Preaching the Old Testament

Title: Preaching the Old Testament
Editor: Gibson, Scott M.
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Baker Books (October 1, 2006)
ISBN-10: 0801066239

My local library actually has a good religious studies section. And it was while browsing there that I came across Preaching the Old Testament. The book is edited by Scott M. Gibson, with each chapter chapter written by a different expert. The entire collection is dedicated to the eminent Old Testament scholar and teacher, Walter Kaiser.

In general, the book is aimed at helping preachers understand how to interpret and apply the Old Testament. The book isn't really about how to preach as much as it is about how to prepare to preach.

The pros of the book:
The chapters are written by scholars; yet the chapters are clear and concise. Of course, since each chapter is written by a different scholar, some writers stand out more than others. I especially liked "Preaching the Old Testament Narratives" by Jeffrey D. Arthurs.

The cons of the book:
The second chapter (after a short chapter 1) is about the important of being an expert in biblical Hebrew. I certainly understand how that chapter fits into the context of the whole book, and the chapter's thesis does undergird the concepts throughout the book. But, it seemed odd to me to begin the book by telling preachers who never learned Hebrew, or those who long ago forgot their Hebrew, that their exegesis is weak unless they have a strong understand of biblical Hebrew. If this were intended as a seminary text, I would understand the emphasis as encouraging students to develop and maintain their language skills. But, since this is not intended as a textbook, the chapter seemed to be a strange starting point.

Recommendation:
If a relatively short, straight-forward book about interpreting and applying Old Testament genres seems interesting to you, this might well be a good choice. I enjoyed the book, and I found it easy to read. Nothing in the book seemed ground-breaking, but the book was intended more to reinforce the significance and relevance of preaching from the Old Testament. I think the contributors succeeded in that goal.