Exegesis & The Powerful Pulpit

Exegesis & the Powerful Pulpit:
Studying the Text with Care and Precision

William D. Barrick
Professor of Old Testament, The Masters Seminary

Introduction

When and how does the preacher commence his preparation for expounding Gods Word on any
given Sunday? No preacher can begin too soon to prepare his message for Sunday. He should
take enough time to saturate himself with the text and to apply the text in his own life before
stepping into the pulpit. Rushing into exposition produces shallowness, irrelevance, and
hypocrisy, not power.

Preliminaries Before Commencing Exegesis
Unless the heart and mind are right with God, there is no way that the expositor can be right
with the text.

We are, in a certain sense, our own tools, and therefore must keep ourselves in
order. If I want to preach the gospel, I can only use my own voice; therefore I must
train my vocal powers. I can only think with my own brains, and feel with my own
heart, and therefore I must educate my intellectual and emotional faculties. I can only
weep and agonise for souls in my own renewed nature, therefore must I watchfully
maintain the tenderness which was in Christ Jesus. It will be in vain for me to stock
my library, or organize societies, or project schemes, if I neglect the culture of
myself; for books, and agencies, and systems, are only remotely the instruments of
my holy calling; my own spirit, soul, and body, are my nearest machinery for sacred
service; my spiritual faculties, and my inner life, are my battle axe and weapons of
war.
1

Since preaching without prayer is presumption, pray with the psalmists:

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in
Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer (Ps 19:14, NKJV).

Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law (Ps 119:18,
NKJV).

Exegesis starts with the text and views it within its syntactical, lexical, literary, historical,
social/cultural, geographical, and theological contexts. Although exegesis of the biblical text
focuses upon the languages, the language factor is not the only factor to be considered. Everyday
life differed greatly from our present day Western culture. In biblical times, culture changed from
one century to another, from one people to another, and from one environment to another just
as it changes within our own setting. We must give attention to identifying the separate context
for each passage. So much is unfamiliar to the modern, Western reader: clothing, food, the

1
C. H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students (reprint; Grand Rapids: Associated Publishers and Authors,
Inc., n.d.), 1-2.
Exegesis & the Powerful Pulpit 2
Barrick Shepherds Conference 3/08
medium of exchange, local customs, religious observances, and dialects. How did these factors
affect the meaning for both writer and recipient? This is the exegetes challenge.
The temptation is to merely catalogue, collate, and arrange information. Exegesis, however, is
more than the collection and filing of data it is interpreting the information. Anyone with a
photocopy machine, scissors, and rubber cement can copy, cut, arrange, and paste quotations
from sources and references. An exegete examines, evaluates, assimilates, and interacts with the
biblical text in a coherent interpretative exposition employing only the most pertinent citations. In
addition, interpretation must be synthesized and applied theologically and pragmatically. When
the preachers sermon preparation reflects this approach, he has attained a significant goal in his
ministry: he has become an exegete and an expositor of the Word of God.

Exegetical Procedure

The following seven steps represent one potential approach to the biblical text designed to
produce a full examination of the language, context, and background with a view to exposition.
For a sample text, I will employ Psalm 89 to help illustrate the steps all the way through to
application, as well as sermon proposition and outline.

1. Read/Translate
Read and reread the text until saturated with it not just the sermon passage, but the entire
book that forms its setting. If you know the biblical language, perform a provisional or
preliminary translation of the sermon text. Diligently compare the original language with a
literal translation such as the New American Standard Bible (NASB) or New American
Standard Update (NAU), New King James Version (NKJV), or English Standard Version
(ESV). Note any translational variations from the original language.

See Appendix I: Psalm 89 (NAU) arranged to highlight parallelism, repetitions, and key
concepts.

Compose a preliminary summary statement for what the passage says. What did the text
mean to the original recipients?

Psalm 89: God made permanent covenant promises of loyal love and faithfulness to
David and his descendants. Circumstances indicated the apparent dissolution of the
Davidic monarchy contrary to those promises, leaving the psalmist confused and
disappointed.

2. Observe
Ask questions about anything and everything in the text. What information does it give?
Who? list all persons in the text and identify the key players. What? list all actions,
objects, and conditions. Move on to the adverbial questions: When? establish the historical
context for the text. Where? identify the geographical setting(s). How? specify the
manner in which the subjects take action. Why? look for reasons (because/for), purposes
(in order that), and results (so that). Pay attention to details be a Sherlock Holmes!
Record any question that comes to mind even if it might turn out to be a dumb one upon
further reflection. Determine to discover the basis for any textual variant followed by the
translation or suggested in the margins of the translation. Remember: no translation is perfect.

