Kim Gentes

Case For The Psalms - NT WrightThe weight of most books by NT Wright focus on biblical history, theological concepts and important themes that flow as the undercurrent of the biblical narrative and its teachings. Most prominent of these is Wright's understanding of the mission of Christ, his place in Hebrew history, his embodiment of so many concepts (such as Torah, Temple and prophet), and the kind of kingdom that He inaugurated and passed on to the Christian church through the apostles and early disciples. What all this teaching does, however, can only be properly understood through the world in which Jesus was originally speaking- the world of the first century Jewish tradition. And nothing so profoundly and deeply saturated the Jewish tradition and devotion as the poems and songs of the Old Testament: The Psalms.

This book is not so much a technical treatise of its main theological components (though that is reflected on). Nor is it an indepth examination of the groupings of the Psalms, or even a detailed exegesis of many or even a few of the Psalms. Instead, this book is NT Wright's personal exploration and explanation of the power and depth of life lived and breathed within the life of the Psalms, as a center of devotional life.

As per usual, Wright centers his readers in the context of who and what we are.

God created humans in the beginning to be his vice rulers over the world.1

From there, the author launches into a swift but careful journey through not only how the Psalms are important to us but why- pointing to the rich heritage that the Jews, and later the early Christians, had with the Psalms as their foundation for devotion and liturgy. Not just that, but he convincingly explains the personal connection of Christ with the Psalms, not just as a forerunning text prophetically announcing Jesus, but as a seminal text which Jesus lived and breathed:

This means, of course, that the Psalms were the hymnbook that Jesus and his first followers would have known by heart.2

The book is arranged in sections primarily answering how the use of the Psalms explore and invite the reader into the reality of God's kingdom. It is a reality which infuses us with the wholly right kind of Christian "worldview", not expressed in or as politics and dogma, but as the time, space and matter through which God, the world, and human beings encounter each other. These three concepts of God's time, God's space and God's matter are at the heart of Wright's exploration of the Psalms.

And if that were all the book contained, it would be well worth your time and investment. But there is  something more personal for Wright here. The last two sections of the book (which, at just a couple hundred pages, is much shorter than almost all of his other works) contain a personal testimony and appeal to the church to consider the Psalms as their own life-transforming songbook and poetry.

As a worship leader, writer, Christian, husband, father and leader I have recently found a deeper longing for spiritual formation through the ancient texts of the Psalms. This last year, our own local church has had a program of reading (twice) through the Psalms for us to do as a community as well. Along with this practice and reading this book, I have found a new depth of closeness with God. It isn't something mystical, really. Just a profound knowing that the story that I am in is part of the broader story- my struggles, joys, pains, hopes and loss are understood and shared, not just by the God whom I worship but by the history of humanity trying to find Him in every day lives.

Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/1ufQGKh

Review by Kim Gentes

“The Epic of Eden” is a phenomenal, easily read book from Biblical scholar and professor Sandra L. Richter. The core purpose of the book seems to be to present an understandable framework for the story of God through history, as explained and explored by the Old Testament scriptures. Richter does a masterful job of presenting her thesis in a variety of complimentary insights, examples and narratives. Her coup de grâce statement of the book appears unceremoniously at the very center of the volume and highlights her unique ability to make readable statements out of mountains of metadata:

In it’s simplicity...Eden and the New Jerusalem are the bookends of redemptive history. God's original intent is his final intent, and everything that lies between is one extraordinary rescue plan.[1]

There are examples-o-plenty of her constant stream of concise summations of many topics including heaven, redemption, patriarchy, theocracy, idols, typology, covenant and much more. But threaded consistently throughout the pages of this laudable work is an underlying effort to expose Yahweh as the ultimate cosmic God who does not hand Israel practices, covenants, and laws out of a wholly alien vacuum (from somewhere in heaven). Instead, Richter presents the God of Israel who doesn’t just deign to send forth a holy book to his subjects, but enters, instead, into communication with Abram, the patriarchs, Moses, David and others to bring His message to them not by some cryptic code but in their language, culture and understanding. From the friendship and assurances with Abram (later Abraham), to the Law given to Moses, to the covenant and promises made with David, Sandra Richter explores the idea of God being so gracious that He places His will into forms that were already present in the culture of the hearers.

