O. Palmer Robertson - The Irresponsible Reader

REPOSTING JUST ‘CUZ: Christ of the Consummation, Vol. 1 by O. Palmer Robertson: The Beginning of A Wonderful Trilogy

On June 16, 2024

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

Until the bugs get worked out, I really can’t do a whole lot. So, here’s one of my favorite reads from the last few years.

Christ of the Consummation:
A New Testament Biblical Theology
Volume 1: The Testimony of
the Four Gospels

by O. Palmer Robertson

DETAILS:
Publisher: P & R Publishing
Publication Date: June 1, 2022
Format: Paperback
Length: 321 pg.
Read Date: August 7-28, 2022

In these new phases of redemptive history, the heart of the revelation does not change, but it broadens and deepens in the realities of the truth. Jesus Christ is the same, but his church, his precious bride, is being built by the addition of nations being born in a day as a consequence of Christ’s pouring out the gifts of his Spirit on all flesh. The kingdom of God has come and continues to come. The kingdom of God is yet to come. It will arrive in all its fullness on that day, the great judgment day, the day of resurrection and restoration of all things. To God be the glory for the things he has done, is doing, and yet will do.

What’s Christ of the Consummation, Volume 1 About?

At some point when reading Vos’ Biblical Theology most readers like me* start to wonder, “How is he doing to have time to cover the New Testament? While Vos doesn’t give his readers the same kind of insight into the history of revelation of the NT as he does the OT, he does set out some principles. Robert’s work is the first book-length attempt to apply Vos’ directions to apply his method to the NT (actually, the first of three book-length attempts).

That’d be people who didn’t know what was coming from pre-knowledge about the book or reading the Table of Contents.

He begins by stating the difference between the two works—there are centuries upon centuries of history of OT revelation, and a maximum of one from the announcement of Jesus’ birth to Mary to the end of John’s writing on Patmos. But that doesn’t mean that there’s no development, but how best to approach that? Robertson focuses on three distinctives in his approach:

Retracing the Historical Progression across the Various Phases of New Covenant Revelation as the Organizing Principle
The Foundational Role of the Old Covenant Scriptures
Contemporary [to their writing] Application of New Testament Biblical Theology

With these distinctives in mind, Robertson looks at material concerning Jesus’ self-testimony; various phases of His life and work; the progressive revelation of the Kingdom during His life; His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension; and then he moves into closer looks at the various Gospels individually and corporately.

An Unexpected Bonus

A number of times throughout the text Robertson will hit pause on his exegetical work, the historical reflections, or the interpretative/theological conclusions from those, to offer application to the lives and hearts of the reader. Sometimes a broader or more general call and sometimes it’s a narrow focus. I really didn’t expect these at all, and I almost never saw them coming when he did pause for one. But I appreciated them all and found them to be a real enhancement to the work.

So, what did I think about Christ of the Consummation, Volume 1?

I’m clearly not qualified to evaluate Robertson’s application of Vos, but people like D.A. Carson and Richard Gaffin are, so I’ll take their word for it. Sure, they wrote the forward and a “further word” for this book, so it’s not like we’re talking about impartial evaluations.

Nor am I capable of—or willing to—give this a good and thorough review/evaluation. Although I do wish I could. So let me offer a few thoughts from my perspective as a lay reader. And I do think this is a book written with the layman in mind—it’s not a casual read by any means, but it is not a book solely for scholars.

I’m not sure I’ve read a Christian book this year that has made me think more, read slower/closer, and pushed my thinking more. It’s also been the most rewarding and I think it will prove the most fecund for my future reading, study, and devotion.

At the same time, the number of times that I read something I don’t think I’d ever been exposed to, or that was wholly novel to me is so small as to be negligible. This is not to say that it was all review or that he didn’t make me stop and think for a minute or ten to consider a point before moving on. But on the whole, it’s a reframing and refocusing of many things I’ve read in lay-friendly works or heard in sermons/lectures. It’s not “here’s a whole new way to read/think about the Gospels”—and Robertson would be the last to want something like that. Instead, this is a “here’s a way to profitably consider the way these things were revealed” and “here’s how the Gospels build upon one another and build up each other.”

