COMMUNICATING THE TRUTHS BORNE BY OLD TESTAMENT NARRATIVE ART

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In the Book of Esther the resolution occurs in 5: Stories end in a conclusion or denouement. Some scholars lump this together with the resolution. But some stories' conclusions develop the consequences of this resolution for the principal characters. Less certain is whether Genesis According to Bar-Efrat the conclusion in many biblical narratives is clearly marked, often by someone who returns home or leaves for another destination. Ryken also notes that the movement of a plot may take either a comic or a tragic direction.

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A comedy is a "U-shaped story that begins in prosperity, descends into tragedy, and rises again to. A tragedy, on the other hand, is "the story of exceptional calamity. It portrays a movement from prosperity to catastrophe. While tracking the plot, an interpreter should observe the pace at which a narrative unfolds. Literary scholars differentiate between "narration time" and "narrated time. Narrated time is subject to gaps, delays, acceleration, and even movement in different directions. Apart from its role within the narrative itself, such as providing emphases or implying connections between separate incidents, narrated time can fulfil direct functions for the reader, such as creating suspense or determining attitudes.

Since the decision as to what to include and what to omit, what to convey rapidly and on what to dwell at length, is closely bound up with the importance of the various subjects, the character of time as it is shaped within the narrative will be of great value in any attempt to analyze and interpret the narrative. In the Judah-Tamar story verses move rapidly to lay the groundwork for subsequent events. Genesis 38 begins with Judah fathering three sons, one after another, recorded in breathless pace. Here, as at other points in the episode, nothing is allowed to detract our focused attention from the primary, problematic subject of the proper channel for the.

Verses linger on Judah's sexual liaison with the disguised Tamar and his unsuccessful attempt to make payment. Then the action accelerates again in verse While the quick pace in verses presented background information, the return to a pace in verse 24 enables the narrative to proceed "quickly to its dramatic climax. Alter points out that verbs tend to dominate "biblical narration of the essential," and so, "at intervals we encounter sudden dense concentrations or unbroken chains of verbs, usually attached to a single subject, which indicate some particular intensity, rapidity, or a single-minded purposefulness of activity.

Earlier in Genesis 22 the narrator suspends the action as he relates God's instructions to Abraham. Four phrases slow down the narrated time. With each phrase, the tension builds as the specificity increases. Stories often focus on statements made by the characters. Alter speaks of "the highly subsidiary role of narration in comparison to direct speech by the characters. As is characteristic of Israel's narrative art, the speeches are of more interest and importance than the action. They are highly concentrated and stylized, are devoid of idle chatter, and all the details they contain are carefully calculated to fulfill a clear function.

Statements made by characters provide insight into their traits. Esau's blunt request for stew in Genesis On the other hand Uriah's refusal of King David's offer of a night at home during a heated battle 2 Sam But even more significantly, conversation points to meaning. Similarly statements by David in 1 Samuel Two more features of speech deserve attention. First, direct speech set in formal verse often has a summarizing or ceremonial function, such as Hannah's speech in 1 Samuel 2: This is simply one of the principles of selectivity and emphasis [employed by] storytellers.

Beginning in 1 Samuel 16, David emerges as the protagonist, while Saul functions both as an antagonist and as a foil.

While there was a contest at one level between David and Goliath, Goliath provided the "challenge" that revealed the character of both David and Saul. Israel's future and present kings responded differently, revealing their fitness or lack of it to serve as Israel's king. David changed so that by the end of the episode he shared the same conviction as Abigail. Interpreters must do more than label the characters, though. Interpreters must go through the story as a "traveling companion of the protagonist" and view this protagonist as "someone who undertakes an experiment in living.

A variety of conventions contribute to the shaping of characters. The designations or names of characters reflect their nature, whether real or perceived.

