Story as Torah

by Gordon J. Wenham

How do the grand stories of Israel and her heroes, as well as the many seemingly mundane incidents found in these narrative stories, help guide today's readers in their daily behavior?

Renowned scholar Gordon Wenham offers Story as Torah, a succinct monograph demonstrating how Old Testament narratives can indeed function as "Torah," informing one's ethical choices. He uses the books of Genesis and Judges as test cases, working with texts that offer clear moral guidance as well as those in which the ethical teaching is at first glance dubious.

This accessible book will help seminarians, pastors, and other students of the Bible use Old Testament narratives responsibly.

Genres: Theology, Old Testament, Biblical Studies

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Gordon J. Wenham was a Reformed British Old Testament scholar and writer. He has authored several books about the Bible. Tremper Longman has called him "one of the finest evangelical commentators today."

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author takes a great deal of liberty with what the Bible actually says. He puts Barak into the list of judges in place of Deborah, even though the Bible could not be more clear as to her role in Israel. He says that Eve "encouraged" Adam to eat the fruit and that God gave the command to be fruitful and multiply to Adam when the Bible says he was talking to both Adam and Eve. In the section on Shechem's rape of Dinah, the author suddenly changes from Shechem raping Dinah to talking about Shechem and Dinah's "offense" and makes it sound like the actual crime was premarital sex. It's hard to take a book about the Bible seriously when the author changes or adds to what Scripture says. Additionally, while the book claims that it will teach the student of Scripture how to find ethical teachings in the OT narratives, most of it is simply the author telling the reader what the ethics of a given passage are. I gave this book 2 stars instead of 1 because there are some good nuggets in there, especially in the chapter on New Testament perspectives. Nevertheless, I wouldn't recommend this book.

[Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like a 3.5, really. This book is entirely worth reading. My one substantial criticism is I would have liked more explicit discussion of exegetical principles and criteria. I say "explicit" because the reader can pick up a good bit more than the criteria Wenham initially gave by paying attention to his excellent interpretations.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In most OT narrative the narrator is apparently omniscient. He informs the reader about what people think, what they do in secret, and most importantly what God thinks. (10)
Keywords in Genesis: zera: ‘seed’ or ‘offspring’. ‘Seed’ in Hebrew and English is a collective, so while it usually refers to descendants in the plural, ‘your seed will be as the dust of the earth’ (28:14), it may refer to a single individual, such as Ishmael (21:3). (20)
Another term used more often in Genesis than in any other biblical book is ‘bless, blessing’ (Hebrew berek, berakah). It is especially frequent in the context of the patriarchal narratives, but is makes several significant appearances in the introductory chapters, where God blesses the birds and fishes (1:22), mankind (1:28), the Sabbath (2:3) and Noah (9:1). (21)
The third word in Genesis used so often that it has become a keyword or leitmotif is ‘land, earth’ (‘eres) and the associated term ‘ground’ (adamah). Eres refers to the earth as opposed to the heavens in 1:1, the dry land as opposed to the sea in 1:10, political territory such as Egypt, 45:19, but specially Canaan the promised land. e.g.12:1, 5 (21)
Most of the key words occur together in 12:-3, the call of Abraham, generally regarded as programmatic for the whole of Genesis:
Go from your country...to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth will find blessing.
‘Bless’ or ‘blessing’ occurs five times here, ‘land’ or ‘earth’ three times, and though the world ‘seed’ is not found here, that is clearly presupposed by the promise of nationhood. (21)
From this point in Genesis nearly all of the speeches attributed to God are concerned with these promises, developing them, elaborating them, and making them more explicit and definite. Much of the human dialogue too is explicitly or implicitly concerned with them. There are four elements within these promises that keep recurring: (1) descendants /nationhood; (2) land; (3) covenant relationship; and (4) blessing to the nations. The development of each promise may be traced through Genesis. For example the land promise starts out very vague: ‘a land I will show you’ (12:1). It becomes more precise in 12:7 ‘this land’, and yet more in 13:5 ‘all the land which you see’. Its boundaries are defined in 5:8, ‘from the river of Egypt to the ...rive Euphrates’, and finally in 17:8, ‘all the land of Canaan’ and said to be ‘for an everlasting possession’. Similar developments can be traced in the elaboration of the other aspects of the promise. These promise elements of land, descendent and covenant relationship are the most visible components of blessing, which is the overarching concept in the book of Genesis (22).
These features have led David Clines to define the theme of the Pentateuch as follows: ‘the partial fulfillment - which implies the partial non-fulfillment - of the promise to or blessing of the patriarchs. the promise or blessing is both the divine initiative in a world where human initiatives always lead to disaster, and a re-affirmation of the primal divine intentions for man.’ (22)
This is an excellent summary of the theme of Genesis at least. Strangely in his detailed discussion of the promises Clines omits the promise of blessing to the nations, which is very prominent in the most programmatic statements of the promise in 12:1-3, 22:6-18; 26:2-5;28:13-4. Though there is little explicit reference to its fulfillment in Genesis, there are some notable examples of divine blessing on the nations through the actions of Abraham or his descendents in the book (chs 14, 20, 26, 47), so that it should not be ignored. It also serves as an important connection with the opening chapters, which sets Israel within the context of world history and relates its destiny to the other nations (23).
The first account of creation concludes with God resting from all his work on the seventh day and blessing and sanctifying it (2:1-3). This shows that while the creation of man may be the climax of creation, its goal is rest. Though the seventh day is not called the Sabbath, the word for rest sound almost the same (sabat), so that any Hebrew reader would say that God was observing the sabbath. Remarkably too the seventh day was blessed, a keyword in Genesis, but elsewhere God blesses on animate creatures, whether animal or human. And apart from the sabbath only one festival day is ever declared a holy day (Neh 8:9). This accumulation of unusual terms shows the prominence given to the sabbath here. Coming so soon after the comment that man is made in the image of God, God’s rest on the seventh day is clearly being set out as model for mankind to follow (cf. Exod 20:11). This paragraph then has the clearest ethical implications for the whole section. (27)
But strangely there is no other clear references to the sabbath in Genesis. The idyllic portrayal of the Garden of Eden in chapter 2 conveys an air of sabbatical bliss, though the mention that Adam would have to till the ground implies that not every day would be a sabbath for him! Interestingly in the flood story both God and Noah work on a weekly cycle, which suggests they both observed the sabbath (7:4, 10; 8:10, 12). Here the righteous Noah is following God’s working practices. But though we may infer Noah kept the sabbath, there are no hints that the patriarchs did. This is striking in the light of the prominence given to the sabbath in 1:1-2:3 (27).
Despite their very different approaches to war and peace and national leadership Judges and Genesis do share a number of common assumptions. The first is that the land has been given by God to Israel. (74)
The second feature common to both books is the conviction that the land of Israel is meant to enjoy peace. Genesis portrays the whole world, God, mankind and the animals, initially at peace with each other. Then of course human disobedience leads to conflict between all the parties, tearing apart even such fundamental institutions as marriage and the family and leading to nations at war with each other. Nevertheless the patriarch, at least in their mature old age, work for peace and reconciliation within their families and with their neighbors. Judges too reflects a yearning for peace. The first four judges brought the nation 200 years of rest, but later judges despite their divine call and endowment with the Spirit failed to bring any. Indeed the book closes with all the tribes at war, in danger of annihilating each other. (74)
Clearly Micah falls far short of the law’s standards: he breaks the first two commandments and does not realise he is doing wrong. But would a halachic conformity to the letter of the law have made him a good person in the eyes of the author of Judges? Is it sufficient just to avoid breaking the law? Are the narratives simply written to encourage their readers to be law-abiding citizens? These questions bring us to the heart of the Old Testament narrative ethics. While an obedience-to-the-law ethic is central to most books of the Old testament, including the narrative works, it is not the only strand: the Bible is also interested in the character of individuals and the virtue or otherwise of their actions, in the communal dimension of behavior, and in the call to imitate God. I shall therefore first argue that obedience to the rules is not a sufficient definition of the Old Testament ethics, but that much more is looked for from members of the covenant people than this. Then I shall sketch briefly the importance of virtue, community values, and the imitation of God for an understanding of the values of the biblical narrators. (79)
