Prominent author and biblical scholar Elizabeth Achtemeier provides an outstanding preaching and study resource with this collection of brief expositions on all of the First Lesson texts contained in Cycle A of the Revised Common and Lutheran Lectionaries. Infused with her customary insight into the Hebrew scriptures, this compendium of Achtemeier's stimulating contributions to the preaching journal Emphasis furnishes a plethora of fruitful starting points for preparing sermons solidly rooted in the Bible yet connected to modern life. But as the book's title suggests, this volume isn't just for preachers and homiletics students -- it's also a powerful commentary for study groups and personal devotional reading. Achtemeier's unrelenting focus on the promises of God appearing in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament, combined with her outstanding scholarship, make these faith-filled essays an enriching resource for anyone who wants a clearer understanding of God's Word contained in the scriptures. Elizabeth Achtemeier has spent her interpretive life at the interface between critical exegesis and the task of proclamation. In this series of brief expositions, she exhibits her interpretive agility, her passion for the church, and her subtle judgments on a number of theological issues. Those faced with the weekly task of preaching will find rich and suggestive clues for letting the text have its say in the church. Walter Brueggemann William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament Columbia Theological Seminary We preachers have learned that there are few better interpreters of the Old Testament than Elizabeth Achtemeier. Her homiletical interpretation is sure to strike fire in our imaginations and serve as a wonderful catalyst for great sermons from these passages. She really does enable us to preach texts from the Hebrew Bible in a new and delightful way. William H. Willimon Dean of the Chapel and Professor of Christian Ministry Duke University Renowned throughout the United States and Canada as a preacher, teacher, lecturer, and writer, Elizabeth Achtemeier authored 25 books, including the acclaimed Preaching From The Old Testament and her autobiography, Not Til I Have Done: A Personal Testimony. Achtemeier served for many years as an adjunct professor of Bible and Homiletics at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia.