Ichabod Toward Home: The Journey of God's Glory - Paperback

by Walter Brueggemann (Author)

In today's confused and confusing world, it is good to be shown once more that God is never absent. That is the heartening message of Ichabod toward Home. In this volume one of our most respected biblical scholars explores the nature of God's glory, using the engaging story of the ark of the covenant to illuminate the meaning of God's presence -- not only for the ancient Israelites but for the whole world.

Offering a unique entry into Old Testament theology, Walter Brueggemann examines 1 Samuel 4-6, the biblical text in which the ark of God is captured by the Philistines, seen to be a dangerous threat, and finally returned to Israel. In looking anew at what this story reveals about God's glory -- or kabod, from which the name "Ichabod" derives -- Brueggemann builds a powerful new theology of God's sovereignty.

Additionally, Brueggemann demonstrates that this ancient story of the ark has profound relevance today. The three-day story of the ark's capture, detention, and return is transposed, first, into the three-day Christian story of Easter and, second, into the three days of the modern consumer weekend. In a provocative contemporary application of Old Testament theology, Brueggemann shows that the Ark narrative, in its rendering of God's glory, strongly contradicts the dominant narrative of our own culture, with its strident emphasis on self-indulgence, narcissism, and self-sufficiency.

Author Biography

Walter Brueggemann (1933-2025) was the William Marcellus McPheeters Professor emeritus of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. In his writing and preaching, he emphasized social justice and church renewal. He was the author of numerous biblical commentaries and scholarly works, including The Prophetic Imagination, Sabbath as Resistance, Journey to the Common Good, Truth Speaks to Power: The Countercultural Nature of Scripture, and Reality, Grief, Hope: Three Urgent Prophetic Tasks.