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For instance a designation may betray how one character is perceived by other characters. And 2 Samuel On the other hand, suggests Sternberg, "a character's emergence from anonymity may correlate with a rise in importance. It is no accident that the text [1 Sam Names can contribute to the author's intent by giving opportunity for forming puns, creating irony, or highlighting character qualities. Stek shows the significance of the names in the Judges 4 account of the defeat of Sisera, the cruel Canaanite commander. The glory went to two faithful and fearless women: Deborah, the bee, dispensed her sweet justice under a honey tree and kept prodding stinging?

Barak to pursue Sisera. Jael, the mountain goat, provided the fleeing Sisera with nourishing milk and then stabbed him when he lay down to rest. As a result, peace was restored to the Promised Land of milk and honey. God, of course, got the last laugh when Abraham followed God's command The names in the Book of Ruth contribute to the story as well. Certainly there is irony when "My God is King" "Elimelech" flees that king's territory because of a famine.

Call me Bitter one because. Shaddai has made me extremely bitter. Boaz addressed him with the Hebrew expression "certain one". Hubbard captures the intention of this expression by translating verse 1 this way: Perhaps the spotlight cast on the man's namelessness implied judgment: People's actions in daily life are hardly mentioned at all in biblical narrative, and we do not usually hear about the minutiae of their day-to-day routine.

We meet the biblical characters primarily in special and unusual circumstances, in times of crisis and stress, when they have to undergo severe tests. Old Testament narratives are also marked by a spare style. As Sternberg suggests, elaborate descriptions "perform no other role than realistic fullness. The absence of depictions in biblical narrative is connected with the tension which exists in a work of literature between the categories of time and space.

By stopping narrated time a. The biblical narrative is wholly devoted to creating a sense of time which flows continually and rapidly, and this is inevitably achieved at the expense of the shaping of space. Because space is fundamentally static and unchanging it is an alien element in biblical narrative. Therefore every detail in biblical narrative merits attention.

In most cases, Sternberg suggests, "epithet prefigures drama. The reference to Joseph's good looks in Genesis The description of Esau as a "hairy man" Gen Whereas English prose eschews repetition, so that we are constantly looking for synonyms as we write, ancient Hebrew prose enjoys it. The verbatim repetition of a word, phrase, sentence, or set of sentences, or even the recurrence of words falling into the same semantic range can function to structure the story, to create atmosphere, to construct a theme or character, to emphasize a certain point to the reader, or to build suspense.

Sternberg, though, warns that "the frequency of repetition in the Bible, by modern standards, is liable to blind us to the fact that the narrator actually forgoes the device much more often than he employs it. Where does repetition occur? Sometimes a command or prophecy is cited at one point and then "closely followed by its verbatim fulfillment. This kind of repetition highlights the people's precise obedience, indicating "that everything happens exactly as God commanded.

Repetition may also occur by means of a key word leitwort. Just as a lawyer's performance in the courtroom depends on hours of competent research and preparation, a preacher's effectiveness in the pulpit depends on hours of competent exegesis and study. The guidelines suggested above can help preachers do solid exegesis that is sensitive to the literary features of Old Testament narratives.

Expositors who wish to gain more proficiency should work through the sources already cited. Meir Sternberg's tome, The Poetics of Biblical Narrative , may require some wading; but expositors can benefit from his list of fifteen rhetorical devices through which the Bible shapes a reader's response to character and event.

After an expositor does thorough exegesis marked by sensitivity to the literary art of a narrative, sermon preparation still remains incomplete. Now the preacher must tackle the homiletical side of the task. As Osborne states, great preachers "have all worked as hard on presentation as they have on exegesis. Old Testament narratives express meaning in larger blocks of material than do other genres in the Bible. Expositors used to preaching from a few verses in New Testament epistolary literature will have to adjust to Old Testament narrative sections.

For example, when exploring an episode such as David's adultery with Bathsheba, the expositor would violate the story were he to. Instead he would probably take his sermon from the entire eleventh chapter of 2 Samuel and at least part of the twelfth , since all of this records the sin and its devastating consequences. Sometimes a preacher may need to proclaim a larger section like the Samson story in Judges , or even an entire book like Ruth or Esther. A preacher must make sure his selected unit contains a background, crisis, and resolution and sometimes a separate conclusion.

