Preaching and Teaching from the Old Testament: A Guide for the Church

by Walter C. Kaiser Jr.

Publisher:

Baker Academic

, 2003

Overview

Developed out of tried and tested teaching material, Kaiser exhibits a straightforward and accessible writing style. The opening chapters deal with the value, problem, and task of preaching from the Old Testament. Kaiser then provides a practical focus by examining preaching and teaching from the texts of various genres (proverbs, prophecy, Torah, etc.). A final chapter examines the relevance of the Old Testament in speaking to a contemporary audience. Pedagogical features include a glossary, a suggested outline/worksheet for expository preaching, and three indices.

Contents

Top Highlights

“Characterization may be detected mainly through the actions and dialogues of the narrative’s participants.” (Page 69)

“Instead, we should stick with the general rule that scenes change only when the time or place changes.” (Page 65)

“There are at least four main areas where the value of the Old Testament comes through quite clearly and where it is desperately needed in our day. The four areas are: doctrine, ethics, practical living, and preaching.” (Page 40)

“The central elements in the total package of literary devices used in narrative include: (1) scene, (2) plot, (3) point of view, (4) characterization, (5) setting, (6) dialogue, (7) leitwort, or key-wording, (8) structure, and (9) stylistic and rhetorical literary devices employed. It is from this wide repertoire that the storyteller draws as the narrative is committed to writing.” (Page 64)

“We first must establish what the text of the Old Testament is asserting, and only then should we draw in additional information on that subject, which God has seen fit to give us in the later progress of revelation.” (Page 12)

Praise for the Print Edition

Walter Kaiser gives a solid defense for preaching from the Old Testament and provides helpful insights on Old Testament backgrounds and interpretation. His hints for preaching the genres of the Old Testament will be of value to any preacher.

—Scott M. Gibson, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

I always listen when Walter Kaiser, learned Old Testament scholar and preacher par excellence, speaks! Here is the very best advice-from the very best-as to how to preach the whole counsel of God. Every preacher should own this book.

—R. Kent Hughes, Pastor, College Church, Wheaton, Ill.

The Bible of the early church was the Old Testament. It might be an interesting experiment for a pastor to preach from the Old Testament for a year to a twenty-first-century church. Preaching and Teaching from the Old Testament would be a reliable and practical guide to help pastors through that great expanse of God's eternal truth.

—Haddon Robinson, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

Sensitive to the various literary forms found in the Bible, [Kaiser] provides guidelines for preaching and teaching from Old Testament narratives, Wisdom material, prophetic texts, laments, laws, hymns of praise, and apocalyptic forms. He concludes his treatment of each form with an illustration of preaching a representative text. This is a fine guide for effective preaching and teaching.

—Dianne Bergant, Bible Today

Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. . . . has long been recognized for his theological conservatism and insightful scholarship, and the more than thirty books he has authored have consistently demonstrated that these two virtues need not be incompatible with each other. Preaching and Teaching from the Old Testament is no exception. . . . Kaiser's ‘statements’, his theses, are valid and beneficial. They are Biblical, sound, orthodox, and scholarly. The book is a methodological delight. Kaiser's descriptions of various Old Testament genres and his demonstrations of how to preach these genres are priceless. The book is worth your money and time.

—Francis C. Rossow, Concordia Journal

Product Details

• Title: Preaching and Teaching from the Old Testament: A Guide for the Church
• Author: Walter Kaiser
• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Publication Date: 2003
• Pages: 222

About Walter C. Kaiser Jr.

Walter C. Kaiser (1933–) is an evangelical Old Testament scholar, writer, speaker, and educator. He earned degrees from Wheaton College and Brandeis University.

Kaiser taught Bible and archaeology at Wheaton College and taught at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in several capacities. He currently serves as the Colman M. Mockler Distinguished Professor of Old Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 2006 retired as their President.

Kaiser has contributed to numerous publications like Journal for the Study of Old Testament and Westminster Theological Journal. He has also written over 30 books including Toward an Exegetical Theology and A History of Israel: From the Bronze Age through the Jewish Wars.