Stories from the OLD-en days! {narrative}

Did you know? Narrative is the single most common type of literature in the Bible -- comprising over 40% of the Old Testament.

nar·ra·tive

: something that is narrated : story, account

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/narrative

According to Fee and Stuart, Narratives are stories--purposeful stories retelling the historical events of the past that are intended to give meaning and direction for a given people in the present. (pg. 90, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth)


As you enter the individual stories, don't lose sight of the BIGGER PICTURE.

meta-nar·ra·tive

As you engage a narrative (and the entire Bible), keep the WHOLE of Scripture in view.  Each individual story fits into the larger context -- the initial creation, the fall of humanity, the power and nature of sin, the need for redemption and Christ's incarnation and sacrifice.

So what does the Old Testament as a whole contribute?  Remember, the BIG PICTURE is the "story of God's redeeming a people for His name."

What about all the individual stories? 


First and foremost, we see God working to redeem what was lost in garden of Eden.  God is the main character in the Bible (always!) and the basic plot of the Biblical story is this...

the CREATOR GOD created a people for His name-- and as His image bearers we are to be stewards of the earth that He created -- BUT an enemy enters the story and persuades the people to bear "his" image instead-- the story unfolds as God rescues His people, time and time again, from the enemy's clutches, restoring the created back to His image.

How do the individual stories fit into Old Testament as a whole and the overall Biblical story/meta-narrative?

1. These are stories that had significant meaning to the original hearer. They were an important part of their history and story of God. 
2. They tell WHAT GOD DID in the history of Israel.  They are NOTmeant to offer moral examples of right or wrong behavior or HOW GOD will specifically act now. 
3. They do NOT necessarily teach explicitly; rather, they represent an implicit kind of teaching by illustrating what is addressed in other parts of the Bible.

For Example:  (pg. 93, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth)
 ... in the narrative of David's adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11), you will not find any such statement as, "In committing adultery David did wrong."  You are expected to know that adultery is wrong because this is taught explicitly already in the Bible (Exodus 20:14).  The narrative illustrates the harmful consequences of his adultery to the personal life of King David and his ability to rule.  The narrative does not systematically teach about adultery and should not be used as the sole basis for such teaching.  Intead, as one illustration of the effects of adultery in a particular case, it conveys a powerful message that can imprint itself on the mind of the careful reader in a way that direct...