Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Some Thoughts Toward a Better Understanding of the Old Testament

Most Christians appear to have a limited understanding of or appreciation for the Old Testament. The New Testament makes sense to them, but the Old Testament is a mystery, with its diverse kinds of literature and a seeming lack of connection with the New Testament. Most Bible reading plans don't help this very much. Either they read straight through the Bible, in which the New Testament simply follows the Old, or they have some OT and some NT every day, but with no connection drawn between them. Perhaps one way of rectifying this situation is to use the New Testament as something of a search engine for the Old. This has the dual advantage of connecting the testaments and of clarifying the significance of those connections. 

If we start with Matthew, the first verse gives us a number of Old Testament connections. "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham". There are three connections right away. "The book of the genealogy" connects us to Genesis 5, which begins "This is the book of the generations of Adam." That genealogy takes us from Adam to Noah. The subsequent genealogy in Genesis 11 takes us from Noah to Abraham. So read Matthew 1, Genesis 5, and Genesis 11. "The son of Abraham" connects us to the story of Abraham in Genesis 12-25. This may seem long for some readers, so read Genesis 12, 15, 17, and 21-22, which will give the reader the substance of Abraham's story and clarify the importance of Abraham for the story of Jesus Christ. "The son of David" takes us to the story of David. The Old Testament gives 61 chapters to the story of David (from 1 Samuel 16-1 Kings 2). That doesn't include the 73 Psalms of David in the Book of Psalms. So read 2 Samuel 1-8, which gives us the best part of the story of David. That includes the covenant that God made with David which issues in the promise of the everlasting Davidic king.

The genealogy of Jesus from Abraham to Jesus also links to a number of other OT passages. First, we have the mention of Judah and Tamar, which takes the reader to Genesis 38. The mention of Rahab (Matthew 1:5) takes us to Joshua 2, with the beginning of the conquest of Canaan. Verse 5 also mentions Ruth, which takes us to the Book of Ruth. The mention of "the wife of Uriah" takes us to 2 Samuel 11-12 which also tells of the birth of Solomon, thus continuing an explanation of the working out of God's promise to David. 

The mention of Josiah (verse 11) takes us to 2 Kings 22-25, which tells of the glorious reign of Josiah and the sad demise of the kingdom of Judah. The reference to Zerubbabel in verses 12-13 takes us to the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. The story is summarized in Ezra 1-5. 

Matthew 1 ends with the birth of Jesus and the reference to the Immanuel prophecy from Isaiah 7. To get the context for that pronouncement, the reader can read Isaiah 6-12. 

From the first chapter of Matthew, the reader has been introduced to many of the major themes and persons of the Old Testament. It has also drawn the reader to more than thirty chapters of the Old Testament, and has given the reader some sense of the importance of those passages in the unfolding story of God's redemption. 

A person who has a Bible with cross references can thus easily make connections with OT passages by noting the passages that the NT quotes. When making those connections, it is important to get something of the context for the OT citation. Continuing our use of Matthew, chapter 2 will take the reader to Micah 5 (read chapters 4-6); Hosea 11:1 (read chapters 10-11); Jeremiah 31 (read chapters 30-33). The final reference in Matthew 2 "he would be called a Nazarene" is something of a puzzle, but a reading of 2 Kings 15 and Isaiah 8-9 might go a long way to clearing up the puzzle. 

By following the directions given by the New Testament, the reader can, over time, develop a solid understanding of the Old Testament, and the way it relates to the New.

Sunday, August 09, 2020

Preaching to Cows

Heard from a radio preacher this morning (approximate quote): "When my pastor was teaching me to be a preacher, he told me to grab my Bible, and he'd take me out to preach. He gave me a bullhorn and drove out to the country. He told me to open the window and start preaching. At some point I said, 'Pastor, why am I doing this? There's nothing out here but cows!' He said, 'Son, when you're ready for people, I'll take you into town. But for now, just preach!'" It's a funny story, but it teaches a real truth. Preachers need to practice if they're going to improve. 

Now most would-be preachers aren't going to have someone take them out to preach to cows. These beginning preachers will be placed in front of congregations. Very few of them are any good at it when they start. Listening to them is like listening to someone starting to play the violin. It can be excruciatingly painful. But if a man is called to preach, he must practice. And that means that congregations are going to be subjected to beginning preaching.

Some advice for those afflicted congregations. First, welcome him. He's nervous and unsure. Make him feel comfortable. Second, don't overpraise him. You may think it will encourage him, but it will likely encourage him to think he doesn't need to improve. Third, don't overcriticize him. I don't know a single preacher who is not, at some level, insecure about his preaching. Beginning preachers, except the arrogant ones (who are usually full of themselves and probably shouldn't be preaching) are insecure and sensitive about their work. Fourth, don't ignore him. He needs help and encouragement, and maybe some instruction. Those who are good at public speaking, or teaching, might consider offering your assistance. I think it is especially incumbent on overseeing pastors to spend time with beginning preachers after they have preached. Gently point out to him things he did well and things that need to improve. Fifth, don't approach him immediately after the service to point out his errors. Preachers after the service are generally emotionally spent and not in a good position to receive correction. Wait until a more opportune time.

Now some advice for those beginning preachers. First, practice! Preach every chance you can find. If God has called you to preach, preach! Sign up to preach for chapel services at the local rescue mission or homeless shelter, or prison if it's allowed. If you're in seminary and have had some homiletics instruction, and people have approved for you to do pulpit supply in local churches, take every chance you can get. Second, record yourself and listen to yourself afterward. It's painful, but you will hear your mistakes and will learn to do better. Third, work with simple and clear passages. Develop a file of sermons that you can hone over time, and that can be adjusted timewise to fit any time between fifteen and thirty-five minutes. Some places that you might preach may limit you to fifteen minutes. And most preachers, beginning preachers especially, do not do well when they go past thirty-five minutes. Fourth, be open to instruction and criticism. Whether it is given in a spirit of love or not, criticisms can help you get better. 

If you have to preach to cows, preach to cows. Eventually, they'll put you in front of people.