Although most of the Old Testament is written as a narrative, it is seldom read as such. The purpose of this unit is, therefore, to examine how Genesis to Nehemiah should be read as a narrative.
We will start off by looking at what narrative is, how it functions and how it should be read. With this as a basis, we will be looking at the meta-narrative (‘big picture’ narrative) of the Old Testament and subsequently consider the building blocks that make up the narrative.
With the author as our guide, we will enter the world of the narrative. Through the author’s eyes, we will meet different characters and experience another world. We will also look at the interaction between the characters and, in the process, learn to know the main character better – who He is and what He is like. Furthermore, we will also inquire how the author, through His narratives, draws His audience into His story-world and changes their worldview.
Having engaged with the characters in the story and experienced another world, we will hopefully leave the narrative-world with a different perspective on the characters of the narrative, especially the main character, ourselves and the world we live in. The hope is that the narrative would have fulfilled its purpose in changing our worldview.