One of the best examples of this concept is in Richter’s examination of Yahweh’s intent regarding the tabernacle and temple. She explores both the reality and motive of temple and tabernacle, helping us to see God’s true intent with them, made meaningful through the lens Israel’s world and culture:

And do you see how Yahweh chooses to live as his people live? Since the Israelites dwell in tents, Yahweh will too. When Israel becomes a sedentary people, Yahweh shifts his residence to a temple and becomes sedentary as well. Here we see the incarnation of the oft-repeated refrain, “I shall be there God and they shall be my people and I will dwell among them”.[2]

Through thorough study of the scriptures and  historical, archaeological and linguistic research, the author draws a picture of God and His story through the ages but remains inviting, questioning and open to the readers own thoughts by not being dogmatic about her own.  A great example of the author’s technique is her exploration of redemption itself. In at least three different ways she explores how redemption was a tribal, familial process and what its specific meaning was to the original writers and readers of the text.  Then, Richter points us to that meaning as it applies today and we find a redemption that is not the cut and dry legal transaction of our most popular interpretations handed down to us from the 20th century.

Redemption was the means by which a lost family member was restored to a place of security within the kinship circle. This was a patriarch’s responsibility, this was the safety net of Israel’s society, and this is the backdrop for the epic of Eden in which we New Testament believers find ourselves.

Can you hear the metaphor of Scripture? Yahweh is presenting himself as the patriarch of the clan who has announced his intent to redeem his lost family members.[3]

From this and other numerous examples, the author makes learning the essential Biblical story (and putting a cogent framework on it for interpretation) a personal experience. It is helpful, clear and I found it personally engaging.

But what is most surprising about this entire book comes in the form of a delightful addendum. Surprising because the author tackles two questions that are scarcely ever addressed anywhere, let alone in print. Tucked in the back of this book is a section called “Frequently Asked Questions”. While it sounds more typical of something you might find on a website blog, Richter asks and answers two firestorm questions: “What Role Does the Law of Moses Play in the Christian’s Life”, and “What About Modern Day Israel”?

Both of these questions might set off a furious debate in almost any diverse or large enough forum, but Sandra Richter has no need to debate or convince you of her premise for chapters and chapters. This is because she has already built 95% of her case in the preceding book that you have just read.  The addendum fits in so perfectly, it obviously was made as an ending extension to utilize the theory already provided by the reading. One can’t really jump into the  “Frequently Asked Questions” section and accept her answers without first having ingested the contents of the book as preparatory support for her conclusions to those dynamo questions.

The reason I so like the ending section is that she takes head on a topic almost never discussed by Christians of profile leadership without some ire being raised - politics. But she does it in a way which sticks so strictly to her thesis of the book that she never edges into any political sectarianism. She states the biblical back-story of Israel’s theocracy and how that political formulation is handled in the old testament, and explores further how Jesus and Paul have interpreted the application of government in light of the new covenant.  No political debate or posturing, yet clear scriptural wisdom and application. Surprising, refreshing and insightful.

If I had to recommend just one book to help a Christian understand and explore the framework of the scriptural Old Testament story, I would recommend The Epic of Eden. It is simply that good. Even the writing style is accessible and inviting. After reading it, one feels as though they sat down with a good friend and got an in depth talk about what the Old Testament is all about, with enough “meat” to allow for further pursuit of details but enough brevity to make sense of the grand meta-story of God’s work on earth, and his master plan of redemption for all.