By using this guideline, a preacher would not choose 1 Samuel Expositors should select the entire chapter 17 as a preaching unit. Actually a preacher should determine the preaching unit sometime during the exegetical process. That process, as noted earlier, will enable him to discover the meaning, or theological point, of the text. Deuel counsels expositors to preach the "total theological message," not just "character traits. As Deuel asks, "If the preacher's goal is to be expositional, what is more expositional than preaching the text in its story-line form?

This is not as easy as it sounds, however. As Greidanus explains, "The narrative form has to strike a delicate balance between simply narrating the story and providing explicit statements for right understanding. Narrative preaching however does not merely repeat the details of a story like recounting a pointless, worn-out joke.

Through the story the preacher communicates ideas. In a narrative sermon, as in any other sermon, a major idea continues to be supported by other ideas, but the content supporting the points is drawn directly from the incidents in the story. In other words the details of the story are woven together to make a point, and all the points develop the central idea of the sermon.

Although the narrative form allows for much variety,[ 91 ] the following three options work effectively for structuring a sermon from Old Testament narrative literature. Develop theological points that are developed from the "crisis" and "resolution" elements of the plot. After the background is related v. Sarai's beauty, he feared, would tempt the Egyptians to kill him in order to acquire her vv.

So Abram instructed Sarai to claim that she was only Abram's sister v. As a result, Pharaoh took Sarai into his harem vv.

But when the Lord struck Pharaoh, Abram learned his scheme had been exposed and received orders to leave Egypt vv. Abram failed to be a blessing cf. An expositor might structure a sermon on this text with a point reflecting the crisis, a point reflecting the resolution, and then a statement of the big idea, as in the following outline.

Crises tempt believers to shift their faith from God to personal schemes Gen Shifting our faith from God to personal schemes only jeopardizes God's purposes and God's blessing. James Rose's sermon on 1 Samuel 17 develops according to the story's crisis and resolution, as well as the responses of Saul and David to the giant.

Rose's first point consists of a theological statement rooted in the crisis including Saul's response , while his second point is rooted in the resolution including David's response and serves as the sermon's main idea. Giants threaten those of us who look at life from the ground level 1 Sam Giants ignite those of us who look at life from a "God-level" perspective vv.

Giants look like great opportunities to those with a "God-level" perspective. Giant obstacles are open doors to those living with a "God-level" perspective. A sermon on Exodus 5: Moses' plea to Pharaoh for the release of God's people resulted in harsher work conditions. The raw materials were reduced while the production quota was increased. The Israelites then turned on Moses, and Moses turned on God. The story is resolved by God's promise in 6: The following outline reflects a decision to divide the crisis into two points, with the third point serving as the sermon's big idea:.

When we follow God, great expectations sometimes turn into great frustrations Exod 5: God meets our disappointment by asking us to cling to His promises 6: Retell the story in a series of "moves" that lead to the big idea. This tactic is more subtle. Its effectiveness depends on an expositor's storytelling skills see discussion below. Instead of proceeding from "point one" to "point two," the sermon unfolds in a series of what Buttrick calls "moves. In other words a preacher will work from an "outline" that should not appear on the back of a church bulletin.

Such a bulletin outline charts the course, but does not provide a series of theological points. Donald Sunukjian has preached a sermon on the entire Book of Esther using this approach. At the outset of the sermon he mentions that in the Book of Esther readers do not see or hear God there, but they sense His presence dominating everything. Then he raises a question: What sense would he make out of it all? For another example the present writer preached an expository sermon on 1 Samuel Below is an outline with a brief description of the content of each move.

