Big Idea In Biblical Narrative

Big Idea in Biblical Narrative

---

Bryan Anderson's work is a great help in this.

His is a readable, practical guide to discovering, deciphering, and delivering the truth God reveals through these narratives. The Big Idea in Biblical Narrative is a great resource that will serve preachers and teachers well for years to come. Read more Read less. Here's how restrictions apply.

Special offers and product promotions

Xulon Press March 31, Language: Don't have a Kindle? Try the Kindle edition and experience these great reading features: Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review.

Showing of 2 reviews. Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. This book this book adds nothin to understanding how one interprets or to how one preaches narrative. Look elsewhere for a good text. One person found this helpful. I have seen this pastor give sermons many times. Giving sermons is not about droning on and making parishioners fall asleep.

Account Options

To place Genesis 22 into its proper context, the author signals a continuing thread, preparing the reader for transition Klein et al. For the reader who has worked through chapters of Genesis, the ending of chapter 21 would seem like a good place to stop with the story of Abraham. However, the writer introduces a new phase into the what we might call the Abrahamic act Fokkelman , indeed the final definitive phase of the Abrahamic act by way of introducing the Abraham of Genesis 22 in comparison to the Abraham of Genesis The writer does this with an interesting use of the technique of parallelism.

This may not be realized by those who read Genesis 22 as an isolated account, but those who read the full account of the man Abraham, the parallelism is unmistakable:. The author, by using phrasing and structure of thought, brings the reader back to the starting point of this man and cues us in to approach this text with a mindset of assessing the character development of Abram, now Abraham.

We know that up to this point Abraham has been found faithful. Looming in the backdrop is also another question: Now that this son has been given, will Abraham show himself to be a man lacking resiliency? The author continues the parallel structure to give the reader an indication that we are dealing with the same resolve for obedience:. Undoubtedly, there is a lot involved when being told to relocate from a land you have known your whole life, just as there is a lot involved when being told to sacrifice the son you have just received after years and years of waiting.

Yet the author does not intend to lose our focus by discussing all the preparations involved, not to mention what may have been said to Sarah! Instead, the author has a very clear goal of character development in mind that need not be side stepped by additional data.

The selectivity keeps the narrative progressing into an exposition of how the sacrifice was performed, not how the sacrifice seemed plausible or implausible. In terms of Abraham as character, there is certainly grounds to consider development that has taken place.

The reader notes that Abraham always seemed to have a backup plan when obeying God in actuality. When God directs him to Egypt, Abraham proposes that Sarah identify herself as his sister for fear of his life Gen. Now, in the text of Genesis 22, the reader notices that this character trait is no longer present.

Instead, the author gives the picture of a resilient Abraham who hears the words, sets out on the journey, and cuts the wood for the offering. Abraham does not seek to substitute a servant for his son, nor does he seek out Ishmael in hopes that just as he was good enough for a substitutional offspring, he may be enough for a substitutional sacrifice.

These roadblocks never come up, nor are the thoughts or concerns thereof entertained in the text, showing the reader a developed man of faith.

It may surprise the reader to note how little talking occurs in this passage. As compared to instances earlier in the Abrahamic acts even the previous chapter the author utilizes a liberal amount of dialogue to direct the narrative. In this case, there is only that which is necessary to break the eerie silence of suspense and propel the narrative towards the height of suspense which will be found upon the heights of the mountain where the sacrifice is to be performed.

Notice the detail of time, only to further leave the reader wanting for conversation pieces! The author has in some ways spared us the details of three days of travel between verses 3 and 4, yet in some ways he has kept the readers in suspense, since any would long to know what internal struggles were occurring in Abraham, or what conversations took place between him and his son. The direction of the plot seems to leave many open-ended questions that the author does not seek to resolve here, but they beg to be asked nonetheless: Did Abraham truly mean what he said to his servants or was this just wishful thinking?

Was this an intentional covering of the truth of their journey, presuming that Isaac does not know what is soon to take place? Is Abraham buckling to the pressure and seeking to amend the instructions to sacrifice his son with a more noble approach to worshiping alongside his son?

Biblical Narrative Passages- How to Find the Small Clues that Tell Us the Big Idea

No doubt these questions are begged by the lack of dialogue leading up to this statement by Abraham, but it seems that the author in a way has given us just enough information to beckon us to continue our own journey up the mountain to see how the story will finally unfold.

At this point, we have no reason otherwise than to take Abraham seriously with his words, which shows for us that he is a man very much grounded in faith. Again, the author does not give us this information. This seems amazing, since the one who is about to be sacrificed would be expected to have some dynamic reactions!

Of course, it takes some work to really understand the theme of a whole book. Nevertheless, I think it is an important step to ask: Without understanding this, we run the risk of interpreting a passage only moralistically or somehow separated from the gospel. So, it is important to use all the tools of theology especially biblical theology to ask: So, it is important that we make legitimate connections between our text and the gospel.

Whether you call this the main point, the theme of the passage, or the big idea, it is important to take this final step. The question I like to ask myself is this: For me, this represents an hour or two of preparation for a small group—and probably 12 hours of preparation for a sermon!

Product details

But whatever time you have, I think it is helpful to work this way. Still, as far as working on the text, this is where I start:. Still, as far as working on the text, this is where I start: How has the author organized this passage?

• A Study of Recent Earthquakes
• THIRD EDITION: German UFOs Apocalypse Over America. UFOs World War Three. VOL. 2 (Extraterrestrial, Intraterrestrial, German, Canadian and American UFOs: ... Classes, Projects) (Nazi UFOs Conspiracy)
• Against their will
• The Dead Have No Shadows
• Fasting Is The Key 10 Day Devotional
• The Rage of God