Who? The psalmist, Ethan the Ezrahite, may be either a Levite (1 Chron 6:42 or
44; 15:17-19) or a wise man of Judah (1 Kgs 4:31). See Psalm 88:heading.
When?/Why? In order to account for the lament in verses 38-45, commentators
have proposed several situations:
9 Division of the united kingdom in the reign of King Rehoboam (1 Kgs 12).
9 Death of King Josiah at Megiddo (2 Kgs 23:28-30).
9 End of the monarchy when Jehoiachin went into exile (2 Kgs 24:8-16).
Obtain a sense of the passages overall tone. Like Psalm 88, Psalm 89 ends without
closure to the problems causing the psalmists lament. Closure has its liabilities.
The subject matter tends to become purely historical and is no longer the living
matter of ongoing life. Closure can be like the sealing of a tomb which signifies the
acceptance of death and the giving up of life. . . . In the long run, however, their
dissonance may be a greater source of strength and comfort. Strength is not built on
easy stories with happy endings.
2

Revise your preliminary summary statement. What did the text mean to the original
recipients?

Psalm 89: God does not lie in His promises which He had granted to David and to his
descendants. The psalmist expressed his feelings openly regarding the message the
dissolution of the Davidic dynasty sent to the people of Israel and to her enemies.

3. Identify
Analyze the text word by word and phrase by phrase. For many pastors with limited biblical
language skills, good commentaries and various language tools provide a great deal of
information for grammatical, literary, and lexical analysis (word studies). Read as many of
the better exegetical commentaries as possible. Keep an accurate record of every element that
has potential exegetical and expository significance observe how commentators explain
the significance of each element of the text.

Then (NKJV) and Once (NAU) are legitimate translations of s . It opens a
major section of Psalm 89:19-29 [Heb 20-30].
Psalm 89:38-45 [Heb 39-46] contain the great contradiction. A disjunctive clause
(waw-conjunction + non-verb) sets up the contrast at the start of verse 38 [Heb 39]:
But You. Confirming the break, Selah closes the preceding verse and section (v.
37 [Heb 38]). The psalmist thus transitions to complaint and lament. Piling up one
verb after another, the psalmist describes what appears to be divine indifference to
His covenant promises (cast off and rejected [v. 38, Heb 39]; spurned . . .
profaned [v. 39, Heb 40].

The following are the most reliable commentary series:
Baker Exegetical Commentary
Expositors Bible Commentary
New American Commentary
New International Commentary on the Old Testament
New International Commentary on the New Testament
NIV Application Commentary
Tyndale New Testament Commentaries
Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries

2
Marvin E. Tate, Psalms 51100, Word Biblical Commentary 20 (Dallas: Word Books, 1990), 430.
An excellent series does not guarantee that each volume treats the text in the same way or
with consistency interpretatively. Keep in mind that some independent commentaries are
superior to those within a series. Read book reviews and talk with other expositors about the
volumes they have found most helpful. When looking at a commentary prior to purchase,
look at how it handles a text with which you are most familiar exegetically.

3.1 Grammar and syntax.

3.1.1 To what is each word, phrase, clause, sentence, and paragraph related? in what
way? for what purpose? Diagramming (either grammatical diagramming for
NT or logical block diagramming for OT) can be a valuable aid for
understanding the texts structure.

OT: Andersen, Francis I., and A. Dean Forbes. The Hebrew Bible: Andersen-
Forbes Phrase Marker Analysis. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software,
2006.
NT: Rogers, Cleon L., Jr., and Cleon L. Rogers III. The New Linguistic and
Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan
Publishing House, 1998.

Psalm 89:2 [Heb 3], :: z-.:s :- :::: The initial position of
heavens in the second line is an example of a nominative absolute
followed up by a resumptive pronominal suffix at the end of the line
(literally, in them). This construction helps to focus on heavens, a key
reference in this psalm in which the heavens confirm the permanency of the
Lords covenant with David. It could be translated: As for the heavens,
You established Your faithfulness in them.