I’m already trying to figure out when I can get in a re-read without ruining plans for next year—possibly in combination with a re-read of Vos’ Biblical Theology so I can more directly see for myself the connections between the two works and Vos’ influence.

This is the first in a trilogy—if the rest of the trilogy is as good as this one, the series will likely end up on shelves everywhere next to Vos. I know I’m already ready to dive into the next volume.

5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

My Favorite Theology/Christian Living Books of 2022

By HCNewton

On January 8, 2023

In News/Misc., Theology/Christian Living

My Favorite Theology/Christian Living Books of 2022
Finally, we’re at the end of my 2022 wrap-up. Thanks for sticking with me for so long! (assuming you have). At a certain point this year, it felt like I was reading a set all around similar/related ideas. The Kapic-Noble-Horton-Zahl books weren’t written in that way, but they hit me that way. I can’t think of one anymore without the others—that’s not the entire reason they all made my favorites list, but I can’t deny there’s a link. The rest are varied enough to show that I didn’t have tunnel vision all year.

As always, re-reads don’t count for these lists.

(in alphabetical order by author)

What is Christianity?

by Herman Bavinck, Gregory Parker, Jr. (Translator)

My original post
These are two short works by the noted Dutch Theologian newly translated into English. Bavink is clear and convincing without being combative in this pair of brief apologetic pieces. Typically for him, he displays a catholicity in his approach—he’s clearly Reformed Protestant, but he doesn’t disparage other views. I don’t know he accomplishes all he does in so few pages—there’s a lot of subtle theological and apologetic work, here. But there’s also a lot that’s just easy to digest, clear and helpful. Bavinck gives his readers a Christ-centered, Christ-focused definition and description of Christianity (you’d think that’d be a given, but…). As Warfield put it, “We cannot imagine how the work could be done better.”

4 1/2 Stars

In the Fullness of Time: An Introduction to the Biblical Theology of Acts and Paul

by Richard B. Gaffin, Jr.

I haven’t written about this yet, and I’m pretty intimidated to try. I loved every second of it—I felt like I was a beginning student and at the same time, like I was understanding texts with a depth I’m not accustomed to. There’s a lot of depth to Gaffin’s thinking—as one expects every time you read the man—but I thought this work was a bit easier to work through than some of his shorter works. There’s a strong focus on Pentecost and what it means for the rest of New Testament theology (as there should be). Gaffin also sketches out a way to approach Paul’s theology that’s so helpful you wish that it was at least twice as long so he could develop it more and give more examples (although everything in the book is sufficient, I’m just greedy). I’m likely returning to this book this year.

5 Stars

In Divine Company: Growing Closer to the God Who Speaks

by Pierce Taylor Hibbs

My original post
A great work on prayer. Grounding our need for it not in our limitations or sense of need. Nor in the command to do so. Instead, Hibbs focuses on the nature of God as a communicative God and us as His image bearers. Hibbs being Hibbs, this is one of the better-written books on this list.

4 Stars

Recovering Our Sanity: How the Fear of God Conquers the Fears that Divide Us

by Michael Horton

My original post
Horton seeks to address several issues facing contemporary American Christians through the filter of the fear of God—the basic thesis is that if we are maintaining that fear as we ought, it’s easier to maintain a proper perspective on our problems and concerns (as real and as valid as they are). There’s a lot of wisdom in these pages, a lot to chew on (and a handful of things to disagree with).

4 Stars

You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News

by Kelly M. Kapic

My original post
Kapic seeks to apply the doctrine of Creation to remembering that we are created with limits—and, as such, we need to be dependent on one greater than us to help us when we are pushed beyond those limits. There’s a freedom in this realization—we can’t do it all and need to cut ourselves (and others) some slack. Although Kapic states it better than that. The book is a great combination of careful theology and careful application. It’s challenging and reassuring.

