"Hear Ye the Word of the Lord: What We Miss If We Only Read the Bible" (D. Brent Sandy)

TITLE: Hear Ye the Word of the Lord: What We Miss If We Only Read the Bible
AUTHOR: D. Brent Sandy and John Walton
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2024, (192 pages).
 

We often think of the Bible in terms of a Holy Book. So we encourage people to "read" the Bible like a text, study the Scriptures like an ancient document, and interpret each verse with careful eyes. If we limit ourselves to such a view, we would have missed the very essence of God's message to us. The Word was first delivered to human ears rather than eyes. Right from the beginning, the standard form of communication was oral. The receivers were listeners. Plus, it was noted that, unlike today, ancient people had fewer authors and more speakers; more hearers than readers. How the world has changed. The key premise of this book is that if we want to read the Bible well, we need to remember the original contexts of the Bible given to us to listen rather than to read. It is ok to read texts but do not miss out on the importance of listening to the Word. So convicted is author Brent Sandy that he puts forth 18 propositions about the what, the why, and the what then. Categorized in four parts, Sandy urges us to understand the original stage of communications, understand God's agenda, learn about the implications of oral scripture, and practice listening on top of mere reading. 

Part One sets the stage for recovering some oral awareness in our world inundated with texts. We are reminded that we were never born to read. If we are truly passionate about understanding the Bible in its original contexts, then we need to adopt a posture of "hearing" above our tendency toward "reading." There are five propositions in this "Setting the Stage" section. It tells us about God's original method of communicating His Word. Not only must we understand how God speaks to us today, we need to learn of how God spoke to people in ancient times. Knowing that the original revelation was for hearers, we need to remove our hats of "What the Bible means to me?" and put on the hat of "What the Bible means to the original hearers?" This calls for research that is not just archaeological but also other forms of scholarly research. In reading Scripture, we need a second key: How did people hear Scripture back then? The goal of good Bible reading is to incorporate "their hearing." 

Part Two describes the different ways of God speaking. The Psalms shine forth a rich oral culture through God speaking and people praising. The creation begins via speaking. God spreads His Word through the speaking capability of his servants. Through Moses, God spoke the Law into being. Through the prophets, God uses prophetic oracles, narratives, and wisdom sayings to propagate Truth. Through Jesus, God's authority was spoken and repeated. Sandy notes: "Jesus didn't compose a text. He spoke the text. He embodied the text." Likewise, Jesus' disciples proclaimed the gospels far and wide, typically via speech. 

Part Three looks at the implications of oral culture. Jesus himself told stories. We can learn from Jesus. In fact, the New Testament authors transcribed what they heard into written words. We need to learn from the oral culture in storytelling, speaking narratives, and oratory skills. In doing so, we can become better hearers and speakers of Scripture. Hopefully, we can push back against an increasingly impersonal and individualistic textual world of today. 

Part Four gives us some practical experiments for oral interpretation. We are reminded that holistic reading involves listening. We are encouraged to use more of our ears in creation and incarnation. Some experiments include listening to poetry and reading it aloud. Listen to plays and vocal variety to heighten or lower the effects. 

My Thoughts
Let me offer three thoughts about this book.

First, this book shines a new perspective on Scripture Reading and congregational listening. We often want to encourage people to read the Bible more. Some churches regularly teach the RPG formula to Read, Pray, and Grow. With this book, we add a new prefix L: Listen. In fact, churches during regular worship services should have a special oral reading of Scripture every time. Instead of simply letting congregation members refer to the passage on their phones or pew Bibles, read them aloud! During Bible studies, read the passages out loud. During prayer meetings, read the Bible out loud for all to hear. Dr Brent Sandy does a good job of showing us the ancient contexts of oral communication. this might be the key that unlocks the Bible in ways that we have never really discovered. Part One of the book is necessary reading, or perhaps, reading aloud!

Second, this is a needful corrective against an increasingly textual culture. I remember reading about the French philosopher's experiment that compares images and the Word. He contrasts the two and insightfully reveals to us how watching images tends to be self-centered while listening to the Word is more other-centered. We consume a lot of textual material today. From reading web pages to browsing social media, there are a lot of words to take in. That kind of culture has become a way of life today. If Ellul's experiment holds true, this might very well be a major cause of increasing self-centered behaviour. 

Third, we need more listening in so many ways. Hopefully, by incorporating a greater oral component in our Bible studies, we can have a richer understanding of the Bible in its original context. Sandy's case is pretty convincing, but in the light of an overwhelmingly reading culture, moving anyone toward a more oral culture will take a while. I encourage readers to listen more to the Bible. There are plenty of resources out there on the Internet today. The free YouVersion Bible is widely available for download on mobile devices, computers, and websites. Perhaps, when we incorporate a greater amount of oral applications, that might facilitate a spiritual formation that cannot be done via mere textual reading. I look forward to that day. Until that happens, let our Churches and community groups read the Bible aloud at all opportunities. It builds community. 

D. Brent Sandy (PhD, Duke University) taught New Testament and Greek at Wheaton College and chaired the Department of Religious Studies at Grace College. He is coauthor (with John Walton) of The Lost World of Scripture: Ancient Literary Culture and Biblical Authority and author of Plowshares and Pruning Hooks: Rethinking the Language of Biblical Prophecy and Apocalyptic.

John Walton is professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College. He is coauthor of Manners and Customs in the Bible and The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament.

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5.

conrade

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