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Frequently Asked Questions
The following questions relate to How Often Would I Have Gathered You and my purposes in writing it. If you have other questions about either the book or this web site, please let me know.
- Q: When we consider the Old Testament itself, one fundamental question must be answered before we ask any others. Consider how little the Old Testament is read today and how many people believe that much, if not all, of it is pure fiction, we have to ask if the Old Testament is really relevant to the lives of people in the Twenty-first Century?
A: You make an excellent point, and one that needs to be addressed. The world today is very different from it was only a few short years ago. However, as we consider life in our modern age, it is readily apparent that the Old Testament has influenced the history and literature of the Judeo-Christian world more than any other book ever written. It contains the stories, the traditions, and the truths that countless generations of parents have handed down to their children and that have been preached with great power from many pulpits.
- Q: What makes the stories in How Often Would I Have Gathered You different from all the other Bible stories?
A: There are actually five things that make these stories different from the others. One, they are written for adults and young adults rather than children. Two, they are more comprehensive in their coverage, and include many wonderful rarely told and little known stories. Three, I have put Jehovah back into these stories. Where the King James translators replaced the name Jehovah with “the LORD” (with the word Lord in small capital letters), I reversed that procedure—with significant effect. Four, I have used contemporary English, except for keeping the old-style pronouns—Thee, Thou, Thy, and Thine—when they refer to Deity. This makes the stories much easier to understand and also shows reverence for Deity. Five, the study helps (including the pronunciation guide, the two indexes, the maps, the chart of the kings, and the copious footnotes) make How Often Would I Have Gathered You a useful and valuable book.
- Q: Many people today do not think the Old Testament has any great relevance for our times. How much attention does it deserve?
A: The great influence of the Old Testament on the lives and destinies of mankind can scarcely be debated, even though―for various reasons―is not given the attention it deserves today. The Old Testament is indeed one of the most important books ever written. It is, after all, the word of God and much of its content relates to our own time. The main problem, I believe, is that most people do not understand it and thus cannot find real meaning in it. That is one of the reasons I wrote How Often Would I Have Gathered You.
- Q: With the abundance of Old Testament story books that already exists and the fact that the Old Testament is normally a hard sell, did you believe you could write a book about the Old Testament that people would actually buy and read?
A: That is a thought that certainly made me hesitate before I started writing. However, contrary to what many people believe about the Old Testament being unpopular, I believe that people have a genuine hunger for something to help them understand the Old Testament better. To me the real issue is lack of understanding rather than unpopularity. Nearly everyone I have talked to about my stories says that they would love to have a book like this to help them. The great abundance of stories that you refer to is real, but most of those stories are written primarily for children and do not fill the bill.
- Q: So, what makes your stories different from all the others?
A: There are actually five things that make my stories different from the others. One, they are written for adults rather than children, though teens and young adults will also find them helpful. Two, they are more comprehensive in their coverage, and include many wonderful rarely told and little known stories. Three, my stories add information and perspective from sources other than the Old Testament, such as the works of Flavius Josephus. Four, I have put Jehovah back into these stories. Where the King James translators replaced the name Jehovah (JHWH) with “the LORD” (with the word Lord in small capital letters), I reversed that procedure—with significant effect. Five, I have used contemporary English, except for keeping the old-style pronouns—Thee, Thou, Thy, and Thine—when they refer to Deity. This makes the stories much easier to understand.
- Q: On the issue of contemporary English, can the reader not get the same thing by reading one of the many modern Bible translations?
A: I suppose that this is true in a sense, but there are a couple of significant differences between my book and these modern translations. For one, my stories are more readable because they are in story form and because they exclude many of the tedious redundancies and unnecessary sordid details that must be included when you do a direct translation. I was able to choose just the stories and those things of most worth, while the translator must deal with every verse. And two, in several instances the Old Testament tells the same story in two, and sometimes three, places. In those cases, I have tried to reconcile these different versions and make them one.
- Q: Your title is interesting. How did you choose it and what is its significance?
A: Thank you. You will recognize the title does not actually come from the Old Testament itself. It is similar to the statement made by Jesus as a prelude to His sermon on the Mount of Olives concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and the calamities to precede His Second Coming (see Matthew 23:37). However, the actual language used in my title comes from Doctrine and Covenants 43:24, which reads: “O, ye nations of the earth, how often would I have gathered you together as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, but ye would not!” This statement applies to all ages of the world and has particular significance as it relates to the wayward, idol-worshipping Children of Israel in the Old Testament. It is the stories of these people that are told in the Old Testament and in How Often Would I Have Gathered You.
- Q: Other than the stories, what other features does your book have that might be of value to the student of the Old Testament?
A: Some of these were answered in question 2. Let me just note again some of the helpful tools available to assist the reader. These include extensive footnotes giving background information and insights that provide understanding and perspective. I have also used footnotes to cross-reference between related stories. The book includes a comprehensive pronunciation guide, 21 original illustrations, seven maps for geographical perspective, and a chart of the kings of Judah and Israel during the divided monarchy. There are also two comprehensive indexes that make the book a valuable reference tool as well as a storybook―a name index and a subject index. I should point out that one thing I have not done is draw conclusions from the stories. Also, I do not point out any morals or lessons to be learned from the stories. The stories are also unembellished and free from fictionalizing. I have attempted to tell each story as the scriptures tell it and to let it speak for itself.
- Q: Your stories seem very complete. Was it your intention that people should read your book as a replacement of the Old Testament?
A: Actually, my intention was for people to use my stories as a help to understanding the Old Testament. The ideal thing is for them to use the Old Testament and my book together.
- Q: After all of your study of the Old Testament, do you have a favorite story?
A: That is a hard question because there are so many good ones. However, if I had to choose one, it would be the story of Ruth, which I have entitled “The Loyal Moabitess.” That story, unlike many in the Old Testament, is a happy one and tells of righteousness being rewarded. Stories with such a positive message during the period of the judges are rare.
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