3.1.2 Where is the prominence or emphasis? Pay attention to word order and the
employment of emphatic words.

Psalm 89:9-12 [Heb 10-13], -s: The psalmist employs the personal
pronoun (2ms, You) five times in these four verses. Only the first use
was required by the grammar (the subject of a participle) the remaining
four are emphatic subjects of their respective verbs. The antecedent is the
LORD. The LORD and the LORD alone performs these actions as the ruling
sovereign of all creation.

Prepare an exegetical outline that reflects the major divisions of the text. This
might not be your actual sermon outline, although the divisions should be the
same.

I. Covenantal Praise (Ps 89:1-18)
A. Preparatory Words from the Psalmist (vv. 1-4)
B. Praise-filled Words for the LORD (vv. 5-18)
II. Covenantal Promises (Ps 89:19-37)
A. Promises to David (vv. 19-29)
B. Promises to Davids Descendants (vv. 30-37)
III. Covenantal Problems (Ps 89:38-51)
A. Complaints (vv. 38-45)
B. Questions (vv. 46-51)
IV. Doxology to Book 3 (Ps 89:52)

3.2 Expression.

3.2.1 What idioms are employed? What do they mean? What did the original
recipients understand by them?

Psalm 89:43 [Heb 44], the edge of his sword: Literally, the Hebrew
reads the stone of his sword (: s ). It is possible that the figure
originated with the flint that formed the blade of a knife.
3

Psalm 89:48 [Heb 49], his soul (:e. ): Too often we think of the soul
as something a person possesses. The Hebrew concept, however, is that it
represents what a person is, not what he or she has. It represents a
persons essential being with all of his or her emotions, passions, drives,
appetites.
4

3.2.2 What is the literary form (type of literature)? Some refer to the literary form as
the genre. Is the text narrative or poetry? Is it a national history or personal
history? Is it law? case law or direct commandment? Is it prophecy or
wisdom? Is it lament or praise? Is it an epistle or a gospel? Is it a parable?

Psalm 89 begins with a hymn of praise (vv. 1-37 [Heb 2-38]), but turns to
a community lament or complaint (vv. 38-51 [Heb 39-52]).
9 . . . one must decide whether it is descriptive praise or declarative
praise by the emphasis of the contents. Is the psalm more general,
stressing the attributes of God? Then it is descriptive. Is it more
specific, focusing on the acts of God? Then it is declarative.
5

Descriptive praise of God is generally timeless and can be used by
any true worshiper. Declarative praise can be used by those in the
psalmists situation or in a similar situation.
6

9 An honest turning to God in times of disappointment and grief
even in anger and confusion turns sadness into singing.
7

OT: Sandy, D. Brent, and Ronald L. Giese, Jr., eds. Cracking Old Testament
Codes: A Guide to Interpreting the Literary Genres of the Old Testament.
Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995.

3.2.3 What literary devices (repetition, parallelism, inclusio, chiasmus, assonance,
paronomasia, etc.) are employed? What are the shifts or pivots in the passage?
Is dialogue present? How is it employed to tell the story?

3
Ibid., 411-12.
4
Bruce K. Waltke, :e ., in Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, 2 vols., ed. by R. Laird
Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke (Chicago: Moody Press, 1980), 2:589.
5
Kenneth L. Barker, Praise, in Cracking Old Testament Codes: A Guide to Interpreting the Literary
Genres of the Old Testament, ed. by D. Brent Sandy and Ronald L. Giese, Jr. (Nashville: Broadman &
Holman Publishers, 1995), 223.
6
Ibid., 227-28.
7
Tremper Longman III, Lament, in Cracking Old Testament Codes: A Guide to Interpreting the
Literary Genres of the Old Testament, ed. by D. Brent Sandy and Ronald L. Giese, Jr. (Nashville:
Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995), 213.
OT: Berit Olam: Studies in Hebrew Narrative & Poetry. Collegeville, MN:
Liturgical Press.

Psalm 89:6 [Heb 7]: A chiasmus occurs as follows:

:
A :: :

B .

B' :

A' :s .::

For
A who in the skies

B is comparable to the LORD?

B' is like the LORD?

A' who among the sons
of the mighty

The focal point of the verse is on the central elements of the chiasmus. The
idea is that God is incomparable. Other chiasms occur in verses 20, 22, 23,
30, 31, 32, 33, 44 (Heb 21, 23, 24, 31, 32, 33, 34, 45) note the cluster in
verses 30-33 (Heb 31-34).
Repetition: Both lovingkindness (: = steadfast love or loyal
love) and faithfulness (.:s ) occur 7 times each in Psalm 89. In
addition, forever occurs 7 times in NAU (not counting the non-
covenantal use in v. 46). Ethan hangs everything upon this concept. See
other phrases conveying the same thought in verses 4b, 29b, 36b, and 37a.
Does forever mean forever?