But the Bible goes beyond legal sanctions and negative commands: its ethico-religious ideal is wholly positive. Israel is enjoined to love the Lord with all her heart, soul and strength. To walk after, cleave to, and to love him. Though it has been correctly pointed out that these are the actions required of loyal treaty partners, and that love and fear of God is expressed chiefly through keeping his commandments, it is wrong to reduce love to obedience. It is obedience, but more than obedience. This covenantal loyalty is also the attitude looked for within a family, between children and parents, and between spouses. Israel’s loyalty to and affection for her God should mirror his love for her. In the psalms there are glimpses of the human spirit reaching out towards this goal. Ps 84:2 (81).
This discussion of the first commandment illustrates the gap between law and ethics. The law merely punished extreme forms of disloyalty to God, i.e. religious apostasy and idolatry, and prohibited actions such as intermarriage that might lead to the ultimate religious disloyalty. But fearing, loving, cleaving to the Lord was not fulfilled just by avoiding worship of other gods. The ethico-religious goal was far deeper and more embracing; it involved both loyalty to God and an enjoyment of his presence. (82)
The laws of homicide and biblical attitude to life also illustrate the gap between law and ethics. At the level of willful homicide the principle of talion is strictly applied: ‘life for life’ is the basic principle governing the punishment of those who take human life deliberately (Exodus 21:23, Lev 24:19-21; Deut 19:19-21). Numbers 35 and Deuteronomy 19 give a number of examples to show how different types of homicide are to be categorised and dealt with. These passages illustrate the law’s concern to keep the land free from blood guilt, but otherwise only hint at the wider implications of preserving human life. (82)
Much more revealing for the relationship between law and ethics is Gen 9:1-7. ...The creator wants the world to be filled with God-shaped creatures, with human beings. Those who oppose the divine plan to populate the earth with men in the divine likeness, who take the life of their fellow men, must themselves be eliminated. Capital punishment for murder thus paradoxically reflects the pro-life ethos of the Bible (83).
Thus, though the law does not require monogamy of Israelite husbands, perhaps because it would have been difficult to enforce, it is clear that the biblical writers did not expect people just to live by the law. They hoped for better behavior. Life-long monogamy was the creator’s intention, and those who do not follow this pattern may well face difficulties (86).
Thus out of the stories of Genesis we can build up a catalogue of the virtues as they are perceived by the author, an identikit picture of the righteous, He or she is pious, that is prayerful and dependent on God. Strong and courageous, but not aggressive or mean. He or she is generous, truthful and loyal, particularly to other family members. The righteous person is not afraid to express emotions of joy, grief or anger, but the last should not spill over into excessive revenge, rather he should b ready to forgive. Finally righteousness does not require asceticism: the pleasures of life are to be enjoyed without becoming a slave to them. (100)
While Deuteronomy looks for peace as a result of Israel’s enemies being defeated, Genesis looks rather for the blessing of the nations through Abraham’s offspring (102).
[B.C.] Birch thus understands the narrative as directed at forming the character of Israel as a nation: it defines the national identity. But the laws themselves are directed at individuals and extended families and tribes without the nation. So to the stories of Genesis and Judges deal with groups and families who were parts of the much broader people, and they too have an educational function showing how the parts should relate to the whole. ‘You shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation’ (Exod 19:6) sums up the individual and corporate vision of Exodus. A collection of holy individuals makes a holy nation, which can serve as a mediator between Gd and the nations of the world (103).
In this chapter, we have tried to make two main points. First that the ethical expectations of the Old Testament are higher than the legal rules. Laws define a floor of tolerable behavior. Break them and punishment follows. But that does not mean that simply keeping the laws is sufficient. It is not enough to avoid worshipping other gods: the Lord wants Israel to love him with their whole heart, mind and strength. It is not good enough not to commit adultery, the Old Testament expects husbands and wives to love, care for and protect each other. Ethical duty involves much more than keeping the law. (104).
‘For the Old Testament as we have it ethics is a matter of imitative the pattern of God’s own actions, in salvation and in creation, because these spring from a pattern which always exists in his own mind and by which he governs the world with justice and mercy.’ ‘The Life of God models the moral life. God is experienced by Israel and mediated to subsequent generations through the canon is to be imitated as moral agent, in both character and conduct.’ (105)
The rationale for this demand is found in the opening chapter of Genesis: ‘God created man in his own image’(1:27)...It is now accepted on the basis of extra-and intra-biblical parallels that mankind is viewed as God’s representative on earth. He is God’s vice-gerent appointed to rule the earth in a godlike way. He is given dominion over other creatures (Gen 1:28; Ps 8:4-8). Human actions are expected to echo divine, whether in fruitfulness or in observing the sabbath (Gen 1:28, 2:1-3; Exod 20:11). (105)
Kings and commoners must exhibit divine virtues in their behaviour, pursuing justice and caring for the poor (Deut 10:17-19; 14:28-29; Job 29:2-17; Ps 72). Fidelity, love, generosity and forgiveness are displayed in God’s dealings with mankind, and men should treat their fellow human beings in similar fashion. (105)
Ex 34:6-7 sums up God’s character, which is illustrated throughout the biblical narrative and celebrated in nearly every psalm. Yet it is precisely these qualities that God looks for among his people: they are to reflect, even positively imitate his character. Israel is to be loving and faithful, Deut 10:12.
But most often their [patriarchs] behavior is mixed, neither outstandingly virtuous nor catastrophic, perhaps somewhat better than the typical ancient reader but not too much better: good enough to be an inspiration, but not such paragons as to discourage the implied reader from trying to emulate them. Nevertheless their mixed ethical achievement does not generate a sense of complacency in the reader, rather it serves as a reminder that God still keeps his promises and is loyal to his people despite their shortcomings. (107)
It is argued that although the law gives some clues to the writers’ outlook, it represents the floor of acceptable behavior not its ceiling.

