Echoes of Exodus: Tracing Themes of Redemption through Scripture
Overview
The exodus—the story of God leading his chosen people out of slavery in Egypt—stands as a pivotal event in the Old Testament. But if you listen closely, you will hear echoes of this story of redemption all throughout God’s Word.
Using music as a metaphor, the authors point us to the recurring theme of the exodus throughout the entire symphony of Scripture, shedding light on the Bible’s unified message of salvation and restoration that is at the heart of God’s plan for the world.
Key Features
- Follows the theme of the exodus throughout Scripture
- Discusses the relation of exodus to various views on identity, freedom, and the atonement
- Emphasizes the unity of Scripture
Contents
Overture
- A Musical Reading of Scripture
- The First Supper (Matthew 26)
First Movement: Out of the House of Slaves
- From the Bulrushes to the Bush (Exodus 1-3)
- The Battle of the Gods (Exodus 4-15)
- True Freedom (Exodus – Deuteronomy)
- Journey’s End (Joshua 1-7)
Second Movement: The Exodus in Genesis
- People of Rest (Genesis 6-9)
- Russian Dolls (Genesis 10-15)
- Just Like Us (Genesis 16-26)
- Wrestling with God (Genesis 27-50)
Third Movement: The Reechoing of Exodus
- Wings of Refuge (Ruth 1-4)
- The Capture of God (1 Samuel 1-7)
- All About the House (1 Samuel 15—2 Samuel 24)
- The End of the Exodus? (1 Kings 6-13)
- Elijah and Elisha (1 Kings 16—2 Kings 13)
- The Outstretched Arm (Isaiah—Malachi)
- Purim and Purity (Ezra—Esther)
Fourth Movement: The Great Deliverance
- The Crescendo (Matthew—John)
- The Exodus of Jesus (Matthew—John)
- Sinai and Pentecost (Acts)
- Paul’s Gospel (Romans—Jude)
- The Exodus of Everything (Revelation)
- Coda: Living the Exodus
Top Highlights
“It is easy for us to forget this, in an age where freedom is understood as merely being freedom from: from oppression, from constraint, or whatever. This aspect of liberation, as wonderful as it is, is only half the deal. In the Scriptures, more emphasis is placed on the freedom for: for worship, for flourishing, for growth in obedience and joy and glory. Human beings are not designed to be free from all constraint, slaves to nothing but our own passions, triumphantly enthroned as our own masters, even our own gods. Everybody serves somebody. So the point of the exodus is not just for Israel to find deliverance from serving the old master. It is for them to find delight in serving the new one.” (Page 47)
“Scriptural typology is more like a piece of music: familiar themes like temple, kingdom, exodus, judgment, and sacrifice keep recurring, but always slightly differently.” (Pages 26–27)
“This part of the story is frequently used as an example of what not to do (‘Moses tried to do God’s work but ignored God’s timing,’ or some such), but the narrator never suggests that application. In fact, the parallels with Moses’s third and most dramatic exodus—in which Moses will be stirred to action, the suffering of the Hebrews will be noticed and then relieved, Egyptians will be killed, and Moses will flee Pharaoh to the east before spending forty years in the wilderness—suggest that Moses is foreshadowing Israel’s later rescue, not bungling it.” (Page 37)
“Three: our generation is confused as to the nature of true freedom. No matter how often we experience liberation from constraints, limitations, and oppression, we still find ourselves falling into new forms of bondage. We get free from boredom, and fall into slavery to distraction. We pursue liberty from prohibitions, and fall into bondage to addictions. We escape repression, and become enslaved to lust. We are released from isolation, and fall captive to peer pressure and the power of the online mob. We pursue liberty from the constraints upon our natures, and fall into bondage to our untrained passions.” (Page 15)
Praise for the Print Edition
Roberts and Wilson show how the exodus is more than a past event; it is a paradigm that shapes the storyline of the Bible and the life of the believer. The blend of rich biblical theology and beautiful writing will stir the affections of all who long for the Promised Land of the new heaven and new earth.
—Matthew S. Harmon, Professor of New Testament Studies, Grace College and Theological Seminary
Alastair Roberts and Andrew Wilson have written a marvelous book. In 160 packed, lucid pages, they explore the exodus, one of the Bible’s main themes from Genesis to Revelation. The authors say that Scripture is musical, and their book will leave haunting echoes of exodus ringing in your soul. Echoes of Exodus won’t just teach you about exodus; it will teach you how to read. In studying it, you will learn to harmonize on the melody of God.
—Peter Leithart, President, Theopolis Institute; Contributing Editor, Touchstone Magazine
I treasure books that bring the Scriptures to life, such as this one. This is what biblical theology should look like. This work by Roberts and Wilson taught me a great deal about the Bible and gave me a renewed appreciation for the exodus motif throughout God’s Word. Seminary professors, preachers, Bible study leaders, and others are going to love Echoes of Exodus.
—Mark Jones, Teaching Elder, Faith Vancouver Presbyterian Church, Vancouver, British Columbia
Product Details
- Title: Echoes of Exodus: Tracing Themes of Redemption through Scripture
- Authors: Alastair J. Roberts and Andrew Wilson
- Publisher: Crossway
- Publication Date: 2018
- Pages: 176
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Topic: Biblical Theology
About the Authors
Alastair J. Roberts (PhD, Durham University) is one of the participants in the Mere Fidelity podcast and a fellow of Scripture and theology with the Greystone Theological Institute.
Andrew Wilson (PhD, King’s College London) is the teaching pastor at King’s Church London and a columnist for Christianity Today. He is the author of several books, including Unbreakable and The Life We Never Expected (with his wife, Rachel).