Biblical theolgy Archives

Cover image of "Answering the Psalmist's Perplexity" by James Hely Hutchinson

Answering the Psalmist’s Perplexity (New Studies in Biblical Theology Number 62), James Hely Hutchinson. IVP Academic/Apollos (ISBN: 9781514008867) 2024 (Apollos-IVP UK website).

Summary: How would God fulfill the promise of an everlasting Davidic throne when the kingship had ended in exile?

Psalm 89 poses an agonizing question. God had promised (Psalm 89:3-4):

You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
‘I will establish your line forever
and make your throne firm through all generations.

Yet with the fall of Jerusalem in 587 BC, the line of kings had ended and the throne had fallen (Psalm 89:38-39):

But you have rejected, you have spurned,
you have been very angry with your anointed one.
You have renounced the covenant with your servant
and have defiled his crown in the dust.

And so the psalmist asks (v. 46):

How long, Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your wrath burn like fire?

This is the psalmist’s perplexity alluded to in the title of this work. How would God keep his covenant, when by exile it appeared null and void? The question is one set against the backdrop of prior covenants with Adam, Noah, Abraham, and at Sinai. And there is the question of whether and how these covenants find fulfillment in the new covenant.

James Hely Hutchinson believes the Psalms have much to contribute to our understanding of a question that spans the whole of scripture. After laying out his approach, Hutchinson reviews the spectrum of covenant-relationships. This spans a continuum of seven positions from Westminster covenantalism to classic dispensationalism.

Then over three chapters, he elaborates how the Psalms reflect the covenant relationships. Chapter three covers Psalms 1-89, setting the stage for the perplexing conclusion of book three of the psalms in Psalm 89. He begins with Psalm 2, key, he believes, in setting a new covenant agenda. Chapter 4 then shows how Book four of the Psalms (90-106) provides building blocks to answer that complexity, particularly in envisioning the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant closely tied to the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant. Chapter five shows how Book five (Psalms 107-150) reflects the outworking of the answer in the convergence of all the covenants and their fulfillment in the new covenant.

Hutchinson proceeds to consider the import of the law for the new-covenant believer. He argues for continuity without seeing the new covenant as a renewal of the Sinaitic legislation. From here he proceeds to summarize his argument and how the covenant relationships answer the Psalmist’s perplexity. He summarizes his argument in twenty-eight statements and evaluates the seven models from Chapter 2, concluding that progressive covenantalism most closely corresponds to his study of the Psalms. Five appendices expand on particular details in his study.

There were several aspects of the work I especially appreciated. One was looking at the Psalms through the ‘hinge point” of the question in Psalm 89. His discussion suggestion a structure to the psalter I had not previously seen. And his discussions of the transitions between books three, four, and five were especially interesting.

At the same time, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. spoke of “the simplicity on the other side of complexity.” In this case, I felt Hutchinson never got to a “simplicity on the other side of perplexity.” His discussion proceeds from one intertextual discussion to the next. The fact that he needed to summarize his argument in 28 statements that he distills into two abstractions (eschatological satisfaction and transcendent inauguration) suggests to me that he never quite got there. I suspect that all but the most acute readers will find the argument in this book difficult to track.

That’s unfortunate, because the big idea of new covenant fulfillment of the prior covenants offers so much in helping the reader of scripture grasp the big story. In this case, I felt we spent so much time looking at all the trees that it was difficult to glimpse the overstory of the whole forest. I hope this author will keep working on unpacking that story.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

The Minor Prophets: A Theological Introduction, Craig G. Bartholomew & Heath A. Thomas. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2023.

Summary: Combines introductory discussions of the last twelve books of the Old Testament with an exploration of the theological themes of each book as well as the theological significance of the whole corpus.

The Twelve. The Minor Prophets. Those books at the end of the Old Testament some of us never get to read. They are minor after all? Only in size, but not import insist Craig Bartholomew and Heath Thomas. In this volume, they offer a discussion of scholarship, backgrounds, interpretation and theological themes of each book. They also offer a consideration of the theological themes and import both then and now of this collection of books.

They begin the work by considering the history of interpretation of these books from the early fathers up to contemporary scholarship. While discussing the proposal that these books should be considered as a redacted whole, they opt first to read these books individually and only then consider them as a whole, and this structures their treatment. They distinguish prophecy in the ancient world from other forms of communication: oracles, divination, and dreams. We also learn of the terminology used for prophets of Israel, their social location, and distinct from court prophets, their vocation of speaking the word of Yahweh, particularly to people who were straying from Yahweh’s ways.

The following chapters consider each of the twelve minor prophets. Nahum and Zephaniah, and Haggai and Malachi, are considered together. Each chapter on a book treats the book in context, offers an outline of the book, includes an extended section of interpretation following the outline (not verse by verse commentary but overview of each section’s content), and a discussion of key theological ideas in each book. In Hosea, for example, the authors land on themes of God as lover and lion, of the healthy inwardness of faith as focused on mercy and not sacrifice, and the breakdown of the social order, reflected in Hosea’s marriage.

Alongside the chapters of theological introduction are discussions of key passages in the minor prophets, many of New Testament import. These include discussions of the valley of decision in Joel, Jonah’s “canticle” in Jonah 2 and its place in the book, Micah 6:6-8 on what the Lord requires, and Zechariah 9:9-10 on the Davidic king’s entry into Jerusalem. Most illuminating in light of contemporary discussions was the chapter on Habakkuk 2:2-4 on the faith or faithfulness by which the righteous live. They consider both backgrounds and translations of the verses, concluding in the context of Habakkuk that “the faithful will trust Yahweh to the point of death, living in allegiance to him alone, believing that his grace and faithfulness will bring them life.”

Three final chapters summarize major themes of the minor prophets, consider the use of the minor prophets in the accounts of the ministry of Jesus, including times Jesus quotes the prophets, and finally, the theology of the minor prophets for today. In this last section, the authors focus first on the God who speaks and how critically humans need the word of the Lord. They offer trenchant remarks on how religion can function as a tranquilizer, not only in the day of the prophets, but in our own, making us insensible to our inhumanity toward others. They focus on income disparities in the U.S, the commodification of everything, and the globalization of the world economy, relying on unsustainable poverty to enrich others. They reflect on the Maker with whom Israel and we must reckon and the matrix of love, wrath, and justice of God within which we are all accountable. At the same time, we see the hesed of God, the God who longs for intimate relationship with humanity, evoking both our worship and witness, formed by continuing contemplation of God’s glory in the face of Christ.

This work offers both scholarly treatment of the texts of the minor prophets, drawing out their message, along with rich material for personal reflection. Recommended reading, with introductory works indicated, offer the student direction for further study. Bartholomew and Thomas have given us a solid resource that removes the obscurity of these lesser-read books, helping us see just how important their message was then and is now.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.