[Douglas Fyfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an important book looking at how to read Old Testament narratives from the perspective of the implied author and to the implied reader. This is an important distinction, and introducing speech-act theory into a realm which is usually dominated by source criticism is refreshing. The focus on the whole of Genesis as one narrative was enlightening, and the careful engagement with Judges (which he has not written about elsewhere, in contrast to his prolific work in the Pentateuch) was a delight to read.

I thought the implications for dating when read in this way were fascinating, although it is very much a subjective decision. Nonetheless, the reasoning behind dating both books to the united monarchy made sense, even if it will be disputed.

The push back against marcionite impulses in the church was well explored in the concluding chapters, as would be expected (especially considering his Christian reflections in his Leviticus commentary in the NICOT series). In all a great book, well paced, and thoroughly engaging.

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the first half of the book is meant to set a foundation for the discussion via an expositional analysis of Genesis & Judges, it gets off to a pretty slow start. The analysis is very important for the discussion, but most readers are going to be interested in what the book’s subtitle promises, which is found in the latter half.

Apart from taking some liberties with various passages & stories, as well as doubling down on interpretations the author repeatedly asserts are not of actual importance to the subject at hand, this book provides useful tools & guidance for considering ethics one may find in the various OT narratives apart from the Law, perhaps allowing for a more realistic & empathetic understanding of the stories as well as more genuine interpretations.

[Beniamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great perspective on the ethical relation between the Old Testament narratives and the New Testament.

[Rodney Harvill · Rating 4 out of 5]

In some cases, narrative portions of the Bible include ethical commentary. This may be a rebuke of a king by a prophet or a summary statement about a kings reign describing him as good or evil. However, a significant amount of narrative in the Bible merely describes what happened without making an explicit ethical judgment. In dealing with such passages, theologians often come to radically different conclusions regarding the rightness or wrongness of an action or behavior described. This book attempts to bring some clarity to such passages.

Two different narrative books are analyzed:
- Genesis
- Judges

Genesis is divided up into two sections, primeval history (chapters 1-11) and patriarchal history (chapters 12-50), which are analyzed separately. The first creation account (1:1-2:3) affirms monotheism and God's sovereignty and demonstrates that celestial bodies and creatures worshiped as gods are nothing more than part of the created order. Furthermore, it affirms that man is the culmination of creation, which is progressively made suitable for human habitation over the course of the creation week. Man's creation in God's image underlines the sanctity of human life and signifies man's role as steward on earth. The second creation account provides God's ideal for marriage, one man and one woman, only one Eve having been created for Adam, in a durable, close and harmonious relationship. This ideal is contrasted with the subsequent reality of marital disharmony and polygamy. The ubiquity of sin is put on display, with even the blameless Noah falling victim to sin. The patriarchal account justifies Israel's claim to its territory and argues for a peaceful relationship between the tribes and between Israel and its neighbors. It also looks forward to a Judaean royal dynasty.

Judges portrays Israel becoming progressively more evil and corrupt, as demonstrated by the declining quality of the judges. After all, they were a reflection of the broader culture. Increasing disunity among the tribes culminated in a civil war that nearly destroyed the tribe of Benjamin.

One chapter of the book compares ethical ideals and the law and concludes that the law constitutes a bare minimum ethical requirement. For example, the laws regarding marriage did not measure up to the high ideals of the creation account, reflecting toleration rather than approval of such practices as divorce and bigamy. Genesis portrays human beings made in the image of God, obligated to try to imitate God in their dealings with each other and the rest of creation. The patriarchs have a mixed record, sometimes behaving virtuously, sometimes falling short. Even so, God keeps his promises to His people regardless of their failings, the ultimate example of high ideals.