Each move contained appropriate images or illustrations. After move 1, which consisted of the sermon introduction, moves 2 and 3 told the first part of the story. Move 4 paused to reflect on the meaning of the term "heart" in 1 Samuel In move 4 the big idea began to take shape. But then the telling of the story resumed with move 5. In move 6 the sermon's main idea emerged to the surface. Then the sermon concluded with two lines of application in moves 7 and 8. With each move being about four minutes in length, the sermon lasted about thirty-two minutes. Retell the story in a series of " moves " that lead to the big idea and then return to the story to explore the big idea at length.

This represents a combination of the previous two approaches. It is semi-inductive because the big idea emerges in the middle of the sermon. So, while the first half proceeds inductively to the big idea, the second half proceeds deductively and develops the idea. The present writer preached a sermon on Esther with the following outline. You can't see or hear God, but He controls your destiny! Is this really true? He controls your destiny in spite of the spiritual insensitivity of people around you. The story was told in four moves or scenes.

Then after the big idea emerged, the sermon validated it by answering the question, Is this really true? The remainder of the sermon offered four lines of evidence from the text for the validity of the big idea. A sermon from Exodus Outlined, the sermon looks something like this:. Immediately after God's great deliverance, Israel slipped into a complaining mode. When you complain, you call God's integrity into question When you complain, you fail a test God wants you to pass After telling the story and arriving at the big idea, the sermon validates the big idea. Of course preachers can develop a big idea not only by validation but also by explanation which answers the question, What does this mean?

What difference does this make?

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An expositor has more than one vantage point from which he can present the biblical narrative. In other words the preacher adopts a third-person perspective. However, many preachers effectively proclaim narratives by using a dramatic monologue in which they tell the story through the eyes of a character in the story.

In this kind of narration, the preacher becomes the character and presents the action and dialogue strictly from the perspective of that character.

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As one can imagine, the dramatic demands. The presentation must take with great seriousness the expectations that any audience brings to a dramatic event. This is no time for biblical bathrobe drama! When the preacher assumes a character's role, the congregation has the right to expect him or her to be that character.

Not only must the preacher be viable dramatically, but he or she also must be true to the story in which the character takes part. Preachers may relate a first-person narrative from the point of view of a major or a minor character. The most obvious choice in telling the story of Ruth is to do so from Ruth's vantage point, or in telling Abraham's attempted sacrifice of Isaac Gen 22 is to do so from Abraham's perspective.

Sometimes, though, an expositor may wish to preach the story through the eyes of a minor character. Sunukjian tells the story of Esther through the eyes of Harbona, a eunuch who served King Xerxes Esth 1: The present writer's brother, Kevin D. Mathewson, preached the story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5 from the perspective of Gehazi, Elisha's servant. While Gehazi played a significant role in the story, he was not the leading character nor the hero.

The insights of the Hebrew language, poetry, historical narratives, and prophetic offerings were important to the writers of the New Testament, and they should be to us as well. Preaching the Old Testament equips pastors to keep up on the Hebrew language, prepare to preach the various sections of the Old Testament, and see how it can be interpreted in light of its context and of our world today.

Scharf , associate professor and chair of pastoral theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

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Shaw , emeritus dean and professor of preaching, Lincoln Christian Seminary. Gibson has skillfully combined the works of many well-known preachers, including Haddon Robinson and Bryan Chapell , into one practical guide written for present and future church leaders. Including questions for reflection and suggestions for further reading, this helpful resource addresses important topics such as preaching to a postmodern audience, pluralism, and the intersection of preaching and psychology.

Do you think a postmodern audience may render your preaching post-relevant? Such preaching, however, requires more than just contextualizing the message. Valuable appendixes detail steps to an effective sermon and provide questions for assessing cultural developments with spiritual discernment. Whether a new or experienced speaker, in church leadership or in parachurch ministry, you can make an impact on the rising global village—starting now. He is the author of Kindled Fire: How the Methods of C. Spurgeon Can Help Your Preaching. Hendricks , emeritus distinguished professor of Christian education and leadership, Dallas Theological Seminary.