3.2.4 Perform a word study for each word crucial to the text. Keep in mind that many
words have no great golden nugget of expositional truth outside their usage
within the texts proposition.

Obvious candidates would include lovingkindness (: = steadfast
love or loyal love
8
) and faithfulness (.:s ),
9
as well as forever
(at least :.).

Valuable tools for word studies include:
OT: VanGemeren, Willem A., ed. New International Dictionary of Old
Testament Theology & Exegesis, 5 vols. Grand Rapids:
Zondervan Publishing House, 1997.

8
See D. A. Baer and R. P. Gordon, :, in New International Dictionary of Old Testament
Theology & Exegesis, 5 vols., ed. by Willem A. VanGemeren (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing
House, 1997), 2:211-18.
9
See Jack B. Scott, a$mWn>, in Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, 2 vols., ed. by R. Laird
Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke (Chicago: Moody Press, 1980), 1:52.
Harris, R. Laird, Gleason L. Archer, and Bruce K. Waltke, eds.
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, 2 vols. Chicago:
Moody Press, 1980.

NT: Brown, Colin, ed. New International Dictionary of New Testament
Theology, 4 vols. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House,
1986.
Kittel, Gerhard, and Gerhard Friedrich, eds. Theological Dictionary
of the New Testament. Abridged ed. Trans. by Geoffrey W.
Bromiley. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.,
1985. (Little Kittel).

3.25 State the argument and/or the development of the theme in your own words.

The Lord remained faithful to His covenant promises to David and his
descendants regardless of the seemingly contradictory circumstances that
had fallen upon the Davidic dynasty.

4. Examine
At this stage the expositor goes back to reading and rereading the text again. Read the
immediate context and the remote context; read ancient near eastern reference works
providing information about the text. Stick with what the text says.

4.1 Examine the circles of context to determine how the passage fits into each one
(immediate context, remote context, and external setting). The ancient near eastern
cultural, historical, geographical, political, economic, and spiritual milieu comprises the
external setting for your text. Context holds the key to the meaning of a text on all
levels (grammatical and literary). Context relates both to the literary aspects and to
background (historical, cultural, and geographical).

Psalm 89s background is a covenant the Davidic Covenant (2 Sam 7:8-16
and 1 Chron 17:7-14; cp. 2 Sam 23:5; 2 Chron 13:5; 21:7; Isa 55:3; Jer
33:21).
Davidic/Messianic psalms play significant roles at the seams of the Psalter:
9 Psalm 2 opens Book I (Pss 141) following Psalm 1s commencement of
the Psalter itself. Psalm 72 concludes Book II (Pss 4272). Psalm 89
concludes Book III (Pss 7389).
9 Psalm 89:38-51 laments the effective dismantling of the Davidic
Covenant breached by God and acknowledges the monarchys
dissolution . . . Book 4, the editorial center of the Psalter, responds to
this crisis by shifting the focus from the earthly kings reign to Gods
everlasting rule.
10

Compare Psalms 73, 74, and 88: Book III seems to deal over and over with
the bafflement of believers who are struggling with the gap between promise
and reality.
11

Ethans reference to the shortness of his life (89:46-48 [Heb 47-49]) harks
back to a similar reference in Psalm 39:5. However, the real significance

10
William P. Brown, Seeing the Psalms: A Theology of Metaphor (Louisville: Westminster John Knox
Press, 2002), 17.
11
Tate, Psalms 51100, 429.
involves the fact that the very next psalm (Psalm 90, a prayer of Moses, the
oldest psalm in the Psalter) picks up that same theme in verses 5-6 and 9-10.
Geography: Although some commentators see all four directions (NSWE) in
verse 12 indicating the whole land of Israel, the order could be chiastic: N
(north) S (south) S (Tabor) N (Hermon). Is this an indication that the
psalmist is from the region of Galilee?
Firstborn (Ps 89:27 [Heb 28]) also describes Israels elevated
relationship to the Most High God (Exod 4:22; Jer 31:9). NT writers apply
this title to Christ (Heb 1:5-6; Rev 1:5).
In the NT, one must also observe Luke 1:30-33, which ties Jesus to the
Davidic Covenant.

