Essay: Making Sense of the Old Testament by Tremper Longman

Making Sense of the Old Testament is an extraordinary literary work marked by concision and creativity. Longman makes his goal clear from the very beginning, stating, “My argument in this volume is that it is vitally important for us to work at our appreciation and understanding of the Old Testament” (11). His hope is that this work will “help revive in the reader a sense of the importance of the Old Testament for Christian faith and practice” (12). Longman desires to help the interpreter of the Old Testament confront the obstacles before him.
Longman, Tremper III serves as a Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. He has authored many books. He specializes in Old Testament Theology and is one of the foremost Old Testament authors and scholars of modern times. He holds a Ph.D. from Yale University and a M.Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary.
Summary
Longman’s volume is organized in three chapters. He begins by presenting various keys to understanding the Old Testament. Here the author provides an overview of the study of the Old Testament and outlines the attractions and obstacles found therein. Then he shows how God communicates his revelation to us: God — human author — biblical text — first readers — present-day readers. With this paradigm in place, Longman recommends some principles for successful interpretation. The first principle is to discover the author’s intended meaning. The second principle is to “read Scripture in its context” (32) — which he calls the “most basic of all principles in reading literature” (32). Longman notes, “God chose to communicate his revelation to us in literary forms that we recognize from other written works” (32). The third principle is to “identify the genre of the book and passage” (39). Principle four is to “consider the historical and cultural background of the Bible” (47) while principle, five urges the interpreter to “consider the grammar and structure within the passage” (48). Principle six tells the interpreter to “interpret experience in the light of Scripture, not Scripture in the light of experience” (50). Longman’s seventh interpretive principle is to “always seek the full counsel of Scripture” (51). He notes here that “the most important ideas in the Bible are stated hundreds of times,” and that we must “determine the meaning of the unclear verse by examining the clear teaching of Scripture” (51). Principle eight states, “Discover how the Scripture passage presents Jesus Christ” (51) and principle nine concludes this section by advising the interpreter to “be open-minded and tolerant of other interpretations” (53).
In his next section, Longman’s aim to answer the false Old Testament stereotypes plaguing Christians by showing the intricate unity of the Testaments. These stereotypes consist of how they perceive the different portrayals of God in each of the Testaments. Longman shows how God is the center of both the Old and New Testaments, the “obvious answer” (59) to what the Bible is about. Longman notes that “God is presented in the concreteness of vivid similes and metaphors [that] arise out of everyday experience” (59) and occur in “distinct phases” (86). The relationships that God possesses with his people as their covenant king of the Old Testament with Jesus Christ fulfilling that covenant. He also serves as our divine warrior, which shows “strong continuity as we move from the holy wars of Yahweh to the spiritual warfare of Jesus and then finally to the climactic battles associated with the second coming of Christ and the fuller judgment” (71).
Finally the author deals with the practical issues of the Old Testament on the Christian life. He cites two different realms of thinking on this matter: that of dispensationalism and theonomy. Dispensationalism is defined as when God worked in the Old Testament through the law and the New Testament through grace. Theonomy argues, “the Old Testament laws and penalties are still in effect today” (105). Longman spends a considerable amount of time discussing the law in the Old Testament. The reasons are twofold. First, “the law provides the most obvious answers to the question under consideration” (123). Secondly, he notes “it is not immediately clear … exactly how the Christian relates to the law today” (123). Longman systematically addresses each genre of the Old Testament and takes the interpreter step-by-step through extracting principles to apply to the Christian life.
Critical Evaluation
Longman expertly exposes the commonalities of the Old Testament and New Testament while dealing honestly and directly with the main obstacles and issues arising from critics who see no connection. His prayer was that his words “will give help to those who struggle with the proper interpretation of the oldest portions of God’s written revelation to his human creatures” (12). Even though Longman lays a strong foundation in his dialogue with these various critics, he does succeed in presenting several good principles for solid interpretation. The reader will appreciate how Longman addresses not only ways to overcome the obstacles, but he presents the various obstacles in an objective and forthright manner. This type of understanding from a scholar with Longman’s credentials will connect with any reader regardless of their biblical or theological training.
The author seems to assess blame toward literal translations for hindering “sustained reading of large portions of Scripture” (19). What is puzzling is when he notes the first principle for successful interpretation is to “discover the author’s intended meaning” (23), how does he expect a layman to discover this when he disparages literal translations’? He falsely (and possibly unintentionally) equates accuracy with language that is Shakespearean and ‘high’ in nature — an unnecessary connection. If Longman truly desires for the preacher and interpreter to know the intended meaning of the author, then he should remain consistent in this mindset by advocating, not disparaging, literal translations.
Another weakness in Longman’s book is how in his ninth principle of interpretation, he exhorts the interpreter to “be open-minded and tolerant of other interpretations” (53). While in this postmodern age where truth and meaning are deemed relative to the individual, he then asks a bevy of rhetorical questions which, within the context of this section, he seems to categorize as teachings with “fuzzy edges [on] what the Bible leaves unclear” (54). These rhetorical questions address the creation account, the historicity of Jonah, the conditions of divorce, glossolalia, ordination of women into the ministry — among others. He notes that while we must study them and adopt positions, “we must acknowledge that God in his wisdom has not made the answers clear in his Word [as well as] embrace those with whom we disagree and carry on our discussions with them in the rich love of Christian fellowship” (54). Longman draws a rather disturbing line, for some who question the historicity of Jonah, given that Christ testified of his historical presence would have trouble fellowshipping with someone who denied the clear Word of God in general and Jesus’ account specifically. The same could be said of ordination of women into the ministry. Longman would have made his case quite well had he not included those rhetorical questions. Expositional preachers would and should take issue with anyone who questions the veracity of Scripture.
Conclusion
Overall, Longman does a good job defending his position and making his argument. By providing numerous examples of Scripture and various resources and tips, there is a wealth of knowledge that is offered to readers both young and old in their faith. The book itself is organized around three different questions about the Old Testament. In the first chapter, Longman lays out the keys to understanding the Old Testament. The second chapter centers around whether or not the God of the Old Testament is that same as that of the New Testament. The final question concerns how Christians ought to apply the Old Testament to everyday life.
While there are only three questions covered in this work, Longman does a good job of going in depth with content and covering the essentials in order to answer each of these questions effectively. Although in terms of theological readings this book is fairly short, it is not lacking in terms of punch. Longman stays focused, professional, and writes with authority while still making the text understandable. This book would be great for anyone looking to better understand and better appreciate the Old Testament, and is recommended for believers of all ages.
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