PREACHING SKILLS
Preaching the Gospel in Judges
Three principles for drawing the good news out of a dark chapter in Israel's history.
Steve Mathewson
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Interestingly, this was an "in-house" controversy. It took place among members of a movement known today for its advocacy of a Christocentric approach to preaching historical texts of the Old Testament. But this controversy faded due to the German invasion of Holland in 1940 and its occupation until 1945. Then, a schism in the Reformed church of Holland immediately following World War II basically diverted any attention or interest in resuming the debate.
When Sidney Greidanus uncovered the controversy in 1970, he argued for a mediating position. His starting point was that historical texts actually "preach" rather than simply relate past facts. He agreed with the redemptive-historical side that a sermon on a historical text must be theocentric, God-centered, because these texts intend to proclaim the acts of God. He agreed with the exemplary side that this proclamation must be relevant, communicating the "ethical thrust" of a passage within "the light of the author's theocentric framework." Greidanus shows how he works this out in the Ehud story in Judges 3:12–30:
The author's point is not to give moral examples but to reveal that God, through Eglon and Ehud, is at work in history, judging and redeeming his people; his message to the O.T. church is the admonition (cf. Vss. 7, 12): Do not forget the Lord your God![2]
Greidanus also argued that a theocentric (God-centered) sermon is implicitly Christ-centered since Christ is God.
Interestingly, Greidanus has since argued for a much stricter Christ-centered approach in Preaching Christ from the Old Testament: A Contemporary Hermeneutical Method. He now counsels preachers to move from the Old Testament text to the incarnate Christ.[3]
Three questions for a gospel-centered sermon
So what view shows the most promise for preaching the gospel in Judges? I propose that the best way to preach the gospel in Judges aligns with the mediating view of Greidanus. This view finds affinity with John Calvin's "theocentric" approach, which saw no antithesis between God-centered and Christ-centered preaching.[4] The method I propose for preaching the gospel in Judges asks three key questions once careful exegetical work has been completed.[5]
1. What does this story proclaim about God and his relationship with his people?
As this first question suggests, the goal is to identify the theology communicated by the narrative. As a "former prophet," Judges intends to communicate a specific message from God to his people. I find one of Haddon Robinson's categories helpful at this point. He counsels preachers to look for "the vision of God" in a text—the aspect or attribute of God's character that is highlighted.[6]
2. How does this theological message connect with the Bible's larger story or metanarrative?
This second question links the theology of a story with the gospel because the Bible's larger story is the gospel. The Gospel Coalition frames the story of the Bible like this: "God providentially brings about his eternal good purposes to redeem a people for himself and restore his fallen creation, to the praise of his glorious grace."
Along this line, Bryan Chapell's perspective is worth pondering:
Even if a preacher does not specifically mention an aspect of Christ's earthly ministry in a sermon, it can still be Christ-centered. As long as a preacher explains the ways in which God uses a text to reveal his plan, purposes, and/or reasons for redemption, the sermon leads listeners away from human-centered religiosity. Exposition is Christ-centered when it discloses God's essential nature as our Provider, Deliverer, and Sustainer whether or not Jesus is mentioned by name.[7]
3. What admonition or exhortation does this story offer?
The first question identifies the theological message of the story. The second question connects the story and its theological message with the overall storyline of the Bible. This third question determines the ethical thrust of the story. (For those who use Andy Stanley's grid, my first two questions correspond to his question, "What do I want my listeners to know?" My third question corresponds to his question, "What do I want my listeners to do?"[8])
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