4 Stars

What Are Christians For?: Life Together at the End of the World

by Jake Meador

My original post
Meador wants to address American (specifically) and Western (generally) politics from a confessional and Natural Law perspective. He challenges positions and foundations of the Right and the Left calling us all to something deeper and better. And more Biblical. This is a careful book, one that I’m not convinced I completely understood on a first read, but I really appreciated what I did glean from it.

4 1/2 Stars

The Imputation of Adam’s Sin

by John Murray

My original post
This is a very brief work—but as is typical for John Murray, he doesn’t need a lot of words to make his point. He focuses his arguments for the Imputation of Sin on a careful look at Romans 5:12-19. This book is typical Murray—crisp, clear, concise, and convincing. Sure, there’s the drawback that his prose is dry and empty of all personality. The book doesn’t need them (and I’d think it strange to read Murray with it). It’s easy to see why it’s still so heavily used this many years after publication.

4 Stars

You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World

by Alan Noble

My original post
American Christians are too prone to think of themselves as their own, Noble seeks to remind us that (in the words of the Heidelberg Catechism), “I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ.” Noble points the believer to recalibrate their understanding of human nature—particularly redeemed human nature—to begin to understand what being the possession of Christ means to our life, our future, our identity. Noble’s writing flows—he’s engaging, compassionate, and relatable. It’s easy to understand even the more complex points he’s making, and his illustrations give the reader plenty to hang on to. Noble’s diagnosis and advice were sound—they seemed to match up with the world around us and the problems we see. More importantly, he points to the One whose grace, mercy, and care offer any true hope and help in this broken and dying world.

4 1/2 Stars

Christ of the Consummation: A New Testament Biblical Theology Volume 1: The Testimony of the Four Gospels

by O. Palmer Robertson

My original post
This is the first of a three-part exercise in applying the method of Biblical Theolgy for the New Testament as outlined by Vos. This volume focuses on the Gospels (obviously) and is a treasure from beginning to end. It’s not “here’s a whole new way to read/think about the Gospels”—and Robertson would be the last to want something like that. Instead, this is a “here’s a way to profitably consider the way these things were revealed” and “here’s how the Gospels build upon one another and build up each other.” It’s one of those books that mid-way through, you’re already trying to figure out when you can schedule a re-read.

5 Stars

Low Anthropology: The Unlikely Key to a Gracious View of Others (and Yourself)

by David Zahl

My original post
Zahl’s concern is the way we think about human nature—our anthropology—not in some academic sense (or just that), but how, individually, what we believe about human nature impacts the way we live and think. A Low Anthropology remembers that we are dust, we are broken, we suffer, in short—we aren’t perfect. This is an engaging, frequently humorous, and grace-filled look at human frailty and how remembering we are that way (and that others are, too).

4 Stars

Christ of the Consummation, Vol. 1 by O. Palmer Robertson: The Beginning of A Wonderful Trilogy

By HCNewton

On November 13, 2022

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

Christ of the Consummation:
A New Testament Biblical Theology
Volume 1: The Testimony of
the Four Gospels

by O. Palmer Robertson

DETAILS:
Publisher: P & R Publishing
Publication Date: June 1, 2022
Format: Paperback
Length: 321 pg.
Read Date: August 7-28, 2022

In these new phases of redemptive history, the heart of the revelation does not change, but it broadens and deepens in the realities of the truth. Jesus Christ is the same, but his church, his precious bride, is being built by the addition of nations being born in a day as a consequence of Christ’s pouring out the gifts of his Spirit on all flesh. The kingdom of God has come and continues to come. The kingdom of God is yet to come. It will arrive in all its fullness on that day, the great judgment day, the day of resurrection and restoration of all things. To God be the glory for the things he has done, is doing, and yet will do.

What’s Christ of the Consummation, Volume 1 About?

