Strategies for Preaching Old Testament Narratives
By David Christensen
Every Bible story has a message. The author had a pragmatic thrust to his story, a purpose he wanted to accomplish with the story. Our job is to “preach the storyline,” as David Deuel says.[1] The best way to preach Old Testament narratives is to follow the storyline with our sermons. We should structure the sermon around the storyline. One of the first things we notice about Old Testament stories is that they show the point more than tell the point. Stories teach by showing, not telling. Steven Matthewson uses the analogy of a children’s dot-to-dot picture.[2] You can’t see the picture until you connect the dots. We can’t understand the story until we draw lines from dot to dot to make the storyline emerge from the text.
How do we connect the dots?
STEP #1: IDENTIFY THE PERICOPE
A pericope is a preachable unit of thought. It is preachable, meaning it is a slice of Scripture we can preach in a single sermon. It is a unit of thought, meaning that this particular slice of Scripture is organized around a single idea with a beginning and ending. People often say, “The Bible contains many ideas, and I don’t want to be limited to one idea.” Bible stories have big ideas and little ideas, but they are stories, and all good stories have a single idea that unifies all the smaller ideas. That is the nature of good storytelling. There are two mistakes that I often see in preaching. First, preachers try to preach unrelated ideas from the story, and second, preachers emphasize a small idea (a subordinate or minor idea) and miss the big idea. In either case, we are not preaching the storyline.
How do we determine the pericope? We ask the story four questions.
- Does the passage contain one main idea?
- Can the passage stand alone as an independent thought?
- Does the passage have a beginning and ending?
- Can the passage be broken into smaller ideas that support the main idea?
Determining the pericope is an interpretive process. The beginning and ending we choose often define the message we preach. For example, in 1 Samuel 21:1-10, we can see one of the formulas that Hebrew writers used to start and stop their stories. Rising up and going to a different location (v.10) marked the end of one story and the beginning of another. “David came to Nob” (v.1) indicated the start of a pericope.[3]
Once we have identified the pericope, we must break down the story. In order to break it down, we must ask ourselves, “How does the storyteller tell his story?”
STEP #2: BLOCK THE TEXT
Many preachers struggle with the question: How do I organize my sermon? How do I structure my message? It’s the wrong question and leads to the wrong answer. The right question is: How did the author organize the text? How is the passage of Scripture structured? For me, organizing my sermon – the outline – is simple. My outline follows the organization of the text. My sermon follows the structure of the passage. Once I know the structure of the passage, I develop an outline based on that structure. That is the essence of text-driven preaching. I don’t have to worry about how I am going to organize a message. Sermon follows form. Message follows structure.
Every pericope has a form – a structure – and once we find that structure, we will understand the pericope. Describing the structure in the epistles requires us to use a block diagram. We do the same thing in a narrative. We block the text. The difference is that we use different tools to help us block the text in a narrative instead of a Pauline epistle. Here are five strategies we can use to block the text so we can see the structure.
- PLOT LOOP
We must follow the plot loop if we want to preach the storyline. The beauty of the plot loop is that our sermons can become inductive or ‘mid-ductive’ sermons. In the epistles, we often preach deductive sermons. The big idea comes first. However, in narrative passages, our big idea, the focal point of our sermon, can come at the end or in the middle of the sermon. Why preach a narrative and give away the point at the beginning? That is not the way narrative works. We can preach inductive or mid-ductive sermons, which allows for much more creativity in the sermon.
Eugene Lowry developed the 5-step plot loop, which I think helps us catch the flow.[4] There is 1) Oops, 2) Ugh, 3) Aha, 4) Whee, and 5) Yeah or Yay. The plot loop usually has the following five steps, although sometimes, the plot loop is simplified with only three parts – the situation, the climax, and the resolution.
- Situation (set up for story)
- Tension (Conflict, crisis, complication)
- Climax (Crisis comes to a head)
- Resolution (Tension is released, crisis is averted, conflict is resolved)
- Outcome (Conclusion, tying up loose ends)
- SCENE ANALYSIS
Stories are built around scenes. In the epistles, the structure revolves around paragraphs and sentences. In narrative, the structure revolves around scenes. Think of it like watching a live stage production of Hamilton or Fiddler on the Roof. The scenes change as the situation and characters change, requiring a change in the background set on stage. Identifying those same changes in the Bible stories helps you grasp the structure of the text.