Amazon Book Link: http://amzn.to/zOhJ73

Review by Kim Gentes

[1] Sandra L. Richter, “The Epic of Eden” (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic 2008), Page 132

[2] Ibid., Page 180

[3] Ibid., Page 45

Dominion and Dynasty is a purposeful book meant to articulate the guiding narrative of the Hebrew scriptures by examining the original structure of Text (and texts within), re-envisioning a supportive literary approach as a hermeneutic for micro-interpretation within a macro-context, identifying the covenantal promises and blessings of land and lineage, and guiding the further interpretation of the narrative through understanding the symbols of Eden and David.

Structure to the narrative.

Reading through Stephen Dempster’s “Dominion and Dynasty” I found myself seeing the entire Old Testament (and the New Testament as well) as being a truly unified narrative.  Previously, I had always read the Bible based on the modern day arrangement/order of books. Along with this, the text seemed to lack a coherent timeline, appeared ambiguous on so many referential levels and not seem to be part of a grander plot. The first profound change for me was to encounter Dempster’s explanation of the book order (and  3 groupings of books within) within the Tanakh.  For the first time, I understood that the Hebrew Bible was architected as a narrative (even edited/ordered). It was grouped by three main sections within the overall volume- narrative, commentary, and concluding narrative. This may seem obvious or trivial to some, but in reading this one sentence below, my viewpoint of the Old Testament was changed forever:

The storyline begins with creation and moves to the exile of Judah in Babylon, from Genesis to 2 Kings; then the narrative is interrupted by poetic texts- largely prophecy, psalms and wisdom literature- before being resumed with Israel back in Babylon in the book of Daniel, moving on to the return of the exiles to Judah and concluding with a narrative summation of the entire history of Israel from creation to the exile in the books of Chronicles.[1]

Exegesis based on literary structure and synthesis.

With this introductory understanding of the structure of the Tanakh, I began to see a plan of the larger narrative of the entire Bible. Dempster pushes further on this point and holds that a broader literary approach to the Bible is itself a required hermeneutic for correct understanding of the specific texts in light of this larger, structured, progressive narrative.

Covenants of Land and Lineage.

The other major point that Dempster makes is that the major plot-line of the Hebrew Bible is centered on the covenant-making of God with individuals (primarily Adam, Noah, Abraham, David), tribes (the 12, and especially Judah) and nations (Israel). Specifically, this covenant-making pivots critically on two kinds of promise from God: provision and grants of land (dominion), and blessing and increase of the progeny of the covenantal figures (dynasty). In return, the human agents in those covenants were to agree to be bound to faithfulness in their devotion and service to Yahweh. God would give them land and children, if those in covenant with Him would remain faithful.

Lineage

Dempster is emphatic on this point of lineage, and it helps him explain why the Hebrew Scriptures have an insistence on including the genealogical record in key points of the narrative. He says:

A key purpose of genealogies in some contexts is to show a divine purpose that moves history to a specific goal.[2]

The book details the blessing of lineage as expressed through genealogy, especially in Genesis, where ten genealogical lists frame the movement of the storyline across both time and major characters.[3] In fact, the promise of descendants to Abraham becomes the pivotal salvation point for all of Israel, according to Dempster, when Moses is trying to plead for Israel’s sake against the judgment of God. Dempster says:

The sin forces God to threaten to destroy Israel in agreement with the covenant and to start again with Moses. But Moses pleads (certainly not on the basis of the recently broken Sinai covenant) on the basis of the descendants promised in the covenant with Abraham as grounds for saving Israel (Exod. 32:13). It is only this reason that decisively moves God to have mercy on Israel.[4]

Land

As much as the promise of descendants was a touch point of the promise made to Israel, so also was the identification with geographical space a sign of God’s blessing. Dempster highlights this extensively in his summation of Deuteronomy, where he says:

Consequently, the geographical motif is omnipresent. The final address of Moses to the people is saturated with references to the great prize awaiting possession. The land is at the forefront from the beginning to the end.[5]

