Sermon Tone Analysis
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OT Narrative
Last week we began to look at how to interpret and analyze OT narrative (narrative as in OT accounts or stories)
-As I’m preaching/teaching through Ruth, we’re using this account as a way to look at that and learn that
Now remember, OT narrative is different than interpreting and applying Paul
-Other places in the Bible can often give very clear statements about God, or very concrete action steps such as these NT examples
“walk in the Spirit”
“God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able”
OT narrative is different than the Prophets, where often God speaks and says things like:
“Come let us reason together, says the Lord.
Though your sins be like scarlet, they shall be white as wool”
Or even the Psalms, where the Psalmist says things like:
“the Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
In OT narrative, we don’t have nearly as much of that
-Instead, the narrator is telling a story
-This is a true story, it’s an historical account
-But it’s not merely the arrangement of historical facts
-The author is telling this story in such a way that it invites us to think about it, and seek to understand God better and know Him more intimately
This is why I have this chart up here at the top:
-This is not a Holy Spirit inspired chart
-This is not the missing link to understanding the Bible
-But I think it’s helpful in understanding the basic structure of most plots, so that we can understand that narrative being presented to us
First we have the exposition
-This is the part of the plot where we learn information that will be necessary for us to get started on the narrative
The event that makes a plot is conflict
-Without it, you can’t really have a plot
-Something happens that must be worked through or overcome
-Things continue to build as the characters try to deal with the conflict and overcome it
-Finally, you get to the climax, which is the moment of greatest tension in the plot right before things settle down and get resolved
-At the climax, you either have the problem fixed, or maybe not fixed
-Then things begin to settle back down
-Finally, you have the Denouement, which is a French word which has the idea of “untangling of knots” or “tidying up of loose ends”
And I’ll show you how this can be helpful in the next few minutes
I want to look at a few of these principles here and kinda review them and flesh them out a little bit:
The first principle is: “What is the world (the setting) in which this narrative takes place?”
-It’s important for us to know and understand the world of the narrative
-You don’t necessarily need an archeology degree or a Masters in history to do this!
-A good study Bible and some cross-referencing can be helpful and good in this
Last week we noted that this narrative takes place in the time of the judges
-The narrator there is helping us understand the world!
-So what might be a good way for us to try to understand this world?
(wait for an answer)
-Read judges!
Principle 2: Consider the whole narrative arc
-This is where being somewhat familiar with the form of a narrative can help you
-You can help determine the boundaries of a specific narrative
-Where does it begin and where does it end?
-It’s important to have the whole narrative arc in mind whenever you’re seeking to understand the narrative
-If you jump on a section here, or pull a phrase or paragraph out of context somewhere down there, you could end up misunderstanding or misapplying the Word of God to your life
So for instance in Ruth, we looked at last week where we started and where we ended
-We start with Naomi moving with her family to Moab and losing her husband and 2 sons
-She’s bitter at Yahweh and let’s everyone know
-But in the end, she’s given a grandson, and people are telling her that Ruth is better than 7 sons!
-And her grandson ends up being the grandfather of King David!
-So we always want to keep the whole narrative arc in mind
This goes along with Principle 3: What is the end game?
-Where do we end up?
-How does the narrative end?
-Does it end well or not well, and why?
Principle 4 is big to keep in mind: Note the speed of the narrative
-Whenever the narrator really slows down, that means that this is a scene or a moment, or a dialogue that he really wants us to focus on
So for example, the narrator blows through probably around 20 years worth of the story in 1:1-6 (6 verses) with her family moving and then her husband and sons dying
-Then, the narrator uses 1:7-18, the author uses twice the amount of verses to cover one day, and honestly more like one conversation
-So the narrator is saying “this conversation is very important, so pay attention!”
Principle #5 is this: What does the narrator say about God and the characters?
-First, what does the narrator say about God? How does he want to shape our view of
-So we noted that the narrator only mentions God twice in this account
-But both times really stress the sovereignty or Providence of God
-So this seems to be what he wants to emphasize
Second, what does the narrator tell us about the characters?
-The narrator doesn’t often come out and directly say things about characters
-But he will, if it’s important for the way you view the character
-So whenever that happens, sit up and pay attention
-We actually have that in our text today
Now, notice Principle 6: “What is the author trying to teach us about God and living for Him?”
-All of these principles/questions are helping us hone in on this right here
-As we work our way through the text and note things, study things, and ask questions, we’re seeking to answer this question
And lastly, Principle 7: “Applications will often be ‘come and see’ instead of ‘go and do’
-Now, what I don’t mean is that the Bible doesn’t affect our lives or change our behavior.
-Not at all!
-But we must always be careful not to make the Bible some quick fix application book to our lives!
-The Bible often does give us very specific and concrete commands
-But primarily, the Bible is God’s self-revelation
-It is God writing a book about Himself for us
-So therefore, oftentimes, the primary goal is to have our hearts transformed to know God better and love and worship Him more
-God desires to change at the heart level, not merely behavioral differences
-Especially in OT narrative, where there are little to no direct commands, probably 90% of the time, the application will be to come and behold this wondrous truth!
-And when we gaze on the glory of God found in His Word, our actions will be transformed out of a transformed heart and transformed desires
-So be careful about reading especially OT narrative, looking for a quick application step for the day
-Another reason for that is that often OT narrative is descriptive, not prescriptive
-What I mean by that just because an author of Scripture notes that something happened, or so-and-so did this, it doesn’t mean that you or I should do that
-Descriptive means that it happened
-Prescriptive means that you and I are intended to do that same
-So the narrator of 1 Samuel notes that David pretended to be insane in front of Abimelech so that he could escape from him, it doesn’t mean that the author is intending in anyway for us to follow that example
So, with these principles in mind, let’s jump into our text and continue our study of the Book of Ruth
Review
Last week we noted the book of Ruth starts off with a disobedient family moving to pagan territory
-Naomi is the wife, and she, her husband, and her 2 sons move to Moab, and a nation cursed by God
-Her husband dies, and then her sons marry Moabite women, a grave sin in the OT
-Eventually, both her sons die without children, and she’s left all alone in the pagan land of Moab
This is the exposition part of the narrative
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