Table Of Content

Imprimatur: Most Reverend Gilbert Sheldon Bishop of Steubenville January 26, 1998 Nihil obstat: Monsignor Roger Foys Censor Librorum The imprimatur and nihil obstat are declarations that this work is considered to be free from doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the same agree with the contents, opinion, or statements expressed. Scripture passages have been taken from the Revised Standard Version, Catholic edition. Copyright 1946, 1952, 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. Verses marked CEV have been taken from the Contemporary English Version of the Bible. Versus marked NAB have been taken from the New American Bible. Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for the United States of America. Copyright 1994, United States Catholic Conference, Inc.—Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission. Cover photo: © Dennis Frates, Oregon Scenics LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Hahn, Scott A father who keeps his promises : God’s covenant love in scripture / Scott Hahn p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-89283-829-9 (alk. paper) 1. Redemption. 2. God—Love. 3. Salvation. I. Title. BT775.H15 1998 234’.3—dc21 97-46002 CIP ISBN-13: 978-0-89283-829-5 ISBN-10: 0-89283-829-9 © 1998 by Scott Hahn, Ph.D. All rights reserved. Published by Servant Books, an imprint of St. Anthony Messenger Press 28 W. Liberty St. Cincinnati, OH 45202 www.ServantBooks.org Printed in the United States of America Printed on acid-free paper 09 10 11 12 13 20 19 18 17 16 To the Monday Afternoon Scripture Class: Michael, Gabriel, Matt, Anthony, Catherine, Sia, Katie and Genice. And to my beloved wife, Kimberly, without whom this book wouldn’t have been possible or readable. CONTENTS Title Page Copyright Page Preface 1. Kinship by Covenant The Master Plan for God’s Family in Scripture 2. Creation Covenant and Cosmic Temple God’s Habitat for Humanity 3. Splitting the Adam From Creation to Desecration 4. Shape Up or Ship Out A Broken Covenant Renewed With Noah 5. How Do You Spell Belief? The Faith of Father Abraham 6. “The Elder Shall Serve the Younger!” Firstborn Failures and Family Feuds 7. “Let My People Go!” Israel’s Exodus From Egypt 8. Israel’s Calf-Hearted Response The Mosaic Covenant at Mount Sinai 9. Beloved Backsliders Israel in the Wilderness 10. “Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve!” From Conquest to Kingdom 11. “Thou Art the Man!” From Kingdom to Exile 12. “It Is Finished!” The Son Fulfills the Father’s Promises 13. Here Comes the Bride The Son Rises Over the New Jerusalem Notes PREFACE I once asked my friend Peter Kreeft which of his twenty-plus books he regarded as his most important. He thought for a moment, and then replied: “I’d say it was the one I didn’t write during the years that my kids were young and needed me around.” Good answer. For me, this book nearly ended up in that category. It started seven years ago, when Fr. David Testa invited me to teach a series on salvation history to his parishioners at St. Paul’s in Hudson, New York. These talks were taped by St. Joseph Communications and subsequently transcribed. Ann Spangler of Servant Publications later suggested that I revise and publish the transcripts for people wanting to get to know the Bible better. Not a chance. I had just started writing what turned out to be a 775-page doctoral thesis. I was also working with my wife, Kimberly, on another book, Rome Sweet Home. A third book seemed to be out of the question. But during my conversations with Servant, Ann Spangler and David Came suggested finding an editor to work with me on the transcript for publication. They found a good one in Pam Moran who did a fine job sifting through some pretty dense verbiage. Meanwhile things got even busier: two more babies; full-time teaching at the Franciscan University of Steubenville; finishing and defending my doctoral thesis, and so on. Meanwhile, the manuscript just sat there, collecting more and more dust. Along came additional help with some more patient editors, Bert Ghezzi, Heidi Hess and Paul Thigpen, who coached me along to the point where I could see the project to completion. Finally, I can offer them my sincere thanks, and a finished manuscript. However, what really made it possible to finish this project was being awarded a sabbatical for the Spring 1997 semester. I want to thank Franciscan University’s president, Fr. Michael Scanlan, and the acadmic dean, Dr. Michael Healy, along with my colleagues in the Theology Department, for making the sabbatical possible. The greatest motivation of all came to me one afternoon in the car when Kimberly was reading an earlier version to our two oldest boys while we were driving to Cleveland to see Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls slaughter the Cavs. I sat in the driver’s seat listening to their comments, and it suddenly dawned on me that they were really getting into it. Both boys encouraged me to read parts of it to their high school classmates who met in our home every Monday afternoon for an hour and a half of Bible study. The same thing happened. All I can say is thanks, and this one’s for you. Of course, more than a few rough edges remain, and I alone am responsible for that. Here again, I draw consolation from one of my favorite writers, G.K. Chesterton, who said, “If something is really worth doing, it’s worth doing badly.” After many years of teaching this material at various levels (high school, undergraduate and graduate), I’m more convinced than ever that it certainly is worth doing. In fact, I can’t think of anything more worth doing than sharing the biblical story of God’s covenant love in salvation history. That’s what this book is all about. So it’s not written as a textbook or academic monograph, but a simple retelling of the stories that make up the Story. For the most part, I stick to the major characters and events, since the stories make up the Bible’s main plot. My primary goal is to convey the “big picture,” which has been lost to many readers of Scripture in our day. In the process, I also hope to show how much practical wisdom the Bible contains for the ordinary believer, especially “rank and file” Catholics. That is one of the reasons I emphasize the twin themes of the covenant and family, because they touch us right where we live. The other reason for focusing on these closely related themes is because the Bible itself does. The approach taken here is anything but new. I follow the basic guidelines of the Church fathers and doctors, recent papal teachings, the Vatican II documents, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Biblical Commission’s recent instruction on “The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church.” This narrative approach to the biblical account focuses our attention on God’s fatherly plan in making covenants with his family throughout salvation history. We employ the method known as “canonical criticism,” which involves reading the Old Testament in the light of the New, and vice versa, following the wisdom of St. Augustine, cited in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “The New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New” (#129). Our approach is also ecumenical, drawing insight from Protestant biblical scholars, and