(Part 1)

JBTM Jeffrey G. Audirsch
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In conclusion, biblical poetry is identified by terseness, parallelisms, and figurative
language. Scholars for centuries have approached the topic of poetry from a variety
of methodological and ideological approaches, evidenced by the works of Gunkel,
Mowinckel, Westermann, and Brueggemann in Psalms studies. The multi-layered
complexity of biblical poetry—linguistic, semantical, grammatical, structural, historical,
and theological approaches—presents challenges to the interpreter, but the when done
with vigor and attention to details the reward is great.
Approaching the Old Testament as Christian Scripture
There exists a love/hate relationship between the Old Testament and Christians. On
the one hand, the Old Testament contains wonderful, vivid stories that resonate with
most Christians: the creation of man and woman, Eve and the talking serpent, Moses
and the Pharaoh, God at Sinai, the destruction of Jericho, David’s unimaginable defeat
of Goliath, David’s affair with Bathsheba, Jonah’s aquatic exile, Daniel’s cozy night with
lions, etc. On the other hand, the Old Testament represents an archaic (e.g., the sacrificial
system), misogynist (Exod 20:17; Num 5:11–31), and violent (e.g., Josh 6:21; 1 Sam 15:3)
worldview that is incompatible with the worldview of grace and mercy espoused by Jesus
in the New Testament (Matt 5:38–39; Luke 6:27–36). In my experience, this love/hate
relationship between the Old Testament and Christians extends to the church and, sadly,
the pulpit. The seeming lack of sermons from the Old Testament highlights the reality
that many laity, students (i.e., high school, college, and seminary), and ministers do not
understand or appreciate the complexities of the Old Testament and its importance as
Christian scripture. The disjointed relationship between the First Testament (i.e., the
Hebrew Bible/Old Testament) and Christians has led to a lazy and inconsistent approach
to reading, interpreting, and preaching the Old Testament. 80 Even the book of Psalms,
one of the most important books from the Old Testament with reference to the Christian
faith, is “underknown” by many interpreters/preachers. Describing the Psalms being
“underknown,” Brent A. Strawn notes, “‘Deeply loved’ does not necessarily translate into
‘adequately known,’ let alone ‘rightly understood’ or ‘correctly utilized.’” 81
80
Similarly, Elizabeth R. Achtemeier explains that “[f]or some preachers, constructing a sermon
from any portion” of the Old Testament “is a problem, because they have not read and studied the
Old Testament and therefore do not know it. They approach it with all of the usual stereotypes—that
the Old Testament is a legalistic book, that its God is not a loving Father but only a God of wrath,
that its theology and worship are primitive and outdated, that its truths have been superseded by the
‘higher spiritual truths’ of the New Testament. None of the these stereotypes is valid, and those who
preach them are not preaching the gospel.” See Elizabeth R. Achtemeier, Preaching Hard Texts of the
Old Testament (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 1998), xii.
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Brent A. Strawn, Strawn, “The Psalms: Types, Functions, and Poetics for Proclamation,” in
Psalms for Preaching and Worship: A Lectionary Commentary, edited by Roger E. Van Harn and Brent A.
Strawn (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009), 2–3.