"The Art of Preaching Old Testament Poetry" (Steven D. Mathewson)

TITLE: The Art of Preaching Old Testament Poetry
AUTHOR: Steven D. Mathewson
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2024, (256 pages).
 

This is an excellent book about preaching from the wisdom and poetic books of the Old Testament. Filled with lots of biblical insights, historical backgrounds, and illuminating observations, preachers will be excited when reading about the many ways to approach the Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. Written for those who preach and teach Scripture, author and professor Steven Mathewson takes us through these five books, to give us tips on teaching and preaching strategies. He typically begins with a description of what the texts are saying. He patiently elucidates the purposes of each book by ensuring that we do not put the cart before the horse. For instance, in Psalms, he shows us the emotive components of the Psalms, to ensure we are aware of the stance of each psalm and the emotional plot development. In Proverbs, he reminds us to be mindful of Proverbs 1:1-7, which shows us the purposes of the wisdom texts. In Job, he reminds us to discern the structure and flow of the arguments and counter-arguments. In Ecclesiastes, he calls us to first examine the structure, and understand its perspective, keywords, and concepts, before preaching it. He covers the general and specific structures of the book, taking care to supply the framework of the book before leading us through some powerful strategies for preaching. That is not all. He gives us helpful resources for studying and preaching, leading us to some of the most valuable resources for the Bible book concerned. For instance, in Proverbs, he recommends Bruce Waltke's monumental work on Proverbs. For Job, he highlights John Walton's NIV Application Commentary and Daniel Estes's Teach the Text series, etc. For Ecclesiastes, he takes guidance from Iain Provan, Craig Bartholomew, etc. Many pointers can also be gleaned from "The Big Idea Companion for Preaching and Teaching." Mathewson uses Dr. Haddon Robinson's Big-Idea expository Preaching throughout the book. This is no surprise given that the late professor was his mentor. (Dr. Robinson was my mentor too!) At the end of the book, Mathewson gives us six sample sermons, two from Psalms and one from each of the other Bible books concerned to illustrate his points. 

My Thoughts

First, let me highlight the strengths of this book. I like the way Mathewson explains the contours and structure of each book before going into the nitty-gritty of preaching. Many preachers are often hard-pressed for time and the temptation is to rush to the main point as quickly as possible. The author takes time to keep us patient by tagging points of interest right from the start. He anticipates well the questions readers might be asking. For instance, when he looks at Psalms, he begins by acknowledging the challenges many preachers faced when approaching Psalms. Mathewson shines in giving us various categories from scholars, subtly hinting that we ought to take time to pray and discern the best approach to take. Every preacher is unique and that calls for God to lead us according to our gifting. Any preacher who wants to jump straight into the selected Psalm would have to reconsider their approach. Faced with the unique structure of Psalms, Mathewson encourages us to learn the movements from prose to poetry and to reflect the biblical flair from the Bible to our audience. Another strength is the clear strategies he gives us. I appreciate the chapter on Proverbs where he shows us not only the overall structure of the book, but also the use of key concepts of each proverb. Another highlight is the way to structure a preaching calendar for each book. 

Second, there are weaknesses in this book too, one being its brevity and limited coverage. For the subject of art and poetry, other Bible books ought to be covered as well. This includes the prophetic books, the songs of Moses and Miriam, Hannah's psalm in 1 Samuel 2, etc. Perhaps, Mathewson could add an additional chapter to this book by covering these as well. Another observation is that the book tends to be more "scientific" than "art." Perhaps this is a concession for modern preachers who are more science-driven than art. It is like trying to explain the Hebrew Bible using English, when Hebrew is probably the most accurate. Alas! This "weakness" is not Mathewson's problem but ours. 

Finally, this book is a powerful reference book for teachers and preachers to use. It should be on the shelves of anyone keen to preach on any of the five wisdom books of the Old Testament. I enjoy reading about the familiar scholars and theologians as Mathewson goes through the different commentaries. Maybe this has to do with my personal connections with these esteemed theologians. In summary, I believe that every preacher should read this book to enhance their understanding of the five books but also to improve their preaching from these books.

Steven D. Mathewson (PhD, Stellenbosch University; DMin, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) serves as adjunct professor of preaching and biblical studies at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Moody Theological Seminary. He served as a pastor for over thirty-seven years in Montana and in the north suburbs of Chicago. Mathewson is the author of several books, including The Art of Preaching Old Testament Narrative and Risen: 50 Reasons the Resurrection Changed Everything.

 
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of Baker Academic via NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.