There is a very brief mention of Psalm 137 under the preaching method of “Contrast,” which treats this psalm as embodying the exact opposite of Christ’s teaching (interestingly, Greidanus’s discussion of this same psalm is lengthier and more circumspect in his earlier Preaching Christ from the Old Testament ), but none of the psalms selected as examples are imprecatory psalms. I was also surprised to find no substantive help in this book for preaching the imprecatory portions of the Psalms-surely one of the most significant issues for anyone in preaching from the Psalms. Certainly we want to avoid arbitrary eisegesis in our expositions, but I believe that is very far from what the New Testament writers were doing. Carson have provided a substantive response, defending the apostles from the charge of irresponsible exegesis. Greidanus is far from alone in this assessment of the NT use of the OT, but Dennis Johnson, Gregory Beale, and D. More seriously, Greidanus argues that modern preachers cannot adopt the apostolic hermeneutic, suggesting that it must be replaced by “a responsible, modern hermeneutic method” (8). One or two suggestions will raise eyebrows in more conservative Reformed circles, such as the idea that the reading of Scripture might be “supported by mime or drama” (44). This introductory material provides a fair survey of academic scholarship: its brevity means that it serves as a good refresher for those familiar with these topics, though beginners might wish for a bit more detail. Ultimately, the goal is always to preach Christ, and Greidanus believes that the seven methods he has outlined in his earlier works apply equally well here in the Psalter. At other times, the psalm seeks to address a need that we too share (43–44). He also has a few general comments about moving from psalm to application: often the pathway lies through an analogy between the psalmist and the congregation, or between Israel and the congregation. He rightly discourages attempts to reconstruct the supposed historical background from which the psalm comes, which is in many cases elusive. Palmer Robertson’s recent book, The Flow of the Psalms: Discovering Their Structure and Theology (2015), which is an excellent full-scale treatment of the subject). He briefly explores the role of the literary context within the psalter, noting the greater attention paid recently in academic scholarship to the editorial placement of each psalm (unfortunately, he finished his work before the appearance of O. In the introductory material, Greidanus defends preaching from the Psalms (as opposed to simply praying or singing the Psalms), and discusses the different genres of the psalms, along with various devices and features of Hebrew poetry.
Sidney greidanus audio genesis series#
The book concludes with six appendices, giving brief summaries of the author’s method of expository preaching, sample sermons by the author and his students, and suggestions for sermon series on the Psalms. Because Greidanus has chosen to follow the sequence of the Revised Common Lectionary, these psalms are not in the scriptural order-Psalm 1 is chapter 2 in the book, while Psalm 2 is chapter 10. The book is comprised of a forty-five-page introductory chapter, “Issues in Preaching Christ from the Psalms,” followed by detailed analysis of twenty-two specific psalms. Alongside his homiletic textbooks, he has now given us volumes on Genesis, Ecclesiastes, Daniel, and the Psalms, allowing us to watch over his shoulder as he crafts Christ-exalting sermons from a variety of Old Testament genres. It is therefore always welcome to see another book from the pen of Greidanus, the author of a well-regarded textbook on preaching Christ from the Old Testament. Too often, academic commentaries answer all the questions that no preacher is asking and no congregation needs to hear, while so-called homiletical resources are often academically flimsy and theologically lightweight. Resources in biblical exegesis aimed specifically at preachers are an all too rare commodity. Preaching Christ from Psalms: Foundations for Expository Sermons in the Christian Year, by Sidney Greidanus.
0 kommentar(er)