Use sources for general background information: The MacArthur Study Bible, Bible
handbooks, OT and NT surveys and introductions, and commentary introductions to
the Bible book involved. Refer to Bible atlases, Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias,
Bible background commentaries, histories (OT, NT, and era-specific histories), and
commentaries.

OT: Walton, John H., Victor H. Matthews, and Mark W. Chavalas. The IVP
Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament. Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 2000.
NT: Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New
Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993.

4.2 Examine parallel passages and identify both the similarities and dissimilarities in all
areas (especially related to steps 2-7, above).

Parallel passages for Psalm 89 include 2 Samuel 7:8-16; 1 Chronicles 17:7-14;
Psalms 2; 72; 110; and Jeremiah 33:19-26.

5. Solve
List all potential solutions for the significant interpretative problems encountered.. Choose
one as the preferred solution and compare its adequacy with all other potential solutions.

Some commentators interpret and translate Psalm 89:18 [Heb 19] as a reference to
God Himself by applying a rare, if not questionable, meaning for a Hebrew
preposition ()an emphatic indeed is the Holy One. It is better, however, to take
this verse as a reference to the Davidic king (cp. Pss 47:9 [same Hebrew
preposition]; 84:9).
In Psalm 89:19 [Heb 20] the Hebrew word z: (Your godly ones, NAU) is
related to : and is the same as the word used for Hasidic Jews (Hasidim). Godly
ones (NAU) = faithful people (NIV) = loyal ones (Holman Christian Standard
Bible). Unfortunately, some translations miss the meaning and the grammatical
plural: holy one (NKJV) and godly one (ESV).
In Psalm 89:25 [Heb 26] the sea and the rivers might refer to the prophetic
pronouncements of the Old Testament that the Davidic kingdom will stretch from the
Red Sea or the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River (see Pss 72:8; 80:11; cp.
Gen 15:18; Exod 23:31; Deut 1:7; Josh 1:4). Rather than limiting the reference to
the future land of Israel, some interpreters believe that the reference to the sea and
the rivers is a metaphorical portrayal of the same truth as given in Psalm 2, namely
his dominion extends over the whole world.
12

6. Consult
Check the commentaries for their interpretation. Watch for alternative interpretations and
note any additional problems which you failed to note during your own study. Emphasize
research in conservative commentaries as much as possible, but realize that theologically
liberal commentaries can offer a lot of sound material with regard to the original language
and its use.

Utilize this final pass through the commentaries to discover how the commentators make the
transition from the original audience to todays readers and hearers. Watch for key doctrinal
summaries and applications.

6.1 How does the present audience differ from the original recipients of the text?

Our audience lives under the authority of the NT as well as that of the OT.
What differences might exist between the OT believers relationship to the text and
the NT believers relationship to the text?

Psalm 89:
9 OT believers lived under the human Davidic dynasty, awaiting the coming
greater Son of David.
9 NT believers live after the revelation of the greater Son of David, the Messiah.
He still has not taken the throne of David, however He sits only in the
throne of His Father. We still await the coming kingdom when Messiah will
reign over Israel and the world from the throne of David.

OT in NT: G. K. Beale and D. A. Carson, eds. Commentary on the New
Testament Use of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker
Academic, 2007

6.2 What are the doctrinal teachings of the text?

Examine the passage theologically looking for broad doctrinal issues or
teachings.

Psalm 89:
9 Praise is always fitting in the mouths of Gods people (OT or NT) (vv. 1, 52).
9 God is faithful; He never lies, never breaks His promises (v. 2).
9 The Lord is incomparable He has no equal (v. 6).
9 Angels serve and worship God in heaven (v. 7).
9 God is sovereign over all the world. He controls all of His creation (v. 9).
9 God is omnipotent (v. 13).
9 Gods people are specially blessed and experience supreme joy in His service
(v. 15).
9 By His divine favor, He bestows strength on His people (v. 17).
9 God sets up kings (v. 18).

12
Willem A. VanGemeren, Psalms, in The Expositors Bible Commentary, 12 vols., ed. by Frank E.
Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1991), 5:580.
9 God grants the promises of the Davidic Covenant to those descendants who
have a right relationship to Him (v. 19).
9 God does not condone sin and disobedience (vv. 30-32).
9 As long as sun and moon perform their appointed tasks, God confirms the
fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant (vv 36-37).
9 Often there is a gap between promise and reality normally due to human
sinfulness and disobedience (v. 38).
9 Absence of Gods immediate blessing does not mean that future blessing has
been annulled (v. 49).

