10 of those

God always had a plan

Asha

Echoes of Exodus

How should we read the Scriptures? Alastair Roberts and Andrew Wilson answer: musically, and by the end of their excellent book, you’ll be singing along. For Roberts and Wilson, the Bible is symphonic. It has themes that develop. They are introduced, sometimes in the bass, later in the treble. Counterpoints develop. The tempo rises and falls as does the volume, but all the parts combine to create a unified whole. That’s the contention of this book — the Bible is to be appreciated musically — but how will the authors convince you? They don’t bother arguing for some abstract theory of interpretation. They simply play and re-play the music and let you hear it for yourself. First they sing Moses’ song, straight from Exodus to Joshua, then they rewind to its prefigurements in Genesis. In the third movement we hear the rest of the Old Testament and then we conclude with the New Testament as the grand finale. As you listen you will hear harmonies you’d never appreciated and connections you’d never before noticed. Of course, you’ll exclaim, when slaves are freed in Exodus 21, there will be blood on the doorpost as a marker — it’s a mini passover! Why didn’t I see it, you’ll shake your head, Ananias and Saphira are New Testament Achans! Moments like this come thick and fast in the book’s 159 pages. Yes that’s right, the entire Bible is covered in 159 pages! Therefore we move at lightning speed. But that’s the idea — as we race through the Scriptures and the details blur, we get a sense of the unity far more than a more plodding tome could ever intimate. Echoes of Exodus, will give you a renewed sense of the richness of the Scriptures, the astonishing unity of God’s revelation and the wonder of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). Highly recommended.

Glen Scrivener

Echoes of Exodus

The message of Echoes of Exodus really reverberates. The basic premise is that the Exodus is the overture of the Bible, and its echo are heard throughout the entire Bible. In just 22 short chapters Wilson and Roberts write a delightful book explaining the symphonic nature of Scripture seen in the rich melody of the exodus. The book is divided into four main movements. Movement one hones in on the book of Exodus all the way through to Joshua. Movement two is the prequel to the Exodus looking at the exodus themes foreshadowed in the great events of Genesis particularly in the lives of Joseph, Jacob, Abraham & Noah, casting these seismic events as exodus-esque episodes. Movement three is a panoply of other Old Testament stories resonating with exodus themes, with an all star cast including, David, Absalom and Achan. Lastly in movement four the crescendo builds to show exodus in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and cascading out into the book of Acts. The finale of this movement shows that only at Christ’s return will the exodus truly end. This book is very readable, very thought provoking and brilliantly written. The chapters are short, the ideas are deep and, the questions at the end of each chapter help to consolidate the learning and stretch the reader. It is an ideal book to give to people to encourage them to mine deeply, unearthing the inexhaustible treasures of the Bible. Echoes of Exodus will help people in their personal devotions, thrill Bible study groups and be a wise guide to the preacher. It is clear, careful and captivating. Echoes of Exodus is beautifully set so the symphony of Scripture can sound from its pages into the hearts of the reader.

Jon Gemmell