(Part 1)
JBTM_13-2_Fall_2016
JBTM_13-2_Fall_2016
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JBTM Robert D. Bergen<br />
17<br />
presentation of accurate information gleaned through careful reading of the biblical text,<br />
thoughtful, sympathetic reflection on it, investigative research from secondary sources,<br />
and cogent integration of the assembled information in ways that are faithful to the intentions<br />
of the author of the text.<br />
I recommend that Christians who wish to prepare sermons, Bible studies, or devotionals<br />
from Old Testament narratives carry out the steps listed below as part of their preparations.<br />
Keep in mind that these steps constitute an ideal. Each step is helpful and, one could<br />
argue, necessary; yet time or other limitations will likely prevent you from carrying them<br />
out fully. No matter; whether you paint with a brush that looks like a fan or one with a tip<br />
like a needle, paint with the skill and time you have.<br />
1. Enjoy. Enjoy reading the Bible. Enjoy it enough to read it often. Sometimes, choose<br />
to read it even when you could watch TV or spend time checking out your favorite Internet<br />
sites. Enjoy it enough to read it slowly; relish and reread passages you already know so well<br />
you can recite them from memory.<br />
To preach Old Testament narratives effectively you also need to take another step: Fall<br />
in love with the stories of the Old Testament. If you didn’t know it already, you’ll soon discover<br />
that they’re about truly fascinating people—complex people whose relationships and<br />
personal challenges intersect repeatedly with our own.<br />
2. Connect. Walk carefully through the words that paint the stories of Old Testament<br />
characters. Take the time to find the happinesses, challenges, threats, and possibilities woven<br />
into their world. Uncover the motives that energized and guided their actions. Look<br />
beyond peoples’ unpronounceable names to discover the relational dynamics that guided<br />
the social interplay between them. Compare the ancient tools and technologies to modern<br />
counterparts to understand how similar yet different even simple daily tasks were. Feel the<br />
pressures, fears, and prizes of their very un-American social structures; learn to appreciate<br />
the advantages and restrictions of their androcentric world, one balanced precariously on<br />
a beam of honor and shame. In the end, know these people as well as you know your own<br />
friends.<br />
3. Select. Ask God to guide you in your selection of a text and the preparation of a sermon,<br />
Bible study, or devotional. Then expect him to answer. The answer will likely come in<br />
the form of a more-emotional-than-rational sense that a particular narrative (or narrative<br />
book , if it is to be a series) is interesting to you and relevant to your life. Finding a passage<br />
that speaks to you is vital, for you will inevitably preach that passage with deeper insight<br />
and greater energy. When God’s Word speaks to you, it can speak through you; when it lives<br />
for you, it lives for your listeners as well.<br />
4. Analyze. Reread the selected text from your favorite version again to gain a clear<br />
sense of what the passage is saying. Then check out how other versions handled key verses<br />
or sections of the story. Keep several different English versions handy—either electronically<br />
or in print form—and consult them as needed. I have found www.blueletterbible.org<br />
to be an easy-to-use, free, and helpful site for viewing multiple versions.