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James Spencer

Approaching the Old Testament Theologically

As a student at Wheaton College, I had the privilege of taking a class from Paul House. After reading my paper examining the Davidic innocence motif in the book of Samuel, Dr. House asked me a question that has shaped my perspective on the theological task to this day: “Where is the theology?” The question caught me off-guard as I truly believed that I had done some solid theological work in describing the text’s strategies for distancing David from violence against other Israelites. The problem, Dr. House explained, is that I had said nothing about God. Observations about David, explanations of literary techniques, and theories as to why the author took pains to distance David from wrongdoing are all important, but they aren’t (yet) theology. What did the portrayal of David convey about God? How did it showcase God’s character? Needless to say, I had some revisions to make after meeting with Dr. House.

The moral of the story is that Old Testament theology is first and foremost about God. Investigating ancient Near Eastern history and culture, evaluating Hebrew grammar and syntax, and analyzing archaeological or geographical data are not ends in themselves. They are the means by which we more faithfully understand God through his word. An Old Testament theology that does not finally offer a portrayal of God is incomplete because an Old Testament theology’s primary task is that “of presenting what the Old Testament says about God as a coherent whole.”1

Presenting this “coherent whole” requires those engaging in Old Testament theology to look at the Old and New Testaments as a whole book and to synthesize the various portrayals of God. This synthesis represents the synchronic dimension of Old Testament theology. Old Testament theology must attend to the manner in which specific books develop, expand on, and introduce new facets of God’s character. In other words, there is a diachronic element to Old Testament theology, which recognizes the progress of revelation through time.

In addition, Old Testament theology must not lean solely upon conceptualization, or on the abstraction of so-called universal principles. Such approaches rightly recognize that the Old Testament is the enduring word of God relevant and beneficial across all times, places, and cultures. Yet, focusing on principles alone can also distract God’s people from the inherently relational intent of the text, which seeks to lead us toward a greater knowledge of the God who creates, redeems, delivers, forebears, and supplies.2 Old Testament theology requires a constant movement between more particular depictions of God in Scripture and the combination of those biblical depictions to develop a broader canonical understanding of God.

To assert that Old Testament theology is first and foremost about God is not intended to deny theology the role as a means of articulating, or re-articulating, understandings of humankind, time, place, the world, or a host of other topics. Rather, the assertion that Old Testament theology is first and foremost about God suggests that these other topics may only be understood rightly in relation to or through the lens of a faithful rendering of God’s identity. As we view the various aspects of our world and our activity within it in relation to God as He is revealed in the Old Testament, we engage in the task of Old Testament theology. This task is an act of worship, a means of proclaiming God to the Church and the world, and a way of establishing the criteria for distinguishing true and false witness to the God of the Old Testament.3

While Old Testament theology surely begins in the Old Testament and its discrete witness of God, it does not end in the Old Testament. Rather, it is necessary to recognize that, with the coming of Christ, Old Testament theology constitutes one element within a reciprocal theological “loop” in which the New Testament reinforces and expands upon the theology of the Old Testament even as the Old Testament informs and provides a crucial framework for the New Testament.

Respecting and studying the discrete witness of the Old Testament cannot be separated from the canonical task of describing the Triune God as he is presented in both the Old and New Testaments. At the same time, it is important to recall that the Old Testament is a Christian Testament. As Barr notes, “Insofar as a position is Christian, it is related to the Old Testament from the beginning.”4 Striking the balance, then, between treatments of the Old Testament separate from the New Testament and the construction of more canonical readings, which look back upon the Old Testament from the standpoint of the New, is essential to the work of Old Testament theology. Ultimately, the Old Testament proclaims the gospel in harmony with the New Testament offering unique revelation of God’s plan for restoring his kingdom.