How does one preach to a congregation immersed in a postmodern culture outside the church, but often finding itself in another culture within its walls? Do the postmodern criticisms offer any opportunities to the preacher for addressing the great truths of Scripture in new and fresh ways? Robert Kysar and Joseph M. Webb , both scholar-preachers, believe that they do. New Perspectives for Proclaiming the Message seeks to inform and encourage pastors who want to expand their horizons.

Webb and Kysar have addressed the need for pastors to understand the staggering numbers of new approaches to biblical interpretation and the bewildering choices for sermon preparation that they represent. In this book, they offer introductions to each of the major types of interpretive methods and point out the implications for each in preparing a sermon.

To exemplify how each of the major methods impacts the preaching task, they offer a sample sermon for each method. This is a book that will bring pastors up to date in biblical interpretation while demonstrating what difference it makes for preachers as they seek to use the various methods. New Testament Images for a Changing Church. Webb is professor of global media and communication and dean of the School of Communication and Media at Palm Beach Atlantic University.

The spiritual lives of your church members are driven largely by what you choose to preach about on Sunday morning. If your messages are scattered, unrelated to one another, or haphazardly prepared, it can be difficult for people to make connections to aid their spiritual growth. Preaching with a Plan shows you a step-by-step process on how to develop a cohesive preaching plan to guide your choice of Scripture, topics, and concepts to use in worship services. It answers these critical questions:. Insights and advice from leaders in the field!

Preaching with Power brings together powerful personal interviews with dynamic preachers and those who influence preaching today. Discover here how these top communicators prepare and plan for sermons, what role culture plays in shaping their messages, who influenced their ministries, and what they have to say to you. Hawkins, Jim Henry , T. Michael Duduit is the founding publisher and editor of Preaching magazine and PreachingNow , a weekly email newsletter that reaches more than 12, pastors nationwide.

He is also the author or editor of several books and has served on the administrative staffs at Southern Baptist Seminary and Samford, Palm Beach Atlantic, and Union universities. He resides in Franklin, Tennessee. Preparing Evangelistic Sermons is a simple do-it-yourself resource for evangelistic preaching. Using principles rooted in his seven-step Scripture sculpture method, Dr. Ramesh Richard guides you through the foundation, framework, method, and special issues of preaching salvation. This practical guide also includes helpful appendices, outlines, and checklists for pastors, seminarians, and church leaders.

Anyone desiring deeper training in evangelistic sermons will find this book to be a valuable, life-changing guide. Sermons are what we make with what God has made. His method, explained in this book, has been field-tested in training seminars for thousands of pastors and preachers around the world, and it will be invaluable to you as well. Preparing Expository Sermons is a simple do-it-yourself resource for developing and preaching expository sermons. It guides you through a seven-step process, with many practical suggestions and illustrative charts along the way.

In addition, there are 13 appendixes that include information on:. Many pastors are just too busy to follow the latest theories on preaching and sermon form. Cahill seeks both to educate the working pastor on the current issues of sermon design and enable them to use this design in a way that can change their preaching. After first laying the theoretical groundwork with discussions of the theological, cultural, and literary roots of the new approaches to sermon design, Cahill expertly guides the preacher through a practical process for designing sermons that speak to people in the world today.

Anderson , professor of homiletics, Northwest Baptist Seminary. Cahill has been in the pastorate for more than 20 years. Faithlife Your digital faith community. Logos Powerful Bible study tools. Faithlife TV A Christian video library. Faithlife Proclaim Church presentation software. Chapters 3 vols.

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Baker Contemporary Preaching Collection Publisher: The Big Idea of Biblical Preaching: Connecting the Bible to People Editors: Keith Willhite and Scott M. An experienced and skilled group of contributors to this volume includes: Paul Borden Scott M. How to Preach without Notes Author: Robinson and Torrey W.

