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The Word Became Fresh: How to Preach from Old Testament Narrative Texts Paperback – September 20, 2012

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 111 ratings

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“…I still believe that traditional Old Testament criticism has had the effect of killing the Old Testament for the church. This little tome can hardly reverse that, but it is meant as an exercise in reading the Old Testament for fun and profit. As my mother–in–law used to say, ‘It’s different anyway.’ And maybe it will help. Most of what I do in the following pages involves discussing examples of Old Testament narratives. I have tried to select examples from a broad range of possibilities. By the way, I assume that you have the biblical text handy in order to carry on your ‘Berean’ work.” Dale Ralph Davis

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Editorial Reviews

Review

I think Davis succeeds admirably in his goal. I found myself stirred up reading the book. He writes well and shows how, even though there are difficult and confusing parts of Scripture, it is not that difficult to find key truths. This is a very encouraging and helpful book.

-- Ray Van Neste (Director, R. C. Ryan Center for Biblical Studies, Union University, Jackson, Tennessee)

"Davis maintains that avoidance of difficult texts ‘gets us and nowhere and impoverishes the church'. His excellent chapter on appropriation/application includes the damming sentence: ‘ I hold a reader who does not appropriate and/or a teacher who will not apply Scripture is practising abortion on the Bible'
You may or may not want to imitate Davis Style but if you read this book you will want to lift his structures and insights straight off the page. And that is no bad thing for the church."

-- Ann Benton, London Women's Convention in Evangelical Now (Author and family conference speaker, Guildford, England)

"There is no more gifted expositor of the Old Testament in our day than Ralph Davis. His book not only brings scholarly research to bear on the subject, but also reflects his many years of preaching week after week through the Old Testament. What a gift to the church to have such a fine book."

-- Richard Pratt (President, Third Millennium Ministries, Orlando, Florida)

"Dale Ralph Davis has written a wonderfully straightforward, readable book entitled, The Word Became Fresh: How to Preach from Old Testament Narrative Texts (Christian Focus; pb., 154 pp.). Davis, like Goldsworthy, laments how complicated we have sometimes made biblical interpretation and instead outlines a basic approach to careful, sensible reading which opens up the theology of Old Testament narratives. This is one of those books that makes you want to preach after reading it!"

-- Preaching.com Bible and Bible Survey Review 2007

"With many examples, and that's exactly what Davis describes. With many examples, and interesting illustrations, he teaches us how to grapple honestly with what sometimes can be intimidating, difficult and uncomfortable portions of Scripture...This book is not only suitable for preachers and teachers, but can be read with great profit by all Christians who want to get more of a handle on Old Testament narrative."

-- Evangelical Times

This is vintage Dale Ralph Davis - accessible and practical scholarship in a readable and stimulating Style. The Subtitle of the book is 'How to preach from Old Testament narrative and that's exactly what Davis describes. With many examples, and that's exactly what Davis describes. With many examples, and interesting illustrations, he teaches us how to grapple honestly with what sometimes can be intimidating, difficult and uncomfortable portions of Scripture.

-- Evangelical Times

About the Author

Dale Ralph Davis is a renowned Bible teacher who lives in rural Tennessee. He has been a pastor in various churches and was Professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mentor; Revised edition (September 20, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1845501926
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1845501921
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.41 x 0.37 x 8.45 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 111 ratings

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4.7 out of 5 stars
111 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book helpful for preaching from Old Testament narratives. It provides insights into theology and application of narrative texts. Readers describe it as readable and fresh, with a respectful treatment of the text.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

14 customers mention "Narrative content"14 positive0 negative

Customers find this book helpful for preaching from Old Testament narratives. It provides insights into theology of revelation through narrative, and helps readers hear God's voice. Readers appreciate the good ideas, tips, and themes for preaching. The book fuels believers' delight in God's Word and provides interpretative clues throughout.

"...does focus on preaching the OT, it also gives a clear outline of Davis' approach to studying the OT, and I believe you'd be hard pressed to find a..." Read more

"...from Old Testament narrative texts, but written with such clarity, insight and freshness that I find it has much to offer anyone who is called to..." Read more

"...He furnishes the reader with incredibly helpful exegetical "angles" on these narratives, always striving to get as close to the center of meaning of..." Read more

"I found this to be a helpful resource in thinking through OT narrative texts...." Read more

5 customers mention "Readability"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and engaging. They appreciate how the author treats the text with respect and applies it to contemporary issues.

"...He treats the text with great respect. If something is there, he sees it as being there for a good reason...." Read more

"...task of preaching from Old Testament narrative texts, but written with such clarity, insight and freshness that I find it has much to offer anyone..." Read more

"...and it was fun to see how he incorporated hermeneutics and application of the text." Read more

"Davis' book is an easy read, but it is a great reminder of how the Lord reveals Himself in the OT narratives...." Read more

3 customers mention "Freshness"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's freshness.

"...narrative texts, but written with such clarity, insight and freshness that I find it has much to offer anyone who is called to preach God's word to..." Read more

"...inspires you to go to it again and again, seeing it in a new and fresh way...." Read more

"It truly is fresh!..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2008
    About a decade ago one of my former customers encouraged me to read the first of Dale Ralph Davis' Old Testament commentaries. It was on the Book of Judges, and subsequently, Davis produced commentaries on Joshua, 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings, all of which I acquired and read - usually more than once.

