Handling Old Testament Narrative by Geoff Volker
Our conference begins tomorrow and goes the rest of the week. The topic is New Covenant Hermeneutics. I have already posted my notes and thoughts on the subject as it relates to interpreting the prophets and typology. The rest of this week I will be posting notes done by Geoff Volker and Mike Feather. Today I am posting Geoff’s notes on handling Old Testament Narrative. We all love the stories of the Old Testament but they can be rather difficult to teach on without moralizing or becoming fanciful in our application in the New Covenant era. In these notes, Geoff has attempted to give us some clear guidance on how to apply Old Testament narratives in a way that honors God and encourages His people.
Avoiding the Pitfall of Moralizing
Macro Perspective
What is God doing in History?
Old Covenant/New Covenant Model
God’s Unfolding Plan
· To understand the model of New Covenant Theology we need to understand the use of
the Abrahamic and Old and New Covenants.
· The Abrahamic Covenant is the first revealing of God’s plan to have a people and to take them into his land. Genesis 15
· The Abrahamic Covenant contains both the Old and the New Covenants. Galatians 3:15-16
· The Old Covenant is a picture of what God is going to do through the death of Jesus Christ as revealed in the New Covenant. Colossians 2:16-17
· The Old Covenant era begins the time of the picture, while the New Covenant era is the time of fulfillment. Hebrews 8:1-8
· The Old Covenant is called the first covenant because it historically comes before the New Covenant and is the first covenant in the in God’s unfolding plan of salvation. Hebrews 9:1
Role of Israel
Picture/Fulfillment
· Israel served as the temporary unbelieving picture of the people of God.
Ephesians 2:11-18, Hebrews 8:7-13
· Israel would be the vehicle by which the Messiah would come to save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:1-23
· The history of Israel serves as a teaching tool for believers who live in the New Covenant era. 1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Application in the New Covenant Era
We can take from Old Testament narratives any application of the working out of the historical plan of God.
Micro Perspective
So What About My Life?
Learning from Israel
· As the unbelieving picture of the people of God Israel is to be a teaching tool for believers in the New Covenant era. 1 Corinthians 10:1-13
· The failures of the Israelites are warnings for believers to battle against temptation to sin.
The Filter of the Law of Christ
· The Mosaic Law has come to an end with end of the Old Covenant Era.
Ephesians 2:11-18, Matthew 5:17-18, Hebrews 7:11-12,18-19, 1 Corinthians 9:19-23
· The Law of Christ is the New Covenant era version of the law of God. 1 Corinthians 9:19-23
· Any portion of the Mosaic Law that has been quoted as applying in the New Covenant era is now a part of the Law of Christ. Ephesians 6:1-3
Application in the New Covenant Era
We can apply from the Old Testament narratives any application that the Law of Christ will allow us to make.
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Steve –
How does any study of OT narrative begin without reference to the beginning of the narrative? NCT does itself harm because it looks like it does not have an interpretation of beginning of the Bible. Furthermore, the Creation account is foundational to the metanarrative of the Christian worldview. These chapters are not as enigmatic as they appear. The themes of Covenant and Kingdom begin here, and the rest of the Bible develops them. The application is that our little “stories” are tied to this great story which climaxes with the person and work of Christ. Without answering the question of beginnings and tieing an answer to theology, the theology appears aneomic. The theology is less biblical because it has not taken a major part of the biblical storyline into account.
I know I keep harping on this point, but in this case I think NCT/IDS hermeneutics has not been helpful in understanding the biblical narrative, which has a much grander starting point than Abraham, as grand as that starting point is. I love what you guys are doing.
John
Hi John!
Given that Geoff is simply giving a template for how to handle OT narrative, rather than explaining all OT narrative, what points would you add regarding Genesis 1-11 that would be helpful in establishing hermeneutical guidlines for handle OT narrative?
Steve
Steve –
Is Geoff only providing a template for how to handle narrative? Why begin with the question, “What is God doing in history?” This question does not seem to introduce a template for a method of handling narrative. Even if it was only driving this point, OT history begins prior to Abraham. I do not think people will be helped by starting with Abraham. Abraham is a member of the plot that begins in the garden.
He begins by saying that in order to understand NCT, we need to understand the Abrahamic and Old and New covenants. Geoff may be helping people understand the NT tension between the Abrahamic promise and the Old covenant and their relation to the New from Galatians, but he has not commented the Abrahamic covenant in its own context, which is not concerned with its relation to the Old covenant.
If the purpose of the lecture is to communicate OT narrative, comment should be given on Abraham’s relationship to the tower of Babel and the Tower’s relation to the Fall and the Fall’s relation to the Creation. Furthermore, Adam was a Son of God (Luke 3:38) because he was created in the image of God. Israel is called the son of God (Ex 4:22) and they are the historical descendents of Abraham (Ex 6:3ff). There is some connection between what God originally intended in the garden with Adam and the people of the Old covenant.
Points I would add:
I. Man-Image-Kingdom (Gen 1-2; I would add covenant, but it may not be necessary for this exercise)
– Image means son (1:26; 5:3)
II. Failure of First Adam-Son of God (Gen 3)
III. Man’s continuing Plummet into Sin (Gen 4-6:7)
IV. God’s New Adam/Creation-Noah (Gen 6:7-9:1)
V. Man’s continual Rebellion (Gen 10-11:26)
VI. God’s New Thing-Abraham (11:27-12:3)
The connection between Gen 11 and 12 is clear: 11:4 (the people desiring a name/scatterred peoples across the earth)/12:2-3 (God will make a name/All the families of the earth will be blessed). The two narratives are meant to be read together. This may be one reason why Gen 10 comes before Gen 11. Gen 11 and 12 are meant to be read together and the long genealogy in 10 woud have interfered with the unity of these chapters. In Abraham, God prepares to overcome all the evil and rebellion began from the Fall and expressed vividly at Babel.
Hermeneutics cannot be established without a biblical theology which assumes the progress and development of previous revelation (I know you agree with this point). The problem with this presentation of NCT is that it does not place the Abrahamic covenant in its context. I think the NC becomes a bigger deal when Israel is placed in continuity with Abraham and Abraham is linked back to Gen 1-11. The story should be read in light of the beginning and ending. The beginning of this narrative makes more clear why Abraham had to come and why Israel had to come. If all the smaller narratives were read in light of God’s progressive inauguration of his Kingdom, I think we could avoid alot of the moralizing that happens.
Your forcing me to think through these issues more, and for that I am thankful.
John
Hi John!
This is an hour talk wherein the most salient points need to be discussed. I agree that biblical history is important, but there are certain highlights that must be discussed and there are other important issues that need to be left for another time. As a teacher, I always have tons of information that I could speak about, but given limited time and the limited capacity of my audience to listen to me drone on, I am forced to pick and choose. At this point, I remain unconvinced that in order to speak about interpreting and applying OT narrative in the NC era one must go through all of the highlights of Genesis 1-11. It seems to me that you are introducing a semester long seminary class rather than an hour long teaching time that includes discussion. We may just have to disagree on this one.
Steve