Haddon Robinson has done it again—given us a book that combines his deep commitments to both expository and culturally sensitive preaching. This book significantly advances our understanding and practice of the first-person narrative sermon. Kelderman, associate professor of preaching, Calvin Theological Seminary Stories work. Actually, good stories work when told well. Torrey and Haddon Robinson address both concerns: They encourage the first-timer that he should, and can, preach narrative sermons. They teach the more seasoned story-teller that he should, and can, preach narrative sermons better.

Finally, the Robinsons provide rationale, guidance, and examples. Most fail the biblical text, or fail artistically, or both. But now there is help. Robinson Professor of Preaching, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary For many years first person narrative sermons in costume have been a regular part of my preaching as a pastor, seminary teacher, and military chaplain. Young people and children in particular have often expressed gratitude to me for bringing the message of the Bible with such clarity and heart impact.

I commend Torrey and Haddon Robinson for their concise, clear, and creative guide to this challenging but powerful preaching form. The sample sermons are particularly helpful. Bringing the Sermon to Life Editors: Jana Childers and Clayton J. Baker Academic Publication Date: Two of our finest teachers of preaching here collaborate on an invigorating book for preachers. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is meant to be enacted, embodied, and performed.

Childers and Schmit show us how we preachers can better enable our listeners to not only hear but also perform the Gospel. This book will tell you how! Two consummate performers of the Word themselves, Jana Childers and Clayton Schmit have assembled the leading figures in the field of performance studies—ranging from theology to dramaturgy to musicology—and have produced a book like no other.

It will bless preachers and those who listen to preaching for a long time to come. This helpful volume proves that such nervousness is unwarranted.

Reading the Old Testament in the 21st century using the Book of Jonah as reference

God has called the entirety of your being into the service of proclaiming the Word, and this fine book will challenge you to remember that each and every Sunday! The Art of Narrative Exposition Author: One of our best preachers and writers tells us what he does best—and why and how. For too long, one has been viewed as simply a prelude or culmination of the other. Quicke helps us understand how worship and preaching function organically and holistically to honor the persons of the Godhead who also comes to us as one.

Preaching for Special Services Author: Achtemeier launches out on a campaign to stir preachers to preach the toughest texts of the Old Testament with courage and conviction. Her book is a delight and a challenge. She never fails to provoke, enlighten, encourage. In this collection of sermons Elizabeth Achtemeier shows that even the hard texts of the Old Testament can produce significant and profound preaching.

Preaching that Speaks to Women Author: Alice Mathews breaks new ground. This book opens the eyes of men and women preachers alike, and it will begin to revolutionize how preachers view listeners in their pews. I found it both enlightening and convicting. I hope that the audience of this book will not be limited to men wanting to address women more effectively, for the volume is relevant to anyone called to a pulpit ministry.

It brings home how different life experiences lead hearers to receive different messages from the same sermon, and it helps preachers to consider ways to build up in Christ all those in their care. Mathews not only does a masterful job of describing the key differences in the ways men and women listen and make application from Scripture but also gives very practical ways to bridge the gaps.

Preaching That Speaks to Women is so good, it should be a required text in all preaching courses. Preaching the Old Testament Editor: Preaching the Old Testament is an outstanding collection of insights for preaching from the two-thirds of Scripture that compose our Old Testament. Gibson has assembled a remarkable team of contributors whose work will be helpful to any preacher.

Scott Gibson has assembled an all-star team of scholars who will help many students and pastors, not least those preachers who have been in the trenches for a few years or a few decades. Those who let these pages impact their preaching will better serve their congregations for having done so. Scharf , associate professor and chair of pastoral theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School Preaching the Old Testament is not primarily a book about how to prepare sermons.

Every writer carries the torch high for preaching the Old Testament as a Christian. It closes with how to preach the Old Testament today and how to preach it evangelistically. Its scope, depth, and readability recommend Preaching the Old Testament to us. We will be better preachers and teachers by attending carefully to what it says. Preaching to a Shifting Culture: A stimulating potpourri of evangelical insights for changing times.

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