Old Testament narratives do not always teach directly. They emphasize God’s nature and revelation in special ways that legal or doctrinal portions of the Bible never can, by allowing us vicariously to live through events and experiences rather than simply learning about the issues involved in those events and experiences. Narratives thus give you a kind of “hands-on” knowledge of God’s work in His world, and though this knowledge is secondary rather than primary, it is nevertheless a real knowledge