Old Testament Theology and the Gospel

The gospel encompasses far more than the salvation message though it is surely right for us to identify and celebrate the gospel message as communicating “what we must believe to be saved.”5 As John Goldingay notes, “‘Gospel’ does not come into being only with the coming of Jesus. In speaking of Jesus’ story as ‘gospel,’ the early Christians were thinking of his story in terms that had already been applied to Israel’s story.”6 The point is not to minimize the importance of Christ to the gospel, but to recognize that, as Kevin Vanhoozer suggests, that the gospel entails “a series of divine entrances and exits, especially as these pertain to what God has done in Jesus Christ.”7

The gospel, the “good news,” involves the transformation of social, political, economic, and ecological structures, systems, and relationships in the victory of Christ over sin on the cross. It is the good news that God’s order will be restored and the effects of sin will no longer plague God’s creation. The gospel entails the realignment of all aspects of the created order according to God’s wisdom. While this broader sense of the gospel is prominent within the New Testament, the Old Testament’s treatment of the gospel within the context of the nation of Israel and the nations with whom they come into contact offers a distinctive picture of the various intersecting areas of creation impacted by the gospel.

Issues, for instance, of politics, bureaucracy, corporate care of the disenfranchised, as well as the intersection of religious and national leadership, feature prominently in the Old Testament. This prominence should not suggest a sharp distinction between a “corporate” orientation in the Old Testament and an individual orientation in the New. Such characterizations deny the communal, political, and social aspects of the New Testament, as well as the individual spirituality developed within the Old Testament.8 In truth, even the separation of individual and communal is misleading in so much as it overshadows the interdependent relationship between individuals and the communities of which they are a part.

Another aspect of the Old Testament’s unique presentation of the gospel is related to the manner in which the gospel is articulated. Unique depictions of human suffering and emotion may be found in the wisdom, poetic, and prophetic literature of the Old Testament. Job’s debates in the midst of suffering, the imprecatory prayers of the Psalter, and the anguished cries voiced by Jeremiah represent raw, impassioned expressions of God’s people who struggle to reconcile their situation with their understanding of God. God’s faithfulness and single-minded desire to restore a right relation between himself, his people, and his creation demonstrates his worthiness, compassion, and empowering presence among those who believe in him.

Old Testament theology provides present-day believers with resources to align their lives with God’s character and to participate with Him as he transforms creation. The Old Testament serves as one of the resources available to present-day believers as they seek to live theologically in modern-day contexts by looking back and remembering the past acts of God amongst his people. Engaging in Old Testament theology is an act of memory in so much as “memory is the central faculty of our being in time . . . the negotiation of past and present through which we define our individual and collective selves.”9 In other words, as believers engage in Old Testament theology, they seek to understand themselves, the historical community of faith of which they are a part, and the whole of creation in light of and in relation to God.

Introduction to This Old Testament Theology

The manner in which an Old Testament theology is structured has an impact on the overall theology itself. The current volume has been organized based on Old Testament themes arranged to follow the general storyline of the Old Testament as it appears in the protestant canon with two additional chapters discussing Old Testament theology in light of the contemporary interests in the increasing influence of multiethnic discourse and the growing influence of digital technologies in today’s world. Themes will be addressed through a broad, synthetic treatment of the theme and its appearance throughout the Old Testament, as well as through a more focused treatment of the theme within a key passage in which the topic is developed. The theme will then be discussed in relation to the New Testament with a particular emphasis placed on the relation of these themes to the gospel. Finally, each chapter will examine the implications for the modern-day believer and community of faith.

The thematic chapters are arranged with the intention of communicating the storyline of the Old Testament. Chapter 2 addresses the Old Testament’s treatment of creation with an exegesis of Genesis 1. This discussion of creation is followed by the ancillary themes of “abundance and faithfulness” (chapter 3), structural evil (chapter 4), and covenant (chapter 5). These four chapters provide an overview of the primordial history and transition into the patriarchal age with the formation of the covenant. This portion of the Old Testament theology seeks to establish a basis for understanding God as benevolent creator whose love and care for His creation endures despite human rebellion.

Chapters six through nine address themes deriving from Israel’s initial liberation from Egypt (chapter 6) to the establishment of God’s temple (chapter 9) with intervening chapters related to Torah (chapter 7) and the messiah in the psalter (chapter 8). These themes were chosen as they represent key events in the formation of the nation of Israel and the definition of Israel’s relationship to God. This section of this book demonstrates the distinct character of God as Sovereign over Israel, as well as the potential for Israel to live a unique, God-empowered life with God amongst the nations through obedience to God’s commands.

The final thematic section discusses the enduring presence of God among his people (chapter 10), as well as the sort of loyalty and trust required of God’s people during times of turmoil and transition (chapter 11). Human suffering (chapter 12) will be examined alongside the themes of hope (chapter 13) and renewal (chapter 14). This final thematic section demonstrates God’s continued presence with His people despite difficult circumstances. It also addresses the manner in which God safeguards His people in order to usher in renewal.