It is essential to recognize that there are classic ‘type’ scenes that are often repeated in the Bible. Think of them as story templates that a Hebrew storyteller might use. When you watch the evening news programs, you will find a ‘type’ scene – a template. A reporter opens the story with the backdrop and an introduction, followed by the interview, and ends with the reporter summarizing the story and saying, “Back to you, Lester Holt.” Why? That is an established ‘type’ scene for reporting the news. It is a conventional model. The same thing happens in Biblical narratives. Here are some common ‘type’ scenes, or story templates, in the Bible.[5]
Annunciation story – hero born to a barren mother (Isaac, Samuel)
Hero story – a quest to achieve success through defeats (Abraham, David)
Initiation story – opening trial or series of trials in life (Jacob, Daniel)
Journey story – character experiences growth through danger and struggle (Jacob)
Tragedy – a character falls to terrible ends (Samson, Saul)
Punishment story – a person does wrong and receives punishment (Jezebel, Ahab, Absalom)
Temptation story – someone is seduced by temptation (Eve, Samson and Delilah)
Rescue story – people are rescued from harm (Moses, Esther, Elisha at Dothan)
Betrothal story – someone meets their betrothed at a well (Abraham and Rebekah)
- REPETITION/KEYWORD
Modern English writing does not like repetition, so we are always looking to say something in different ways and different words. Not Hebrew writing. The Hebrews loved repetition, so repetition was one of the crucial features of Hebrew storytelling. They would repeat words, things, phrases, expressions, and situations as part of the storyline.
For example, Genesis 37 is the story of how the brothers deceived their father, Jacob, after selling Joseph into slavery. Genesis 38 is the story of Judah and Tamar and how Judah ends up impregnating his daughter-in-law. At first glance, the stories seem to have no connection, and we wonder why chapter 38 is stuck in the middle of Joseph’s story. Robert Alter has pointed out that there are two repetitions that tie the stories together. The repetition of the young goat (kid) and the verb “to recognize” tie the stories together (37:31-33; 38:17, 25-26). (the word “examine” means to recognize) The Jewish Rabbis recognized this connection in the Midrash. “The Holy One, Praised be He, said to Judah, “You deceived your father with a kid. By your life, Tamar will deceive you with a kid. … The Holy One, Praised be He, said to Judah, ‘You said to your father, “recognize.” By your life Tamar will say to you, “recognize.”[6] As preachers, we want to see this repetition so that we understand why the stories are linked. It is a classic punishment story filled with the irony of poetic justice.
- CHARACTERS
Steven Mathewson suggests that “God made stories because he loves people.”[8] We tend to identify stories by the characters – the people – which can be a little misleading. The plot is the primary focus, and the characters are important in relation to the plot. Every story has major and minor characters, and you must pay attention to the difference. You don’t want to focus your sermon on the minor characters. There are three major categories of characters in Old Testament stories.
Protagonists – central to the plot, the story revolves around them.
Antagonists – the main adversaries that drive the tension or conflict
Foils – people who call attention to the protagonist, usually by contrast, sometimes parallel
In 1 Samuel 17, David is the protagonist, Goliath appears to be the antagonist, and Saul looks like the foil. However, Saul emerges as an antagonist as the plot develops because the story contrasts the character of David and Saul in the bigger storyline. Goliath is a foil to show the overarching conflict. It is a hero story. Hero stories are common in the Old Testament and are intended to help us emulate the hero’s character. We should live like David, the hero.
In 2 Samuel 11-12, David is the protagonist, and Uriah, the Hittite, is the foil who provides a classic contrast to David. Bathsheba is a minor character. The author does not tell us anything about her feelings; her actions are described in minimal detail. Interestingly, as the story develops, Uriah, the foil, becomes the hero we should emulate, and David, the hero, becomes a tragic villain.
Modern authors describe characters in great detail, but Hebrew writers did not emphasize character description. This means that when some attribute about a character is described, it is vital to the plot. The fact that Ehud is left-handed in Judges 3:15-17 is essential because it explains how he could conceal a weapon to kill Eglon, who was very fat and couldn’t move easily. These details are used to explain the plot. Pay attention to any descriptions because they are important.
Usually, an author shows us the character rather than describes it. How the author names or designates someone is significant. In Ruth 4:1, Boaz invites the near relative to sit down and meet with him. The NASB translates his invitation, “Turn aside, friend, sit down here.” However, ” friend ” means “a certain person, a nameless person.” Essentially, Boaz says, “Turn aside Mr. So and So.” It implies a negative judgment about the person. The storyteller has communicated judgment by making the character nameless.
In order to develop our contemporary life parallels (CLPs) later in our sermon preparation, it is helpful to start now by examining how our listeners can identify with the biblical characters. J. Kent Edwards gives us a helpful list of questions to ask the text as we consider how these characters’ case studies relate to our people’s lives today.
- Who is this person, and where do they live?
- In what ways are they like my audience?
- Is the character a victim or a victimizer?
- Does the character display a sense of powerlessness?
- Have you (or someone you know) ever felt the same way?
- When did the character finally choose to act?
- What decision did they make?
