Determining appropriate and necessary application from OT narratives challenges the best of modern expositors. One’s hermeneutical presuppositions, including the place of the author, text, and reader, ground the role of discerning theology in narrative and anticipating the necessary connection to Christ, and then how the text should impact our lives before we unfold it to Christ’s church in every part of his world. I will argue that appropriate application of narrative coheres with (A)authorial intent and the organic theological message of the text, providing a more robust expectation for the reader beyond mere illustrations, whether positive (go and do likewise) or negative (do otherwise), even though those are often included and appropriate. Our theology needs to arise out of the narrative context on every level and govern the transferable application to any age and context. The biblical theological trajectory through Christ, then, shapes our necessary response to the truth of God’s word regardless of our cultural setting.
Though grounding the Kregel Kerux series among others, the working out of the theory is the crux of the proclamation of narrative. As with many aspects of hermeneutics, it is art and science, both recognizing the intricacies and impact of the narrative as well as tracing the theological argument through the context. Genesis 22 provides a useful landscape for exploring the expressed and implied theology and expectations of the (A)author through the Spirit. It is familiar and well used, with rich theology from every perspective. Though some expositors will jump to a typological correspondence with Christ, the immediate context and narrative details support a primary focus on the culmination of Abraham’s faith in conjunction with the covenant promises, showing his loyal obedience in the face of the ultimate test to receive God’s expanded promises. The text focuses on Abraham’s offer of his son, rather than the son himself, revealing a robust theology of loyalty to Yahweh resulting in God’s use of his subject, enabling the ongoing and future program of God.