PREACHING THE OT
51
Frequently , of course , the Old Testament is omitted entirely from our Sunday services . But when we do delve back before the birth of Christ , what should we , as preachers , do with the stories we encounter there ? All too often they get reduced to morality tales . Be as brave as David when he faced Goliath . Be more obedient than Jonah .
But these narratives are far richer and deeper than this , and there is so much more to discover in them . In this new column , I will be showcasing some techniques that can break the Old Testament stories open in a new way . None of them is a magic button , but used individually or in combination , they can help us to approach familiar stories in new ways . Here , we will discuss curiosity .
The word ‘ curiosity ’ has surged in usage in the last few years . This is encouraging , as it is surely a quality we should value . Curiosity helps us understand why some people have different opinions from us . It encourages us to dig below the surface presentation of an idea . It can enable us to find creative solutions to intractable problems . And it can also help us to get beneath the skin of a familiar biblical story .
Hebrew narrative is very spare . It often omits things like people ’ s opinions ( what did Abraham think when God told him to sacrifice Isaac ?), and actions in the back-story , or ‘ off-stage ’ ( what did Sarah say ?). Becoming a skilful reader , then , involves attending closely to how the story is told ( we ’ ll talk a lot more about this in future editions ), but also to what is omitted . These ‘ gaps ’ can become fruitful places to apply curiosity , a technique used by interpreters as diverse as the ancient rabbis , and the contemporary writer Wilda Gafney , who writes of the use of ‘ sanctified imagination ’, a ‘ fertile creative space ’ ( Womanist Midrash , p3 ).
Imagine the gap as a problem to be viewed from multiple angles . Play with it in your mind . What possibilities does it leave open ? I find the five W ’ s to be a fruitful place to start – asking the questions Who , What , When , Where , Why , and perhaps adding How ? Perhaps I could illustrate this with reference to a passage I will be
Mediterranean Sea
EGYPT
River Nile
Black Sea
CANAAN
Negev Desert
Red Sea
preaching on in a couple of weeks , which has been playing in my mind for a while . The text is Genesis 11:27-32 , the prequel to God calling Abram on his epic journey of distance and faith , ‘ Go from your land to the land I will show you ’ ( 12:1 ). The prequel tells us that Abram ’ s father Terah had embarked on that same journey , from Ur towards Canaan , in the previous generation ( 11:31 ). But Terah did not complete the journey , choosing instead to settle in Haran .
Curiosity compels me to consider this further . Some questions will be useful places for creative engagement with the story . Others may prove to be a deadend . That ’ s fine . So , why did Terah set out ? Was it the call of God , or his own idea ? Who did he take with him ? Who did he leave behind ? What was Ur like in those days ? What would the journey have been like ? How long would it have taken ? What was Haran like ? And , above all , why did Terah settle there ?
The road between Ur and Haran , it turns out , is an ancient trade route ( see map showing Abram ’ s journey from Ur to Haran to Canaan ) which runs near the great river Euphrates . As such , it would have been a relatively straightforward expedition . And Haran was a thriving commercial city ,
Haran
River Tigris
River Euphrates
Babylon
Lake Van
Nineveh
0 300 km
benefitting from good irrigation and therefore green . It would probably have been quite a pleasant place to live , and easy to get back to Ur .
So curiosity makes me wonder – did Terah receive the call , but disobey ? Did he make a good start but fail to follow through with it ? Did the enticements of comfort lure him to settle down ? It challenges me to recall the faith and energy of my youthful response to the call of God . Am I tempted in my middle years to settle down where it is comfortable rather than pushing on in obedience ?
If I am right about Terah , he was the only one who lost out . Because God ’ s plans were not thwarted , and Abram received all the blessings of covenant with the living God through his obedience . But Terah ? He dies before the story starts .
Helen Paynter
MESOPOTAMIA
Ur
Caspian Sea
Persian Gulf
Rev Dr Helen Paynter is a Baptist minister in Bristol . She is tutor in Biblical Studies at Bristol Baptist College , and also the founding director of the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence there . Helen ’ s publications include the books : God of Violence Yesterday , God of Love Today ? Wrestling honestly with the Old Testament ( BRF 2019 ) and The Bible Doesn ’ t Tell Me So : Why you don ’ t have to submit to domestic abuse and coercive control ( BRF 2020 ).