- Why did they finally choose to act?
- What factors motivated them to act the way they did?
- What happened to the characters when the choice was made?
- What happened to those around the character?
- If the character could have gone back in time and rewritten their life story, would they have made a different decision?
- Have you ever faced/made a similar decision? Did you face similar consequences? Why?
- Would the consequences experienced by the biblical character likely follow a similar decision today? Why?
- What are the pressures you face to imitate/reject the decision of the biblical character?
- How would your choice change your life? What will happen to your story?[9]
- DIALOGUE
In Western literature, narration often carries the storyline. The narrator, of course, is omniscient, telling us what is happening, describing the event, and summarizing the action. However, in Hebrew narration, the narrator has a lesser role. The narrator may summarize and connect events, but the dialogue usually carries the force of the storyline. Much of what we would expect to be explained by third-person narration is explained in the dialogue. The narrator mostly confirms what the dialogue communicates.[10]
As preachers, we should key in on the dialogue to determine the big ideas of the story. Hebrew storytellers use direct speech to reveal the critical elements of the story. They were less concerned with describing the action and more interested in how the characters think, respond, and feel about the action. I think it is fair to say theologically that God is less concerned with what happens (events) and more concerned with how and why we act (our responses). The Bible focuses our attention on how and why by using direct speech. If the narrator uses narration to give an omniscient commentary, we should pay attention to that because it is rare in Hebrew storytelling. For example, in Genesis 22:1, the narrator tells us that “God tested Abraham” as his commentary, setting up the story of the offering of Isaac. Without the narrator’s comment, it would be hard to make sense of the story, so the narration is critical in this case. However, we will usually find that kind of revelation in the dialogue.
Notice that the dialogue carries the storyline in 1 Samuel 21:1–9. There are only two verses where the narration interrupts the dialogue (vss. 6-7). It is a mysterious interruption to the story because we have no idea why Doeg the Edomite is introduced in the middle of this story. Of course, we find out later, but this insertion adds an ominous element to the story as we suspect something more to come of it. The rest of the story is all dialogue, showing us how typical storytelling emphasizes dialogue.
Dialogue is so meaningful that even inner thoughts are expressed as direct speech. In 1 Samuel 27:1, David says, “Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul.” The quote is introduced by “David said to himself or in his heart,” but sometimes it is simply “so and so said.” Thoughts in Biblical narrative are often expressed as direct speech. Direct speech conveys attitudes and feelings in more powerful ways than the narrator describing to us how a person feels or thinks. Dialogue is a more dramatic storytelling tool.
Contrastive dialogue is a standard storytelling tool. Most dialogue occurs between two characters, and the contrasting speech of the two people is revelatory. In Genesis 25:27–34, Esau’s speech reveals a man who is driven by impulse and emotion, so his speech is more like an outburst of words. Jacob’s speech reveals a man who is calculated and scheming. He thinks through the legal ramifications of the birthright, and his words are careful and calculating. The contrasting speeches tell us much about the two boys that will play out in the larger storyline.
SUMMARY
Narratives are stories of the past written for the present.[11] Over 40% of the Old Testament is narrative, and these stories are case studies in practical theology. God wants us to learn from the heroes and villains, the flawed and fabled characters from the past, to give us guidance in our lives today. Biblical narratives are telling God’s story, not theirs. We (and they) are only important as God writes us into His story.
David Christensen served in dual ministry for thirty years as a Bible college professor and local church pastor. He is the founder of The Rephidim Project, a ministry devoted to encouraging and equipping pastors for expository preaching. David is the author of seven books including “A Philosophy of Pastoral Preaching: Shepherding God’s People with God’s Word in One Place.” He retired as Preaching Pastor of Galilee Baptist Church in 2018 to devote himself to encouraging pastors, missionaries, and church leaders through Bible exposition and teaching the methods of expository preaching to the next generation of preachers.
[1] Deuel, “Suggestions for Expositional Preaching of O.T. Narrative,” 48.
[2] Matthewson, The Art of Preaching Old Testament Narratives, 36.
[3] Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative, 81.
[4] Eugene Lowry, The Homiletical Plot: The Sermon as Narrative Art Form, p.25
[5] Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative, 60-74; Matthewson, The Art of Preaching O.T. Narrative, 46-49.
[6] Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative, 10; Kaiser, Preaching and Teaching, 73.
[7] Kuruvilla, Privilege the Text, 119-120.
[8] Steven Mathewson, The Art of Preaching Old Testament Narrative, 65.
[9] J. Kent Edwards, “Stories are for Adults: Equipping Preachers to Communicate Biblical Narratives to Adult Audiences,” 6-8, The Evangelical Homiletics Society.
[10] Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative, 79–110
[11] Fee and Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth, 93, 94.