Two controversial narrative accounts that provoke significant disagreement among commentators are evaluated. The first is the rape of Dinah by Shechem, which was avenged by her brothers Simeon and Levi when they took matters in their own hands by deceiving and massacring the city's inhabitants, not just the man who raped her, after their father Jacob essentially stood by and did nothing. Everyone involved appears to be in the wrong. Jacob feared reprisals that never came because a terror from God fell upon the surrounding cities. This is an example of God's faithfulness to His promises in spite of the shortcomings of His people. The second account pertains to Gideon. God had appointed him as judge and instructed him to deliver his people from foreign oppression, which he did. Yet, he treated the kings he conquered in a vengeful manner. In addition, he grossly abused two cities that had declined to help him in his campaign. Was he an example to follow or a warning of how not to behave? Is this even the right question to ask? Rather, this account shows God acting through imperfect people, being faithful to His covenant in spite of Israel's unfaithfulness.

The book closes with a brief discussion of the New Testament, noting that scholars often focus on legal, prophetic and wisdom texts of the Old Testament without consideration of an overarching ethical vision common to both Old and New Testaments and attempts to bring some perspective to the oversight.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can we draw ethical norms from Old Testament narratival passages? There seems to be two extremes in answering this question. One is the moralistic, Sunday School approach of turning everything into a "Be like Daniel" or "Don't be like Esau" sort of thing. In reaction to this, others have gone to the other pole and said no, never, that's not the point at all of those narratives.

Wenham, as you can imagine, settles in the middle. He recognizes that the Biblical authors wrote for theological reasons, but surely for ethical ones as well. He homes in on Genesis and Judges to show why this is so. He discusses when and why they were written, and while I might not agree with his conclusions (he argues for later dates than I might, but he does stress that he's talking about their final form, which does allow some latitude in disagreement), his points are strong--these books were written to accompany the Mosaic Law in shaping the lives of their readers.

So, how can you tell the author wants us to draw ethical conclusions from the behavior of characters in his narratives. Well, first, the behavioral pattern should be repeated in a number of different contexts. Second, this context must be positive. Third, remarks elsewhere (legal codes, psalms, wisdom literature) often shed light on the behavior depicted. If these three elements are present, Wenham argues, you can be pretty sure an ethical lesson is being taught.

So, for example, what are the Genesis narratives teaching? As Wenham summarizes, they teach that the righteous man is "pious, that is prayerful and dependent on God. Strong and courageous, but not aggressive or mean. He is generous, truthful and loyal, particularly to other family members. The righteous person is not afraid to express emotions of joy, grief or anger, but the last should not spill into excessive revenge, rather he should be ready to forgive. Finally, righteousness does not require asceticism: the pleasures of life are to be enjoyed without becoming a slave to them" (100). You can go through this list one by one and draw connections with various Genesis accounts to see where Wenham is getting his list. He sees Genesis as setting a very lofty (unattainable?) ideal, but he is quick to point out that the God who sets this ideal is very clearly presented as one who is ready to forgive when we fall short.

My favorite part of this book is a point that Wenham has written strongly on elsewhere as well. This is what he calls the "gap between law and ethics." To put it simply, the requirements of the law are the floor of what is expected of God's people, not the ceiling; that is, they are the bare minimum. Don't think you've fulfilled the commandments just because you've never slept with another woman nor slain another man. You're just getting started (the Westminster larger catechism makes this point very well in its exposition of the commandments; not to mention Jesus in the sermon on the mount). This should be self-evident. Think of someone you highly respect in the faith, and consider all their character qualities that are not explicitly demanded in the law. The Biblical ethic is far higher than a mere list of dos and don'ts, and the narrative portions of Scripture begin to fill in that large gap between floor and ceiling.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Narrative passages can be notoriously difficult to interpret because they rarely contain explicit statements about what the author is trying to convey; instead you have to infer what the author is seeking to say from the way he presents the story and clues it contains.

Wenham looks at the narratives in the Old Testament, especially those in Genesis and Judges. He gives some helpful principles for determining whether the author approves of a characters conduct or not. I found his overviews of Genesis and Judges particularly helpful. His treatment of two difficult passages in these books (the rape of Dinah and the story of Gideon) is insightful and thought provoking.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. Definitely worth returning to.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on reading the Torah (first 5 books of the OT) as story genre rich in theology.