6.3 How can you apply the teaching of the text to your audience?

Psalm 89
God never lies He remains faithful even when we do not (cp. 2 Tim 2:13).
We, too, await the coming Davidic King for the final solution. OT saints
awaited His first advent; we await His second advent.
Praising Gods timing is more fitting than complaining about His delays.

6.4 Compose your homiletic proposition and sermonic outline.

Psalm 89
Proposition: We must learn to trust that God remains faithful to His Word
regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves and our feeling
of apparent abandonment.
Homiletical Outline:
I. We must praise God for His Word and for His works (Ps 89:1-18).
A. We must personally participate in praising God on the basis of
what we learn in His Word (vv. 1-4).
B. We must join with other believers and even the angels to praise
the Lord for His faithfulness, His incomparability, His
omnipotence, His righteousness, His justice, and the blessings
He pours out on us (vv. 5-18).
II. We must recognize Gods specific plan for the line of David, because
it is the foundation for the work of Jesus Christ, in whom we place
our faith for our own salvation (Ps 89:19-37).
A. We must believe that God will fulfill His promises to David,
because God does not lie (vv. 19-29).
B. We must believe that God will fulfill His promises to Davids
descendants (including Jesus Christ, the greater Son of David),
because Gods Word is confirmed by the continued existence of
the sun and moon fulfilling their God-ordained roles (vv. 30-37).
III. We must trust God to fulfill His promises to us even when the
circumstances in which we might find ourselves seem to be the
antithesis of His promised blessings (Ps 89:38-51).
A. When we face great trials and are confused about our situation
in regard to Gods promises, we must be transparent with God in
our prayers, instead of bottling our discouragement up inside us
(vv. 38-45).
B. When we face spiritually troubling experiences, we must learn to
bring our questions to God in prayer and in searching His
revealed Word (vv. 46-51).
IV. Even in the midst of unresolved trials and doubts, we must praise
God and place our full confidence in Him alone (Ps 89:52).

7. Evaluate
7.1 Be willing to modify and/or refine your conclusions. Keep a careful record of which
source provided you with the impetus to modify or revise.

7.2 Acknowledge any uncertainties, ambiguities, lack of knowledge, and/or need for
additional information. Outline a method of conducting further investigation. Write
down all questions that you still have not been able to resolve to your satisfaction. To
what source would you like to refer for future study? Which source(s) did you find
most helpful.

7.3 Keep a file or log of all studies, sermon preparations, sermon notes and outlines, and
sermon texts (if you write them out). Go through after preaching the sermon and
debrief yourself, putting notes in the margins for future reference.

7.4 Keep a list of appropriate sermon illustrations that you have garnered from your
research. Keeping track of the sources for good illustrations can prove helpful at a later
date. Although gathering illustrations was not an aim of the procedure described above,
even good exegetical commentaries sometimes contain outstanding illustrations.

Recommended Reading

Carter, Terry G., J. Scott Duvall, and J. Daniel Hays. Preaching Gods Word: A Hands-On
Approach to Preparing, Developing, and Delivering the Sermon. Grand Rapids: Zondervan,
2005.
MacArthur, John, Jr., and The Masters Seminary Faculty. Rediscovering Expository Preaching:
Balancing the Science and Art of Biblical Exposition. Nashville: W Publishing Group, 1992.
Sunukjian, Donald R. Invitation to Biblical Preaching: Proclaiming Truth with Clarity and
Relevance. Invitation to Theological Studies Series. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2007.

Old Testament

Broyles, Craig C., ed. Interpreting the Old Testament: A Guide for Exegesis. Grand Rapids:
Baker Academic, 2001.
Chisholm, Robert B., Jr. From Exegesis to Exposition: A Practical Guide to Using Biblical
Hebrew. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998.
Kaiser, Walter C., Jr. Preaching and Teaching from the Old Testament: A Guide for the Church.
Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003.
Sandy, D. Brent, and Ronald L. Giese, Jr., eds. Cracking Old Testament Codes: A Guide to
Interpreting the Literary Genres of the Old Testament. Nashville: Broadman & Holman
Publishers, 1995.

