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

TITLE: The Art of Preaching Old Testament Narrative
AUTHOR: Steven D. Mathewson
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2021, (288 pages).

In many Sunday School classes, teachers would use Old Testament stories to teach Bible lessons. There is the Great Flood in Genesis; how the Israelites escaped Egyptian slavery in Exodus; the story of Gideon in Judges; how David defeated Goliath in 1 Samuel; and many more. For adults, sometimes we make it sound a little more sophisticated by substituting "stories" with "narratives." So, what Sunday School teachers call stories, adults would call them narratives. While it is relatively easy to summarize and tell simple stories like how Noah built the ark and invited cute animals into it, it is quite a challenge altogether to ponder upon God's message and the theme behind it all. For preachers, not only must they understand the stories per se, they need to figure out the big idea behind the narratives, and to deliver them clearly and faithfully. They need to distinguish between literary style against literal interpretation. They need to be curious like a child and be diligent as an adult. Written in 2002, this book is now in its second edition. Inspired by Robert Alter's "The Art of Biblical Narrative," author and pastor Steven Mathewson began learning about the nature of Old Testament narratives and eventually wrote a thesis on preaching OT Literature under the mentorship of the late Dr. Haddon Robinson. He incorporated a lot of his knowledge and wisdom in this book. In the first edition, he incorporated basic approaches in interpreting this genre, how to preach on it, as well as five sample sermon manuscripts. In the second edition, recognizing the wide availability of "sample sermons" on the Internet, he has reduced the sample sermons to just one, and added in an additional chapter entitled, "The Christ-Centered Preaching Debate." The three parts of this book are as follows:

1. PREPARATION: Preparing to Preach
2. INTERPRETATION: From Text to Concept
3. DELIVERY: From Concept to Sermon

In Part One, Mathewson explains the meaning of "expository preaching." He shows us some reasons why many people struggle with Old Testament narratives. For example, there is the problem of over-simplification. Some associate OT stories so much with children in Sunday School that they thought such stories are not "adult" enough to preach. Moreover, there is the problem of interpretation. Some narratives have so many plots and sub-plots that it is hard to figure out the main point. Most challenging of them all is the rigidity of many preachers' preferred form of exposition which could prevent them from appreciating ancient Old Testament storytelling. Then, building upon his mentor, Haddon Robinson's ten-step strategy as outlined in "Biblical Preaching," he helps us along the process with his personal reading, interpretation, and application. I find the new chapter on Christ-Centered Preaching highly refreshing because it deals with some fundamental challenges with regard to the entire biblical canon. Preaching OT narratives does not mean excluding Christological emphasis. That also does not mean we do not preach "exemplary sermons." I appreciate how Mathewson eventually advocates for a mediating position between "exemplary" (theocentric, authorial intent) vs "redemptive-historical" (Christocentric, Christ-focused) approaches. Using lots of perspectives from modern preachers like Tim Keller, Bryan Chapell, Kevin Vanhoozer, and so on. I wholeheartedly agree with the author's conclusion, that Theocentric and Christ-centered preaching is not necessarily mutually exclusive. This chapter alone is a major strength in this second edition. Part Two is an explanation of the process from text to concept, designated by the acronym ACTS: (Action, Character, Talking, Setting). Part Three looks at the way to internalize, shape, and deliver the message. 

My Thoughts

Let me offer three general thoughts about this book. First, this book deserves to be a textbook for preachers dealing with the genre of OT narratives. There are many books about preaching but not many of them deal with one particular genre with such detail. Step by step, chapter by chapter, readers get a reliable and seasoned guide through some of the most challenging steps in preaching OT narratives. Things that might appear simple at first look could be deceiving. He points out the dangers of trying to streamline narratives into a modern-looking list of dos and don'ts. That strategy alone does not do justice to the mysteries of God's narratives. We need to see the narratives first from the lens of the authorial intent, and then build a bridge for our contemporary audience. Here is where Mathewson shines. Not only does he describe the steps for preaching the OT narratives, but he also shows us the way. It is a pity that there is only one sample sermon instead of the original five. Perhaps, he should have shared some links to other samples available on the Internet. 

Secondly, this book could be used as a way to refresh the preachers' basic toolbox. Even the most seasoned preachers could feel jaded over his or her sermon preparation and delivery. By going back to the basics, Mathewson reminds us of the excitement of a first-timer in progressing from one stage to another. Seasoned preachers often skip one or more steps and in so doing, create their own. On the one hand, that is good. On the other hand, it could mean we miss out on some fundamental rungs of the Biblical preaching ladder. This book brings us back to the original rungs of sermon preparation. Besides the ten-step strategy, we get numerous tips on the basics of preparing a sermon. From the philosophy of expository preaching to the use and practice of Hebrew, even the most seasoned preacher would appreciate the reminder about the fundamentals of biblical preaching: Faithfulness and familiarity of the text and accuracy in biblical exegesis. One of the challenges of Bible interpretation is the presence of many different genres. There is the Law, History, Poetry, Wisdom, Prophecy, Apocalyptic, etc in the Old Testament alone. This book focuses on Narratives, and there is a reason why. Narratives are subtle. On the surface, they might appear like simple stories that could be told with a moral message. Upon further study, one discovers multiple theological themes that transcend the passage of time. For that matter, be open to combining different genres where appropriate.

Finally, let me close with a personal note. The late Dr. Haddon Robinson was also my mentor for my doctoral program. I remember him warning me that narratives are often more than meets the eye. Preaching them requires special attention and reflective treatment. Reading this book brings back a lot of memories about Biblical Preaching, Old Testament interpretation, and of course, Dr. Robinson's legacy. Mathewson's description of the various steps is a nostalgic journey in itself. This book honours Robinson's legacy and for that reason, I want to thank the author for an excellent contribution to the preaching community. 

I love this book! For preachers, this is a must-have resource. 

Steve Mathewson is pastor of the Evangelical Free Church of Libertyville, Illinois, and teaches preaching for the doctoral programs at Denver Seminary and Western Seminary, and the Master of Divinity program at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. 

Rating: 4.75 stars of 5.

conrade

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