Journal: Southern Baptist Journal of Theology
Volume: SBJT 02:3 (Fall 1998)
Article: The Value of Old Testament Narratives: A Personal Reflection
Author: Paul R. House

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SBJT 2:3 (Fall 1998) p. 2

The Value of Old Testament
Narratives: A Personal Reflection

Paul R. House

Paul R. House is Rogers Professor of Old Testament Interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Editor of The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology. He is the author or editor of eight volumes and several scholarly articles.

A lifetime of Bible reading produces countless personal impressions. Some of these impressions are fleeting in their impact. Others, however, shape our lives. After some thirty years of consistent Bible reading, I have found that the Old Testament narratives have had a tremendous impact on my thinking, scholarship, and spiritual development. As we shaped this issue of the journal I had reason to reflect upon why this was so. I discovered that these powerful accounts challenge my questionable actions and affirm my correct decisions. They also press me to pass their message on to the next generation so that they, too, can grow towards maturity. I found that my academic preparation, writing and preaching, and personal devotion have all been affected by these passages. I also realized that these experiences have contributed to the shaping of my character.

Academic Preparation

I entered Southwest Baptist College as a Bible major with the intent of preparing for pastoral ministry. After a year of study, I encountered literature teachers who impressed me so much that I added an English major. What Tom Padgett, Betty Gipson, Joe Brown, and John Mercer gave me was an understanding of how to read and understand poetic and narrative texts. I learned from them how to analyze characters, plot, and themes, as well as how to appreciate literary artistry, which they considered evidence for human beings having been made in God’s image. They also forced me to read as if every text mattered and to deem valuable any information that shed light on a text. They made me a textual person, one who valued the written word. A subsequent Masters degree at the University of Missouri reinforced these convictions at a time when other institutions were chasing literary fads.

I never read the Old Testament narratives the same again. The text’s depiction of historical figures like Joshua, Samson, David, Huldah, and others now took on added texture. Plots spanning Joshua-Kings became more evident and increasingly rich. Themes and images I had not considered emerged. I learned that real events do not have to be recounted in a boring manner.

Often I read Old Testament scholars who treat the biblical text as if it has minimal value. When that happens I recall what Gilbert Porter, a Contemporary Novels teacher, told a class at the University of Missouri: “We take these novels seriously because they teach us how to live.” Then I wo...

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