New Testament

Liefeld, Walter L. New Testament Exposition: From Text to Sermon. Ministry Resources Library.
Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984.
Thomas, Robert L. Evangelical Hermeneutics: The New Versus the Old. Grand Rapids: Kregel,
2002.
__________. Introduction to Exegesis. Sun Valley, CA: author, 1987.

Appendix I:

Psalm 89 (NAU) Arranged to Highlight Parallelism, Repetitions, and Key Concepts

89:1 A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.

I will sing of the lovingkindness of the LORD forever;
To all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth.
89:2 For I have said, Lovingkindness will be built up forever;
In the heavens You will establish Your faithfulness.

89:3 I have made a covenant with My chosen;
I have sworn to David My servant,
89:4 I will establish your seed forever
And build up your throne to all generations. Selah.

89:5 The heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD;
Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.
89:6 For who in the skies is comparable to the LORD?
Who among the sons of the mighty is like the LORD,
89:7 A God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones,
And awesome above all those who are around Him?
89:8 O LORD God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty LORD?
Your faithfulness also surrounds You.
89:9 You rule the swelling of the sea;
When its waves rise, You still them.
89:10 You Yourself crushed Rahab like one who is slain;
You scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.
89:11 The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;
The world and all it contains, You have founded them.
89:12 The north and the south, You have created them;
Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at Your name.
89:13 You have a strong arm;
Your hand is mighty,
Your right hand is exalted.
89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
Lovingkindness and truth go before You.

89:15 How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!
O LORD, they walk in the light of Your countenance.
89:16 In Your name they rejoice all the day,
And by Your righteousness they are exalted.
89:17 For You are the glory of their strength,
And by Your favor our horn is exalted.
89:18 For our shield belongs to the LORD,
And our king to the Holy One of Israel.

89:19 Once You spoke in vision to Your godly ones,
And said, I have given help to one who is mighty;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
89:20 I have found David My servant;
With My holy oil I have anointed him,

89:21 With whom My hand will be established;
My arm also will strengthen him.
89:22 The enemy will not deceive him,
Nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
89:23 But I shall crush his adversaries before him,
And strike those who hate him.
89:24 My faithfulness and My lovingkindness will be with him,
And in My name his horn will be exalted.
89:25 I shall also set his hand on the sea
And his right hand on the rivers.
89:26 He will cry to Me, You are my Father,
My God, and the rock of my salvation.
89:27 I also shall make him My firstborn,
The highest of the kings of the earth.
89:28 My lovingkindness I will keep for him forever,
And My covenant shall be confirmed to him.
89:29 So I will establish his descendants forever
And his throne as the days of heaven.
89:30 If his sons forsake My law
And do not walk in My judgments,
89:31 If they violate My statutes
And do not keep My commandments,
89:32 Then I will punish their transgression with the rod
And their iniquity with stripes.
89:33 But I will not break off My lovingkindness from him,
Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness.
89:34 My covenant I will not violate,
Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips.
89:35 Once I have sworn by My holiness;
I will not lie to David.
89:36 His descendants shall endure forever
And his throne as the sun before Me.
89:37 It shall be established forever like the moon,
And the witness in the sky is faithful. Selah.

89:38 But You have cast off and rejected,
You have been full of wrath against Your anointed.
89:39 You have spurned the covenant of Your servant;
You have profaned his crown in the dust.
89:40 You have broken down all his walls;
You have brought his strongholds to ruin.
89:41 All who pass along the way plunder him;
He has become a reproach to his neighbors.
89:42 You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries;
You have made all his enemies rejoice.
89:43 You also turn back the edge of his sword
And have not made him stand in battle.
89:44 You have made his splendor to cease
And cast his throne to the ground.
89:45 You have shortened the days of his youth;
You have covered him with shame. Selah.

89:46 How long, O LORD?
Will You hide Yourself forever?
Will Your wrath burn like fire?
89:47 Remember what my span of life is;
For what vanity You have created all the sons of men!
89:48 What man can live and not see death?
Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah.

89:49 Where are Your former lovingkindnesses, O Lord,
Which You swore to David in Your faithfulness?
89:50 Remember, O Lord, the reproach of Your servants;
How I bear in my bosom the reproach of all the many peoples,
89:51 With which Your enemies have reproached, O LORD,
With which they have reproached the footsteps of Your anointed.

89:52 Blessed be the LORD forever!
Amen and Amen.

Exegesis & The Powerful Pulpit

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Exegesis & The Powerful Pulpit

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Exegesis & the Powerful Pulpit:

Studying the Text with Care and Precision

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