Biblical Interpretation in Preaching

by Gerhard von Rad

FaithHome for Parents African American Family Dinner (package of 12)

Genres: Old Testament

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1978

About the author

Gerhard von Rad was Professor of Old Testament at the University of Heidelberg in Germany until his death in 1971. He is the author of several books, including Wisdom in Israel and Holy War in Ancient Israel.

Reviews

[Jacob Aitken · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a series of sermons following the church calendar, though the table of contents may suggest as much. Rather, Gerhard von Rad gives guidelines on what to look for the text, ranging from technical Hebrew grammar to overarching themes. Of course, we can’t follow von Rad in many places. He is far too critical of the text as we have it (though he never goes as far as the liberalism that gutted mainline Protestantism). Nonetheless, we are in the presence of a master.

His introduction is a fine survey of problems in modern hermeneutics, to which he tells us that “language and mind form a unity” (von Rad 14).

Genesis 4: “Ancient man sensed it much more clearly than do we: the earth, intended by God to serve man as the maternal foundation of life itself, has drunk a brother’s blood” (21)! The sermon should center on verse 10 and the contrast between Abel’s and Christ’s blood, the former only increases the burden of the curse.

Genesis 22: “The word ‘God’ is especially emphasized by the syntax (it is placed before the verb!)” (33).

Genesis 32: “We must remember that ancient man was conscious that his life was molded and surrounded by divine powers which he could not decipher...If he encountered a numen, the most elemental question was the question of that being’s name” (41-42). If you can’t commit to that idea in some level, you simply can’t understand the world of the Bible.

Joshua 1:1-9: God’s address to Joshua “comes in an actual interim period, between promise and fulfillment, between election and ultimate...salvation” (49). Von Rad correctly notes that our word “law” doesn’t capture the essence of Torah, which was “the sum of all beneficent divine intention in Israel” (51).

2 Chronicles 20: Holy war. The narrative “certainly understands the mearbim to be heavenly powers sent by God to intervene and cause the enemy’s defeat” (67).

Psalm 32. There is a penitential aspect, but it isn’t to function as a morbidly medieval penance psalm. The “diction of the psalm resembles that of wisdom literature; i.e., it is highly didactic” (75).

Psalm 96. The enthronement of Yahweh. It begins noting that only the elect community knows of this cosmic turning point, to which it must respond with “praise” and “proclamation” (79). “All true praise lives out of certainty of the eschatological kingdom.” God’s coming in judgment is a shaphat, a settling.

This book cannot replace exegesis, but it is a fine guideline for the new student.

[Caleb Rolling · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find it thoroughly enjoyable to see a master scholar employ his skill in service of the masses; this is precisely what von Rad does in this collection of sermon skeletons. The thesis is that the Bible must be and can be preached, and throughout 21 brief sermon outlines (20 from the OT and 1 from the NT), he expertly demonstrates how the preacher can perform this thesis. The ways he carefully draws connections between the OT and NT is my favorite part of this book. He demonstrates that the OT itself must and can be preached, yet he is sure to include the Christian's hope in Christ. The concluding sections--sermons from Jeremiah, Haggai, Malachi, and Hebrews--are linked by a shared anticipation for the "great and terrible day of YHWH," the restoration of Zion, the promised rest--or in short, the coming of the Kingdom of God upon Christ's return.

Everyone knows of von Rad as the monumental OT scholar. But from reading this short collection, it is easy to see von Rad's preacher heart.

**Side note: I have no idea what the deal is with the peculiar book cover GoodReads as chosen for this book (The Family Dinner?). Don't be deceived!**

[Johnny · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the great ironies of modern seminary education is that institutions are founded upon a dedication to the Bible, but so little time is spent studying the Bible such that even less time is spent on applying the Bible's teaching to modern church administration, Christian Ethics, church polity, evangelistic and mission planning, and, with the highest degree of irony, preaching. Oh sure, you'll find a few quotations from the Bible and proof-texts assembled in the courses designed to cover these practical ministry studies, but it is the great rarity to have courses where Bible Study, Interpretative (Hermeneutical) Principles, and Preaching Principles all come together.

During my basic pastoral education (Master of Divinity) at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, California, some of us who were particularly intrigued by the study of the Old Testament (maybe 7-10 of us?) were invited to be part of an unofficial Old Testament Colloquium (not to be confused with the conclaves of competing graduate students gathering in Sniper's Roost to shoot down each other's research during my Master of Theology and Doctor of Philosophy programs at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary). There, Dr. J. Kenneth Eakins and Dr. Wayne Peterson led us through extra reading of learned articles on Bible Study and forced us to examine the consequences of such study for PREACHING. When the brilliant Old Testament scholar, John Bright, visited us for a series of lectures, he graciously joined our discussions and I learned that Bright had a great concern for "biblical preaching."

Recently, I purchased a used, out-of-print book by the late Dr. Gerhard von Rad, one of the great Old Testament theologians of the 20th century. This book, Biblical Interpretations in Preaching (the original German title was something like "Preaching Meditations"), was assembled by von Rad's daughter from the notes he had prepared for--you guessed it--an unofficial workshop on applying approaches to Bible Study to the actual process of preaching. In short, reading this book took me back to those precious days of sitting with Old Testament men who really cared about the Bible and really cared about preaching.

So, many of you are already asking yourselves why I only rated this book at three stars if it touched such a resonant nerve. The truth is that I can only give it an average rating in comparison to von Rad's other work. His other work is deeper, more comprehensive, and more challenging. However, this work picks the finest blossoms of application and interpretation from that lush garden of thought-provoking scholarship he planted.

This is a learned devotional book as opposed to a deep commentary or collation of in-depth studies. As such, I read each sermon meditation individually--taking weeks to savor a book of only 125 pages. Here is a list of by no means exhaustive highlights of statements which delighted me.

The Sin of Cain -- Referring to Cain's downcast countenance, God challenges the man to lift up his countenance. Indeed, God suggests that if Cain doesn't take this action, "sin" is crouching at the door like a devouring predator. So, von Rad concludes: "Sin appears here as an objective power that is located outside man, one that seizes possessions as a robber does. Yet Cain is charged with full responsibility for sin." (p. 20) I like this observation because it underscores something I stress in my preaching--we are influenced from without and within, but we have the choice.

Joshua -- In discussing the idea of Torah, von Rad says: "Our word 'law' is an inaccurate translation of the word 'Torah,' for the latter refers to something altogether different from a 'law book.' In this liteature the word 'Torah' means the sum of all the beneficent divine intention for Israel." (p. 51--italics are my emphasis)

Naaman (the leper) -- Emphasizing the important of the Israelite servant girl's faith in initiating the leper's healing, von Rad observed: "God had chosen a way to make himself known through an obscure person, while men choose a way exactly opposite to this..." (p. 61)

Isaiah 61 (Suffering Servant) -- "Thus, the message is almost exclusively one of blessing and salvation. Its distinctiveness lies in the fact that in it God very personally inclines himself to the individual sufferer." (p. 95).

These are a few of the delightful insights in this short book, a book that reminds us of how great scholars do not merely remain in their ivory towers, but attempt to share great wisdom in simple words.