The art of biblical interpretation: A history of what God does

Over the last two posts I’ve been exploring the Bible as the covenant book. This post concentrates on the place of history in the Bible.

In the ancient world, when a great king made a covenant with his people, the document included an account of history (scholars call it the historical prologue). The king underlined what he had done for his subjects, how he protected them, and so reminded them why they owed him loyalty.

The Lord does the same thing in the covenants with Israel. His opening words in the covenant statement in Exodus 20 are “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Exod 20:2, cf. Deut 4:32-40, 8:2-9, 11:2-7). God’s relationship with Israel was based on his grace to them; he was their true king because he had rescued them and blessed them.

History matters in the entire Bible, not just in the specific covenant sections. The Bible opens with history, running from Genesis 1 to the middle of Exodus, and the rest of the Pentateuch has a historical framework. The rest of the Bible is also built around history. Like any covenant document, the history of God with his people is the basis for their relationship.

As we’d expect in a covenant book, the history of the Bible is primarily about what God does for his people. There are other aspects to it: we see how the people respond; other nations have a role in the events; there are famines and earthquakes. Yet the focus is clearly on what God has done. James Hamilton argues that the theme of the Bible is the glory of God in salvation through judgement; the focus is on what God does (JM Hamilton, God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment, Crossway, Wheaton, 2010, p. 41). Psalms 104-107 are an example. They give a remarkable overview of the history of Israel. Even Psalm 106, which is largely a confession of Israel’s sin, leads to the account of God’s judgement and mercy on Israel (Ps 106:40-46).

God’s actions show who he is. An old tradition in theology is to consider the doctrine of God through his titles. It is closer to the biblical approach to assume that God is known by his actions, and these give substance to the titles. God’s actions show that he is incomparable; there is no one else like him (Exod 8:10, 9:14, 15:11; Deut 3:24, 4:35; 1 Kgs 8:23; Ps 86:8; Jer 10:6, 49:19; Mic 7:18).

The great acts of God that identify him in the Bible include that he:

• makes all things (Gen 1; Ps 24:2, 89:11, 104:5; Isa 42:5)
• redeems his people in faithfulness to his promises to Abraham (Exod 3:7-22, 6:6-8; 1 Sam 12:8; Hos 11:1)
• defeats Pharaoh (Exod 7:5, 8:10, 14:4-18; 15:4-16; Deut 26:8; Judg 6:8; Ps 66:5-6, 77:11)
• forgives Israel (Exod 34:6-7; Num 14:18; 2 Chr 30:9; Neh 9:17; Ps 86:5-15, 103:8, 111:4, 112:4, 116:5, 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2)
• fulfils his promises through the Lord Jesus (Luke 1:69-73, 2:28-38, 4:18-21)
• raises Jesus from the dead (Rom 10:9; 1 Cor 6:14, 15:15; 2 Cor 1:9; Gal 1:1; Col 2:12).

The true God is the God of the gospel—because he is primarily identified by his acts of redemption for his people. Graham Cole summarizes this, saying that God reveals himself to be “the great Actor who speaks, creates, saves, judges and reveals” (G Cole, ‘Toward a New Metaphysic of the Exodus’, Reformed Theological Review 42/3 (1983), pp. 75-84).

The role of history in the Bible explains the type of history it records. Its point is not to give a comprehensive account or an explanation in terms of political actors or social forces. The Bible’s history is focused on what God does and how people relate to him, and is told in a way that highlights this.

So, as a covenant book, the Bible is shaped around history that shows who God is through what he has done for his people.

Further reading: MS Horton, Lord and Servant: A Covenant Christology, Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, 2005, pp. 22-65.