At some point when reading Vos’ Biblical Theology most readers like me* start to wonder, “How is he doing to have time to cover the New Testament? While Vos doesn’t give his readers the same kind of insight into the history of revelation of the NT as he does the OT, he does set out some principles. Robert’s work is the first book-length attempt to apply Vos’ directions to apply his method to the NT (actually, the first of three book-length attempts).

That’d be people who didn’t know what was coming from pre-knowledge about the book or reading the Table of Contents.

He begins by stating the difference between the two works—there are centuries upon centuries of history of OT revelation, and a maximum of one from the announcement of Jesus’ birth to Mary to the end of John’s writing on Patmos. But that doesn’t mean that there’s no development, but how best to approach that? Robertson focuses on three distinctives in his approach:

Retracing the Historical Progression across the Various Phases of New Covenant Revelation as the Organizing Principle
The Foundational Role of the Old Covenant Scriptures
Contemporary [to their writing] Application of New Testament Biblical Theology

With these distinctives in mind, Robertson looks at material concerning Jesus’ self-testimony; various phases of His life and work; the progressive revelation of the Kingdom during His life; His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension; and then he moves into closer looks at the various Gospels individually and corporately.

An Unexpected Bonus

A number of times throughout the text Robertson will hit pause on his exegetical work, the historical reflections, or the interpretative/theological conclusions from those, to offer application to the lives and hearts of the reader. Sometimes a broader or more general call and sometimes it’s a narrow focus. I really didn’t expect these at all, and I almost never saw them coming when he did pause for one. But I appreciated them all and found them to be a real enhancement to the work.

So, what did I think about Christ of the Consummation, Volume 1?

I’m clearly not qualified to evaluate Robertson’s application of Vos, but people like D.A. Carson and Richard Gaffin are, so I’ll take their word for it. Sure, they wrote the forward and a “further word” for this book, so it’s not like we’re talking about impartial evaluations.

Nor am I capable of—or willing to—give this a good and thorough review/evaluation. Although I do wish I could. So let me offer a few thoughts from my perspective as a lay reader. And I do think this is a book written with the layman in mind—it’s not a casual read by any means, but it is not a book solely for scholars.

I’m not sure I’ve read a Christian book this year that has made me think more, read slower/closer, and pushed my thinking more. It’s also been the most rewarding and I think it will prove the most fecund for my future reading, study, and devotion.

At the same time, the number of times that I read something I don’t think I’d ever been exposed to, or that was wholly novel to me is so small as to be negligible. This is not to say that it was all review or that he didn’t make me stop and think for a minute or ten to consider a point before moving on. But on the whole, it’s a reframing and refocusing of many things I’ve read in lay-friendly works or heard in sermons/lectures. It’s not “here’s a whole new way to read/think about the Gospels”—and Robertson would be the last to want something like that. Instead, this is a “here’s a way to profitably consider the way these things were revealed” and “here’s how the Gospels build upon one another and build up each other.”

I’m already trying to figure out when I can get in a re-read without ruining plans for next year—possibly in combination with a re-read of Vos’ Biblical Theology so I can more directly see for myself the connections between the two works and Vos’ influence.

This is the first in a trilogy—if the rest of the trilogy is as good as this one, the series will likely end up on shelves everywhere next to Vos. I know I’m already ready to dive into the next volume.

5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

REPOSTING JUST CUZ: The Christ of Wisdom by O. Palmer Robertson

By HCNewton

On June 19, 2022

In Theology/Christian Living

The Christ of Wisdom: A Redemptive-Historical Exploration of the Wisdom Books of the Old Testament

by O. Palmer Robertson

eARC, 432 pg.
P&R Publishing, 2017

Read: May 7 – 21, 2017

Robertson’s preface laments the way that the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament is usually ignored in Redemptive-Historical studies —

…how do you fit these wisdom books into the flow of redemptive history that consummates in the Christ? By letting them be what they are in their own distinctiveness. They are, it should be remembered, canonical, divinely revealed, and authoritative writings that tell the world how and what to think about the deeper mysteries of human life. Rather than submitting to the moldings and bendings of modernity, these books broaden our understanding of the nature of redemptive history. Divine progress in the complete restoration of reality does not merely move in a purely linear fashion like the flight of an arrow moving across time and space without deviation until it reaches its target. This “third dimension” of redemptive history moves in a cyclical pattern. For certain aspects of God’s salvation perform according to a pattern of regulated repetition.