The author is convinced that the Hebrew scriptures see the land as the clear external marker of both God’s blessing and Israel’s condition within the covenant. The various battles, successes and failures epitomise the faithfulness or sin of Israel, resulting in her consequence of acquiring or losing land. Dempster explains this at length in his section on the “Former Prophets”, where he talks both about the successes of faithfulness to the covenant:

The geographical nature of the promise is emphasized by the lengthy list of kinds and cities that were captured...what seems uninteresting to westerners was surely momentous to ancient Israelites. These were land deeds![6]

Likewise, later loss and rescinded access to the land (or rule over it) is seen as judgment for the break of covenant by Israel. This is highlighted when the author explains:

No sooner is the temple built and dedicated than it is duly noted that Solomon is guilty of polygamy, which leaders him to apostasy... The judgment that follows Solomon’s death splits the kingdom, dividing the tribe of Judah (and an assimilated Simeon) in the south from the ten northern tribes. With the failure of the Davidic scion, the promised land has begun to fragment.[7]

Thus, just as much as genealogy and descendants heralded God’s covenantal blessing, possession of land marked the barometer of Israel’s faithfulness (or failure) to that same covenant.

Major Narrative Symbols

Eden.

Symbols of Eden - from Egypt, to  Sinai, to the exile, to Solomon and beyond the typology for Eden is cast throughout almost every major story of the Hebrew bible. Covenant building, human failure, restoration and a spiraling into further sin and consequential desolation is the Edenic archtype that pervades the Tanakh.  Dempster sees the Eden image as a constant type that should be used to re-interpret later passages. For example, he treats Numbers 24:5-9 passage of Balaam’s blessing (3rd curse attempt) as if Edenic imagery is intended.

The passage draws from Eden and exodus imagery; Israel is compared to rivers and gardens, trees that the Lord has planted; the Israelite tents are like the trees planted by Yahweh. This was the divine intention when Israel was brought out from Egypt. It was to be planted in God’s mountain (Exod. 15:16); that is, it was to be returned to Eden.[8]

David.

David as the central character of the old Hebrew understanding of the complete man (Adam). David represented both the fulfillment of dominion and the blessing of dynasty that Israel could hold up as the archtype for their hope. And while Israel reaches her pinnacle in David/Solomon, even later hopes of restoration (for the sinful, broken Israel) come labeled as linked to the dynasty of David. It is a Davidic messiah that they wait for, a Davidic kingdom that they hope for politically, and Davidic dominion that they hope for militarily. Prophetic and narrative content replays David as the one on whom history pivots from the past into the future.

Dempster’s acute observations about the centrality of David to the Hebrew text is synthesized best in his last chapter. His description of the pinnacle role of David as a genealogical summation of humanity and a iconic figure that is hearkened back to by later generations (and texts) is clarified by the diagram on page 232, where he shows David as the pivot point of God’s efforts to draw humanity and creation back to himself.

These images of David and Eden, the covenantal components of land and lineage and the narrative structure (along with historical timeline) of the Hebrew scriptures are the key points of the excellent book, Dominion and Dynasty. Stephen Dempster has created an excellent guide for understanding how Jesus and the first century Jews may have understood the Hebrew scriptures. This is invaluable to those of us seeking to learn the context from which the message of Christ came forth, and gives us a greater understanding of what the New Testament writers were addressing through the gospel message and its revelation of Jesus as the Messiah who was to fulfill the Hebrew scriptures.

Product Link on Amazon: Dominion and Dynasty: A Theology of the Hebrew Bible 

[1]Stephen G. Dempster,  “Dominion and dynasty: a biblical theology of the Hebrew Bible”,(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), Pg 22

[2]Ibid., Pg 47

[3]Ibid., Pg 55, 56

[4]Ibid., Pg 104

[5]Ibid., Pg 118

[6]Ibid., Pg 128

[7]Ibid., Pg 149

[8]Ibid., Pg 115,116