How Bible Stories Teach Bible Doctrine

Peter Leithart's new commentary on First and Second Kings is an excellent study on how biblical narratives are used within the canon of scripture to teach doctrinal principles.

1 & 2 Kings (Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible) (Hardcover)
by Peter Leithart
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Brazos Press (November 1, 2006)
• ISBN-10: 1587431254

Some say that the difference between a theologian and a pastor is that a pastor must eventually make a decision. Something similar might be said for seeking to produce a theological commentary on scripture. Too many commentaries fancy themselves as “purely” exegetical works. Detached from the life of the Church they content themselves with pondering much, concluding little, and confessing nothing, except perhaps their unbelief. A theological commentary – to this reviewer at least - seeks to arrive at conclusions worth confessing from the text under consideration. Such commentaries should serve to encourage the church where it is biblically sound and exhort the church where it errs as they emerge in dialog with the text. Baker’s Brazos Commentary series aims to produce a new corpus of theological commentary on scripture. If the other volumes in this series compare favorably with Leithart’s work on Kings, they will have produced a stellar achievement indeed!

One of the major issues challenges facing the evangelical church this very moment concerns how to read the text of scripture with due regard to scripture as narrative and scripture as confessional norm. Some call this reading “along” the whole Bible (narrative) or “across” the Bible (doctrinal development). Given that a fresh crop of self-consciously “narrative” expositors use their newfound device to call everyone but themselves into question, confessional evangelicals have been rightly wary. What we currently lack are working models of how to read scripture’s narrative in a way that is not a “wax nose” that can be shaped to justify every heresy. Leithart’s work on Kings provides models and case studies in this regard throughout his commentary that should prove useful to the constructive end of reading the bible with narrative and confessional integrity.

American Christianity has not known quite what to do with the Old Testament for quite some time. Nearly a century of Dispensationalism “taught” us the Old Testament was an altogether different way of salvation for another people of God, and, though it didn’t work the first time, God would give it another try for a thousand years very soon. At best the text was viewed allegorically and, at worst, it was expounded boringly as a dusty history of something that mattered to somebody, somewhere, some time. Leithart’s introduction makes clear that he views the text from the standpoint of status within the Hebrew canon as a prophetic narrative, yet he is quick to note it’s connections with the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament as well. He concludes that the abiding message of the narrative in Kings is consistently Pauline in its emphasis on sola gratia. He then briefly mentions applications the narrative will have for both soteriology and ecclesiology as his exposition unfolds. Leithart does a fine job in his introduction of demonstrating how the message of the Kings deeply aligned with the Apostle Paul’s thinking in Romans 2:1 through 3:21. One may disagree with Leithart’s analysis of course, but nobody can accuse him of not adhering to the reformed insistence on the analogy of scripture wherein the Bible becomes its own best interpreter.

Summarizing the entire volume is beyond the scope of this review, but many readers will find it intriguing to learn how Leithart sees the text of Kings as they interact with Luther, Calvin, and the Protestant Reformation at many points. For example, in his exposition of 1 Kings 12:1 – 24 on pages 90 – 95. He writes:

1 – 2 Kings points to idolatry as the root cause of division within Israel and the church…. this is borne out by the history of the Protestant Reformation. Underlying sola fide was the confession that salvation and justification are found solo Christo, and this was for the Reformers simply another way of saying sola fide was inseparable from sola Deo Gloria. To say that one is justified and saved by faith alone is to say that salvation is God’s work, not the work of humans, and that salvation exalts and glorifies the saving God. The same principle is at the foundation of sola scriptura….Behind the affirmation of sola scriptura is the question of authority. Whose voice guides the church? Is the church guided by itself and God – or by the voice of God alone?

Leithart goes on to discuss both Calvin’s and Luther’s protest against idolatry in the medieval church and notes “Above all, Luther wanted to root out the subtle spiritual idolatry of treating God as a means to the end of one’s own spiritual satisfaction.” Even our devotions can become idolatrous when their fundamental purpose strays from seeking to “glorify God and enjoy Him forever” in the words of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. In this way, Leithart reads 1 – 2 Kings as a tract for the ages - which speaks to the concerns of its original hearers, Paul the Apostle, Augustine, the Reformers, and us.

The balance of the work consists of 39 expositions of 1st & 2nd Kings making it ideally suited as a companion text for the preacher or Bible teacher working through these books systematically. Though the commentary uses Hebrew characters, they are always joined with English translation. Each chapter of exposition averages 6 pages or so, and the reading involved is not overly technical so that it could be of use to serious church members as well as Hebraists. Given the lack of systematic Old Testament teaching in the church, hopefully Leithart’s work will inspire many to grapple with these books instead of skimming through them in the future. Leithart’s style is warm hearted and devotional; this work could even be used by the pastor wanting to challenge, inform, and feed his own soul…not just as grist for the sermon mill.