To ignore this dimension of redemptive history is to exclude a major portion of the old covenant canon—and that you do not want to do.

So how do you discuss these books from a RH point of view? This is what Robertson seeks to do in this book — not as a final answer, but as the beginning of a search for wisdom along these paths.

In one sense, Robertson could’ve made this easier to talk about this book — there’s not one central argument developed throughout. There’s a general discussion (brief) of wisdom, wisdom Biblically defined, that is. And then using that discussion, Robertson looks at the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament (and Lamentations, which is not usually considered Wisdom Literature, but can function as such), summarizing each book, looking at the various forms of wisdom described and passed on through it.

Simply,

Wisdom is the ability to understand the basic principles inherent in God’s created order, and to live by those principles. Wisdom enables a person to summarize these basic principles in a succinct and memorable fashion. Wisdom is living out the whole of life with a constant awareness of accountability before a loving, gracious, and just Creator and Redeemer.

The work he does to get to this summary is well worth the time and effort to work through. Actually, that goes for everything in the book, but I’ll hold off on saying that kind of thing for a few paragraphs.

The chapter on Proverbs is, fittingly, the longest and most developed. He discusses various approaches to the book, to understanding its construction and from there trying to understand it:

A much more accurate view of the theology of Proverbs may be gained from a covenantal perspective. The wise sayings of the book are not presented in a vacuum. They are not purely moralistic aphorisms. Instead, they are steeped in theistic assumptions. These wise observations about how the world works assume that God the Creator is none other than Yahweh, the Lord of the Covenant.

This, right here, would help so much of what I’ve read about Proverbs over the last few decades. To get into everything that Robertson says about the pursuit of Wisdom, passing it on and living by it from this book would make this post unbearably long — but it builds the foundation for everything that comes. Proverbs covers Wisdom as a whole — the rest of the book deals with it in specific areas.

While dealing with the personification of Wisdom in Proverbs 8, Robertson gives an excursus, “Athanasius as the Champion of the opponents of Arianism,” that is just gold. I’d love to see this developed into something longer.

Following Proverbs, he moves on to Job. Job doesn’t give us the answers to the puzzling circumstances of life, but for those who understand the book, they learn how to puzzle through the circumstances, how to think about them — how to ask God about them. Yes, there are answers given in the book — not easy answers, not the answers anyone necessarily wants, but answers — answers tied to the hope of the Resurrection. But wisdom knows to look for those answers in the difficulties of life, with a sure faith that is willing to look at dark circumstances and say, “I don’t know why this is happening, but I trust in Him Who does.”

Ecclesiastes, is, naturally, a tricky chapter — Robertson threw me a curveball when setting aside the usual discussion of authorship of the book to note

But a related question of some significance for understanding the book has been generally neglected. This neglected question is the identity of the “target audience”of Ecclesiastes.

Chewing on this a little helps get through some of the discussion of authorship. There are so many divergent readings of Ecclesiastes that your head can swim just trying to get a sense of them, Robertson is a pretty sure guide through them before landing on his conclusion that Ecclesiastes presents a “realistic picture of life” — one that is a precursor to Paul’s discussion in Romans 8, where creation is subjected to frustration, but that this is being renewed. I do think this chapter could’ve been organized in a more straight-forward way, but I appreciate the way that Robertson makes you work through various considerations and themes before leading to his conclusions — which are all very helpful.

