The Art of Preaching Old Testament Narrative, 2nd ed.

by Steven D. Mathewson

Publisher:

Baker Academic

, 2021

Overview

A veteran pastor with thirty years of experience offers a ten-step process to preaching Old Testament narratives from text selection to delivery. The first edition received a Christianity Today award of merit and a Preaching magazine Book of the Year award. This edition, now updated and revised throughout for a new generation, includes a new chapter on how to preach Christ from the Old Testament and an exemplary sample sermon from Mathewson. Foreword by Haddon W. Robinson.

Key Features

• Offers a ten-step process to preaching Old Testament narratives
• Includes a new chapter on how to preach Christ from the Old Testament
• Updated and revised throughout for a new generation

Contents

• Foreword to the First Edition by Haddon W. Robinson

Part 1: Preparing to Preach

• The Challenge of Preaching Old Testament Narratives
• The Christ-Centered Preaching Debate

Part 2: From Text to Concept

• The Journey Begins
• A is for Action
• C is for Characters
• T is for Talking
• S is for Setting
• Drawing Conclusions

Part 3: From Concept to Sermon

• Starting the Second Half of the Adventure
• Finishing Work
• Shaping the Sermon
• Outlining the Sermon
• Mastering the Storyteller’s Craft
• Entering and Exiting
• Delivering the Goods
• Appendix A: Sample Sermon on Judges 17-18
• Appendix B: Using Hebrew in Narrative Exegesis
• Appendix C: Commentaries for Narrative Exegesis

Top Highlights

“The key to text selection is to choose a text that constitutes a unit of biblical thought.” (Page 30)

“4. We get intimidated by the language and literature of the Old Testament” (Page 10)

“What constitutes a unit of thought in narrative text? A whole story. The limits of a story (where it begins and ends) are determined primarily by analyzing the plot. Stories typically contain an exposition, a crisis, a resolution, and sometimes a conclusion.” (Page 31)

“When preachers open up the text of Scripture each Sunday morning, they speak to listeners whose ‘hearts traffic in stories.’” (Page 3)

“The ‘exemplary approach’ looked at the characters in a narrative as models to imitate or warning examples to shun.” (Page 16)

Praise for the Print Edition

Mathewson provides preachers with a sensible and practical manual for sermon preparation. Along the way, he also manages to offer an insightful handbook on reading biblical narrative well. I am happy to recommend it to anyone whose desire is to understand Old Testament narratives and communicate them effectively. Your listeners will thank you for taking the time to read and implement these strategies!

—Carmen Joy Imes, professor of Old Testament, Prairie College; author of Bearing God’s Name: Why Sinai Still Matters

Can the art of storytelling be taught—especially when it pertains to ancient biblical narratives? Mathewson not only thinks so, but he gives us a master class, workshop, manual, and handbook all-in-one in this spirited work. He is a sage guide offering pastors and teachers of God’s Word field-tested principles and practices. This book will be the go-to resource for preaching Old Testament narratives for this generation and generations to come. Read this book for yourself and for the sake of God’s church, who desperately needs to hear and be reminded of the stories of God and the stories of his people.

—Matthew D. Kim, George F. Bennett Chair in Practical Theology and director of the Haddon W. Robinson Center for Preaching, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

The challenges of preaching from Old Testament narratives are significant. When the cultural gap between us and the biblical world is so great, how do we make sure that the message we are passing on to our congregations is what the stories are designed to communicate? How do we avoid remaking these narratives in our own image? Steve Mathewson has combined the best of Old Testament literary scholarship with his many years of homiletical experience, and he’s given us a guidebook on how to faithfully preach from these most important parts of the Bible.

—Tim Mackie, cofounder of the BibleProject

Product Details

• Title: The Art of Preaching Old Testament Narrative (Second Edition)
• Author: Steven D. Mathewson
• Edition: Second Edition
• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Print Publication Date: 2021
• Logos Release Date: 2021
• Pages: 252
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Bible. O.T. › Homiletical use; Bible. O.T. › Sermons
• ISBNs: 9781493431038, 9781540962027, 9781540964311, 9781493430871, 9780801022968, 9781842271384, 149343103X, 1540962024, 1540964310, 1493430874, 0801022967, 1842271385
• Resource ID: LLS:RTPRCHNGLDN2NDD
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-11T18:22:04Z

About Steven D. Mathewson

Steve Matthewson is senior pastor of the Evangelical Free Church of Libertyville, Illinois, and teaches preaching for the doctoral program at Denver Seminary, the Master of Divinity program at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and the undergraduates at Moody Bible Institute. He is author of "The Art of Preaching Old Testament Narrative."

Sample Pages from The Art of Preaching Old Testament Narrative, 2nd ed.