Following the thematic section, the multiethnic church and the impact of the digital age will be addressed. “Old Testament Theology for a Multiethnic Church” will offer an introductory exploration of the possibilities and challenges of involving global voices in the task of Old Testament theology. The chapter focuses Old Testament theology as an academic field offering possibilities for stronger connections between the church and the academe.

“Old Testament Theology and the Digital Age” will explore the ways in which the thinking and learning is changing in the digital age and the manner in which these changes influence Old Testament theology. The rise of digital natives and digital immigrants has introduced new cultural perspectives and means of communication that may inform the presentations, if not the methods, of Old Testament theologians. Digital natives have a seemingly limitless amount of information at their fingertips. The potential benefits and pitfalls of such access are explored in this final chapter.

Old Testament Theology provides an often undervalued role in the life of the church. The Old Testament’s portrayal of God provides a rich picture of God’s interactions with his fallen creation while anticipating the redemption of that creation in the New Testament. Any treatment of Old Testament theology must surely acknowledge the unique witness of Old Testament, as well as the Old Testament’s connection to the New Testament. As Seitz notes, “The Old Testament tells a particular story about a particular people and their particular God, who in Christ we confess as our God, his Father and our own, the Holy One of Israel. We have been read into a will, a first will and testament, by Christ.”10 The Old Testament is not a book foreign to the Christian faith, but an integral part of that faith. It is not a book set apart, but an essential chapter in the full story of God and His people. In this sense, the study of Old Testament theology must maintain a highly Christian character deeply rooted in the contemporary church.

Bibliography for Continued Study

Adam, Peter. Hearing God’s Words: Exploring Biblical Spirituality. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2004.

Kaiser, Walter C., Jr. “A Principlizing Model.” In Four Views on Moving beyond the Bible to Theology, 19–50. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009.

Goldingay, John. Old Testament Theology: Israel’s Gospel. Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity, 2015.

Goldsworthy, Graime. Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics: Foundations and Principles of Evangelical Biblical Interpretation. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2010.

Olick, Jeffrey K. States of Memory: Continuities, Conflicts, and Transformations in National Retrospection. Durham: Duke University Press, 2003.

Ollenburger, Ben C. Old Testament Theology: Flowering and Future. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2016.

Sheriffs, Deryck. Friendship of the Lord. 1996. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2004.

Seitz, Christopher R. Figured Out: Typology and Providence in Christian Scripture. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2001.

———. Word without End: The Old Testament as Abiding Theological Witness. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.

Vanhoozer, Kevin J. The Drama of Doctrine: A Canonical Linguistic Approach to Christian Doctrine. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2005.

Williams, Rowan. On Christian Theology. Oxford: Blackwell, 2000.

Zimmerli, Walther. Old Testament Theology in Outline. Translated by Davied E. Green. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1978.

1. Zimmerli, Old Testament Theology, 12. For examples of the various methods used in the production of Old Testament theology up to the early 2000s, see Ollenburger, Old Testament Theology.

2. While principles do arise from the biblical text, there can be a tendency to separate principles from the theological context of the broader Israelite narrative. For instance, the rationale behind the prohibition against muzzling oxen while they are treading grain is that Israel has a God willing and able to supply for the needs of the community. Allowing oxen to eat while treading grain is a theological act which recognizes and proclaims God’s sufficiency. There is not so much a general principle here as there is an understanding of God that has implications for particular acts within the context of the Israelite community and, later, for the church in Corinth (1 Cor 9:9–12). Contrast this reading with that offered by Kaiser, “A Principlizing Model,” 7–8.

3. Williams, On Christian Theology, xiii.

4. Barr as quoted in Seitz, Figured Out, 5.

5. Goldsworthy, Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics, 19.

6. Goldingay, Old Testament Theology, 28.

7. Vanhoozer, The Drama of Doctrine, 31.

8. For a helpful analysis and survey of Old Testament spirituality, see Adam, Hearing God’s Words, 47–80. Note also Sheriffs, The Friendship of the Lord.

9. Olick. States of Memory, 15.

10. Seitz, Word Without End, 11.