Book Review: Echoes of Exodus (Alastair Roberts and Andrew Wilson)

In today’s environment, many of us might shy away from certain books of the Old Testament. Exodus is often one of those books, which can feel intimidating or foreign to many readers. But it is also a book that is incredibly rich, and one that the rest of Scripture builds on and elaborates on consistently. In this book, Echoes of Exodus, Alastair Roberts and Andrew Wilson show how the story of God delivering his people from bondage, the story of the Exodus, becomes a pattern that reverberates throughout the whole Bible, and ultimately finds its fulfillment in Christ.

The central conviction of the book is simple to understand: the Exodus is not merely one story among many in Scripture, but is the story that shapes Israel’s imagination and gives structure to God’s saving work. For the rest of the Old and New Testaments, the language, imagery, and theology of Exodus appear over and over again. Liberation from slavery, passage through the waters, covenant formation, wilderness testing, and God dwelling with his redeemed people, are all themes that echo constantly. Understanding these references, images, and themes will help us to better comprehend countless other parts of Scripture. Theological issues within Christianity, such as baptism, become much easier to understand when viewed in light of this foundation. And most importantly, the Exodus finds its fullest meaning in Christ through his death and resurrection, and through the deliverance and new life he brings to all of us. Salvation is not just a moment in a person’s life, but is revealed as God’s enduring purpose to free a people, to dwell among them and lead them.

Though both authors are respected theologians, the book is not overly academic, and is written with a popular, lay audience in mind. And yet pastors and teachers can equally find that this offers a helpful lens for preaching and teaching the whole Bible as a single, unfolding story. This book will be especially helpful for readers who want help seeing how the Old and New Testaments speak with one voice. This book reminds us that the story of redemption does not fade with time, but is reborn anew in every generation with a call to God’s people to trust, obey, and hope in him.