed in our day and age, when the Old Testament is written off as violent and not worth reading or ignored altogether. I would highly recommend anyone interested in Old Testament studies this immensely accessible and enjoyable book.
July 11, 2019
"Melissa writes with the passion of someone who loves the Bible, loves the church, and loves people. She has the scholarship to back up her writing and doesn't need to "show her homework," as she relates stories of the Old Testament to stories of herself, the people she knows, and the world we live in. She's unashamed of her faith and includes Jesus in a way that is never forced, and doesn't "clean up" or rewrite the Old Testament in a way that is simply organized to comfort Christians. She is thoroughly Anabaptist, but is gentle with other traditions, including Orthodox, Catholic, and Reformed. I appreciated her invitational style and writing. It is apparent she is a deep and grounded pastor. This book is great for long-time students of the Bible, and for beginners too."--Jonny
August 28, 2022
This didn't have enough detailed Biblical exegesis to make it a helpful study of the Old Testament. It was too scattered and topical--it showed too much its origins as a set of sermons. I'm disappointed these days in Christian publishers who are trying to "speak to contemporary issues" but not offering coherent and focused studies that congregations can really learn from. I want to read books that challenge me to see the Bible in more detailed ways and give specific and focused interpretations. This did not do a great job of that. At the end of using this for a congregational summer study I can't remember anything that really stood out to me that changed my understanding of the old Testament.
March 19, 2020
Just not what I was hoping for based on the title
I enjoyed the authors writing style I just had higher expectations for the content. She mostly just explained stories piece by piece in the OT. I was hoping for a bit more in-depth explanation as to how she reconciled the God we read of in the OT with the Jesus we see in the NT. While I didn't completely agree with her interpretation of all the scriptures I did enjoy a lot of her insights. These new ways of seeing things in the stories did make for greater understanding of some OT stories. I just went into the book with different expectations.
I enjoyed the authors writing style I just had higher expectations for the content. She mostly just explained stories piece by piece in the OT. I was hoping for a bit more in-depth explanation as to how she reconciled the God we read of in the OT with the Jesus we see in the NT. While I didn't completely agree with her interpretation of all the scriptures I did enjoy a lot of her insights. These new ways of seeing things in the stories did make for greater understanding of some OT stories. I just went into the book with different expectations.
May 23, 2021
I read this book last year, at the beginning of 2020. I appreciated the author showing a new way of looking at the Old Testament, and helping to struggle through some of the most difficult texts and stories in the Bible to try to understand them better. Not glossing over the difficult things but trying to delve into them and understand God through these stories. It was not necessarily life changing for me but I did really appreciate it. Unfortunately I can't remember so many of the details now more than a year afterwards (probably my fault and not the author's, plus Covid started right after I finished this).
April 9, 2019
The Old Testament can be...tricky. Many of us are all too familiar with the way the stories and verses can be picked out of the their context and weaponized. What this book does is really special, because it uses the context to draw attention to the character of God and all the ways God shows up for the lost, broken and forgotten. After rushing through it I sort of wish I had read a chapter per day as a devotional, because I think it would work well for that. It would also make a good Sunday School study book.
November 13, 2023
Fire by Night by Melissa Florer-Bixler is a book that explores the meaning and relevance of the Old Testament for Christians today. The author, a Mennonite pastor, challenges the common assumptions and stereotypes about the Old Testament as a violent, legalistic, and irrelevant text. She invites readers to discover the beauty, wisdom, and complexity of the stories, laws, and rituals that shaped the faith of Israel and Jesus. She shows how the Old Testament can inspire us to live more faithfully, creatively, and compassionately in our world today.
June 18, 2024
This book takes common Old Testament Bible stories and comes at them from a slightly different angle, than usually taught. It looks at each story from the story itself, the story taken from the people who originally heard it or experienced it and how one might interpret it today. Melissa is very knowledgeable and thoughtful sometimes the words were unfamiliar, I was usually able to piece together what she meant through context clues. (I am not a biblical scholar who knows a lot about doctrine and such.) I would recommend this book and will probably read it again down the road.
February 12, 2020
I loved Fire by Night. It was topical, well-researched, & intellectually-driven & grounded while remaining accessible. Both those who have engaged with lots of theological literature & those who haven’t can benefit from the content of this book. I also loved that Melissa Florer-Bixler wasn’t afraid to pose questions that she made no attempt to answer: that she trusted her readers to hold that tension. This book is a gift: “burning up & burning away.” 🔥
April 29, 2019
Book was a slow start for me, took awhile to figure that she was not going to attempt to explain the Old Testament but rather just use some stories as a way of connecting to God. She does not explain Nt of the troubling texts. I did connect when she told personal stories. Her chapter on Ruth and Naimo was quite a fresh look.
March 18, 2022
This is a book where I wish they had half star ratings. It's better than 3 stars, but I couldn't give it four. It was very enjoyable and unique, with some very great insights at points. But there were also some chapters and spaces where I wasn't engaged.
There were two chapters in particular which I would give five stars: "God of Darkness" and "God of the Table."
There were two chapters in particular which I would give five stars: "God of Darkness" and "God of the Table."
December 24, 2022
a compelling and daring exploration of the Old Testament
I love the Old Testament and was captivated by the connections Florer-Bixler made between it and current issues: at times a lament and at other times a celebration.
Her stories are lyrical and her theology almost always requires a 2nd read and then a 3rd. Equal parts beautiful and compelling.
I love the Old Testament and was captivated by the connections Florer-Bixler made between it and current issues: at times a lament and at other times a celebration.
Her stories are lyrical and her theology almost always requires a 2nd read and then a 3rd. Equal parts beautiful and compelling.
January 18, 2024
Gahh this was so good. I first heard about Florer-Bixler on Twitter and enjoyed her insights. A few chapters were meh but the rest was 5 stars worthy. What beautiful, fresh, moving reflections on Old testament stories. The author combines a humble posture toward a wild, mysterious God while also claiming creative license with the biblical stories. This is a book I want to have on my shelves.
April 18, 2019
I loved this book. I took it slowly and was rewarded by incredibly skilled storytelling and nicely drawn out parallels to make scriptures that can seem stilted and outdated really come alive again.
If you’ve ever wondered “Why should I care about the Old Testament?” this book is for you!
If you’ve ever wondered “Why should I care about the Old Testament?” this book is for you!
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