    If six commentaries strike you as too much for one book review, then the solution is to check out the book Davis produced in 2006 called The Word Became Fresh: How to Preach from Old Testament Narrative Texts. While this book does focus on preaching the OT, it also gives a clear outline of Davis' approach to studying the OT, and I believe you'd be hard pressed to find a better overview of OT Bible study anywhere.

    This book, like Davis' commentaries, is very readable and not at all heavy-going. Nor, on the other hand, is it lightweight; while Davis doesn't have the room here to work in detail, as he does in the commentaries, he still discusses background and structure.

    Davis is no slouch: he not only preaches what he writes, but he's also a full-blown Bible scholar. His footnotes often contain the views of other commentators he disagrees with. While he's never unpleasant towards these other writers, it's plain he's done his homework, and his reasons for saying what he does are valid.

    He's also a great storyteller. Both in this book and in his commentaries he backs up his arguments with stories from the American Civil War, or the Second World War (remember there are a lot of battles in the narratives!), or from his own experience. His own stories, like the rest of his writing, are full of wit and good humour.

    He treats the text with great respect. If something is there, he sees it as being there for a good reason. If it's obscure he'll do his best to elucidate it, but he won't speculate just so he can give an answer. Sometimes he admits that the answers aren't easy for modern readers.

    Perhaps his greatest gift is to remember that the Bible is literature. Time and again he clarifies the layout of a section or chapter by looking to see how the writer has planned the story. This is one of Davis' great skills: to be able to see the structure in the midst of what might appear to be randomness.

    This is a book for preachers, teachers and lay people. I can't recommend it highly enough!
    24 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2014
    This is a wonderful book, putatively about the task of preaching from Old Testament narrative texts, but written with such clarity, insight and freshness that I find it has much to offer anyone who is called to preach God's word to God's people.

    Davis believes that there is a prejudice, occasionally spoken but primarily inferred, against preaching from the Old Testament. The biases include the way God can be so easily be perceived as a God of vengeance, the admitted difficulty of wrestling with stories that seem to have little relevance to our day, and the fact that the Bible's hero, Jesus, is at best a hidden actor in the Old Testament. And after acknowledging the validity of these objections, Davis calls preachers to jump feet-first into the waters of the Old Testament, for there are indeed riches to be found there if we would but take the time and make the effort to learn how to handle the narratives well.

    Davis deals with the basics of Old Testament narrative interpretation in nine easy-to read chapters. He is not esoteric in any way but is always firmly anchored in the text and practical in method. Rather than stretching for an interpretation, one which may or may not be accurate and relevant, he teaches how to dig a bit more deeply and how to ask penetrating questions of the text, to find the riches God has provided for his people. His book is filled with generous examples and his prose is wonderful to read, using a style that is informal and yet highly informative. I highly commend this book for all preachers of God's word.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2014
    Reading this text, one thing becomes clear about the author: his chief concern is for the Lord of the Universe to speak most clearly through the proclamation of His Word.

    Davis provides profound insights into the inner-workings of narrative sections of Scripture, getting into the theology of revelation by narrative as well as the implications and the limitations of the genre in preaching. He furnishes the reader with incredibly helpful exegetical "angles" on these narratives, always striving to get as close to the center of meaning of the passage as intended by the author. Davis does not teach a method of interpretation or exegesis. Like a crime-scene investigator, he shows how the Hebrew narrative reveals so much meaning through style and nuance. Much of the book could be reduced to a large list of "do's" and "don'ts" for preaching through narrative texts--very practical advice for beginner (or advanced) preachers. Davis also uses dozens of interesting and illuminating illustrations to demonstrate complicated concepts and principles involved with interpreting narratives. Finally, Davis always gives advice for how to make application of the truths being communicated by these narratives to a congregation. Lots of thought-provoking (heart-provoking) points of application here.

    Davis' use of well-known and obscure Old Testament narratives will have you constantly turning to the pages of your Bible throughout reading this book. Be prepared to spend some serious time in God's Word as Davis' text inspires you to go to it again and again, seeing it in a new and fresh way. This has been among the best and most helpful books I have read in my seminary career.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2015
    I found this to be a helpful resource in thinking through OT narrative texts. Davis is a skilled expositor and it was fun to see how he incorporated hermeneutics and application of the text.
    One person found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • RG
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book on better understanding OT narratives
    Reviewed in Canada on January 27, 2018
    Very good book for anyone involved in preaching or teaching from the OT. The book is not focused on detailed commentary analysis but on major theological themes to better understand how to read and examine OT narratives and to see their relevance and applications for life today. Highly recommend this author and book.
  • At home
    5.0 out of 5 stars Pure DRR
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 6, 2014
    I discovered DRR several years ago, and I buy every book he brings out. This one, I didn't buy at first, because it seemed to be targeted at preachers. I finally did buy it, and found it to be very informative, accessible and fun to read. A great addition to any bookshelf.
  • Kenneth Brown
    5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for preachers
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 14, 2014
    As far as I can tell anything written by Dale Ralph Davis is worth reading. This is quite a short book but is really helpful in understanding narrative sections of the old Testament. Realy good and an enjoyable read.
  • G. Heath
    4.0 out of 5 stars helpful guidance for reading and understanding the Bible
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 8, 2020
    This book provides helpful advice on reading the Bible, encouraging the reader to ask the questions the text is seeking to address in order to make sense of difficult passages, instead of getting bogged down in questions the text isn't seeking to address.
  • Daniel Pollin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Preaching became fresh!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 26, 2013
    A real gem of a book. Offers practical guidance on how to faithfully & compellingly preach Christ form the Old testament without reducing it to moral lessons.