Although it seems like topical sermons are ever more common, some of us continue to be persuaded that the best diet of God’s Word for his people comes from preaching lectio continua (i.e. exegetically through whole books of the Bible from beginning to end). Yet those of us committed to preaching “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) quickly run into the major problem with preaching all of Scripture: difficult texts. Nowhere is this more true than when trying to preach through pretty much any book of the Old Testament. I’ve discovered this over and over again in my sermon series through Genesis, Numbers, Ezekiel, Ezra, and Nehemiah. Through trial and (mostly) error I’ve had to learn how to (or not to) preach long lists of names, overtly violent or sexual texts, narrative “doublets,” etc. How I’ve wished I had been better prepared for these as a seminarian, but sadly no solid book addressing such tricky preaching scenarios existed…until now! Enter Bryan Murawski and his eminently readable, deeply practical, and immediately applicable book devoted to the subject its title so clearly indicates: Preaching Difficult Texts of the Old Testament. In this book, Murawski offers wise principles and perspectives to help preachers navigate the trickiest texts of the Old Testament.
One initial impression of this book is that for a work focusing on some more technical details it is surprisingly accessible and enjoyably engaging. Murawski shows his skill as a preacher, teacher, and communicator by sprinkling humorous anecdotes and interesting illustrations throughout. I found myself laughing out loud a number of times while reading it, especially at some of Murawski’s witty asides. Yet beyond the jovial manner in which he presents the material, Murawski’s wisdom will be of great help to preachers and teachers who believe that all Scripture is truly God-breathed and profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). In this book he provides helpful tips for handling the (many!) portions of the Old Testament that tempt us to doubt these words of Paul to Timothy.
He begins by laying out his goal in the introduction: to offer a practical guide for cracking the “tough nut” texts of the Old Testament. To do this he lays his presuppositional cards on the table, briefly introducing three truths that motivate his writing: first that “[e]very text of Scripture is relevant for personal sanctification and preaching” (2–6), second that “[e]very text of Scripture highlights the gospel of Jesus Christ” (6–9), and third that “[p]roper homiletics teaches proper hermeneutics” (9–11). These truths then lead him into ten chapters treating one “tough nut” text type each. Every one of the ten chapters can stand alone as its own treatment of a given text type, making the book a useful resource for pastors and teachers who could pick it up any time they find themselves faced with preaching one of these “tough nut” passages of Scripture. Nonetheless, there is a general organizational flow of the chapters being arranged around similar types of “interpretive problems,” such as long lists (chapters 1–4), tricky topics (chapters 5–8), and some formidable literary features (chapters 9–10).
The first four chapters cover different types of long lists that can at first seem utterly lacking in exegetical value. In Chapter 1 (“Preaching Family Trees”), Murawski offers wisdom for preaching genealogies (e.g. Genesis 5; 1 Chronicles 1–9), helpfully delineating genealogy types (linear vs. segmented), and offering some reflections on the significant theology that can be communicated through them. He also offers some very practical advice for how to prepare to preach them (e.g. “Work on pronunciation,” “[f]ocus on the abnormal,” study and prepare in order to bring “contagious enthusiasm,” etc. [31–32]). Chapter 2 (“Preaching Devilish Details”) covers similar texts that, instead of listing people, offer “a repetitious categorization of something—whether head counts, or items of furniture, or numbers of sacrifices” (35; e.g. Exodus 25–30; Numbers 1–4). His practical advice for handling such texts includes using visual aids (printed in the church bulletin or projected on a screen during the sermon), and he includes some examples from his own preaching (e.g. a diagram of the arrangement of the tribes around the tabernacle in Numbers [43] and the size and shape of the curtains of the tabernacle in Exodus [45–6]). Chapter 3 (“Preaching Geography”) covers another kind of text that often occurs in list form, namely geographical details (e.g. Numbers 33; Ezekiel 47–48; Nehemiah 2–3; etc.). In Chapter 4 (“Preaching Law”) he goes on to cover the topic of Old Testament laws, which also can occur in long lists (e.g. Exodus 20–23; Deuteronomy 12–28), delineating different types of law (apodictic vs. casuistic [70–1], moral vs. civil vs. ceremonial [71–3]) while acknowledging that the laws do not always fit neatly into such categories.
Chapters 5–8 focus on tricky topics. For instance, Chapter 5 (“Preaching Blood and Guts”) covers how to appropriately handle texts that include violence and gore. Included here is a nice discussion of how to handle imprecatory texts that invite God to curse one’s enemies. Similarly, in Chapter 6 (“Preaching PG-13 Texts”) he discusses how to handle passages like Genesis 38 and Ezekiel 16 that describe explicit sexual situations, encouraging careful prudence though not prudishness when preaching these (109). In a slightly different vein, Chapter 7 (“Preaching in Tongues”) offers some good, practical advice for how to use one’s study of the original language appropriately in a sermon. Then, in Chapter 8 on “Theologically Loaded Texts,” Murawski offers wisdom on how to navigate tough theological issues that may arise at times, such as the Lord’s hardening of Pharaoh’s heart (Exodus 4–9).
The final chapters of the book deal with the difficulties encountered when preaching through Old Testament narratives specifically. Chapter 9 (“Preaching Parallel Texts”) deals with the “problem” of narrative doublets like Abraham’s passing off Sarah as his sister (Genesis 12; 20), parallel passages as found in Kings and Chronicles, and repeated phrases like Exodus 34:6–7 that are quoted in various other places (Psalm 86, 103; Numbers 14, etc.). The final chapter on “Preaching the Goliaths” covers how to handle long Old Testament narratives like 1 Samuel 17. Having preached all but one of the “top ten longest passages that should be kept together in a single sermon” (169), I can wholeheartedly concur with the practical wisdom Murawksi offers for doing this well. I have learned to plan extra time for sermon preparation when getting ready to preach one of these longer texts (176). His recommendations for how to break up the passages into reasonable chunks (178) and acknowledgment that sometimes longer texts will simply require longer sermons are also on point based on my experience.
Finally, the book ends with a brief conclusion encouraging preachers to preach these difficult texts (183–4), a helpful appendix listing where in the Old Testament each kind of text can be found (185–7), suggested further reading on genealogies and law (189–90), and a bibliography (191–7).
While I do not have any significant criticisms of Murawski’s book, I did occasionally think of additional suggestions he may have offered for cracking some of these tough texts. For instance, in Chapter 3 (“Preaching geography”) he might have noted that the different cardinal directions can have significant symbolic and theological significance. The north, for example, tends to be where enemies enter Israel (Jeremiah 1:14; Ezekiel 38:6), thus being symbolic of impending danger. The east often seems associated with sin and its consequences (exile and death), which should not be surprising since due east of Israel across the Jordan river was a considerable wasteland—and even further to the east lay Babylon and Ninevah. This is hardly criticism, however, since Murawski offers a plethora of solid aids for the preacher who finds themselves faced with preaching one of the many difficult passages of the Old Testament. And as Murawski points out in his conclusion, “I don’t need to hunt out the difficult texts; they do a good enough job of finding me!” Now that we are armed with this practical guidebook, we can “embrace what they offer: rich sources of knowledge about God, his people, and ourselves” (184).
Dr. S. A. Fix (Ph.D. Catholic University of America) serves as Senior Pastor of Reformed Presbyterian Church of Bowie (PCA) in Bowie, MD where he lives with his wife and four children. He is also Adjunct Old Testament Faculty at Westminster Theological Seminary and Reformed Theological Seminary.