His discussion of Lamentations, summed up in the subtitle “How to Weep,” was one of the best things I’ve read on the book (an admittedly too-short list). You may think that’s a pretty easy thing to learn — but there’s a wise way, a godly way to weep over the tragedies that will come into our lives. The book of Lamentations teaches us that — and, here’s the RH emphasis coming through — there’s a hope tied to the wise weeping. A hope tied to faith in God’s commitment to preserving a repentant people to Himself.

Lastly, we get to the wisdom of “How to Love” (in a marital sense) in the Song of Songs. The way he reads the book is a “Redemptive-Historical” way, in

terms of the redemptive work of God in restoring humanity to the situation prevailing at the time of creation . . . a restoration of the initial blessing of man and woman in their relation to each other, just as when they first stood in each other’s presence “both naked” but feeling “no shame” (Gen. 2:25). This Song rejoices in the fullness of God’s redemption of the marriage relationship.

He concludes this chapter uniquely, with a script for a Dramatic Reading of the Song of Songs — I think there could’ve been a bit more instruction on how to approach such a Reading — and why — than he gave. But I really appreciated that part.

He could’ve used a conclusion to wrap things up — returning to the closing admonition of the opening chapter. But that’s probably just a taste thing on my part.

There’s a focus on the literary/poetic forms in each book tying in the themes and teachings of them to the way the author presents them. This kind of discussion — no matter the type of literature (inspired or not) always stretches me. I imagine I’m not alone in that — in fact, I bet many people will skip those parts. This is to their own detriment. Robertson discusses these matters in a way that takes some effort to understand, but it’s effort that pays off.

This is a truly helpful book — not full-fledged commentaries on any of the books, but helpful summaries pointed towards seeing the wisdom passed down in each book, and tied into the Redemptive work going on in history all around us. I found it interesting that the recent A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the Old Testament doesn’t approach some of these books the same way as Robertson — in some ways flatly contradicting him. I’d hoped for more overlap between the two works approaching this material from the same framework — but none of the contradictions or differences change the overall message of the Biblical material, just shadings. Honestly, in each case, I think Robertson’s readings are easier to square with the texts in consideration (and not just because he has more pages to develop his points, either).

Robertson, as always, delivers the goods with this book. The reader has to think about what he says, has to drag out their Bible and use the two books together, but will ultimately come out the better for it. I found this book to be incredibly helpful, insightful and something that drove me back to the fullness and fulfillment of all the wisdom of God — Jesus the Messiah. Just where Robertson wants his readers to focus.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from P&R Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for this post — thanks to both for this.
N.B.: As this was an ARC, any quotations above may be changed in the published work — I will endeavor to verify them as soon as possible.

—–

4 Stars

The Christ of Wisdom by O. Palmer Robertson

By HCNewton

On May 28, 2017

In Theology/Christian Living

The Christ of Wisdom: A Redemptive-Historical Exploration of the Wisdom Books of the Old Testament

by O. Palmer Robertson

eARC, 432 pg.
P&R Publishing, 2017

Read: May 7 – 21, 2017

Robertson’s preface laments the way that the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament is usually ignored in Redemptive-Historical studies —

…how do you fit these wisdom books into the flow of redemptive history that consummates in the Christ? By letting them be what they are in their own distinctiveness. They are, it should be remembered, canonical, divinely revealed, and authoritative writings that tell the world how and what to think about the deeper mysteries of human life. Rather than submitting to the moldings and bendings of modernity, these books broaden our understanding of the nature of redemptive history. Divine progress in the complete restoration of reality does not merely move in a purely linear fashion like the flight of an arrow moving across time and space without deviation until it reaches its target. This “third dimension” of redemptive history moves in a cyclical pattern. For certain aspects of God’s salvation perform according to a pattern of regulated repetition.

To ignore this dimension of redemptive history is to exclude a major portion of the old covenant canon—and that you do not want to do.

So how do you discuss these books from a RH point of view? This is what Robertson seeks to do in this book — not as a final answer, but as the beginning of a search for wisdom along these paths.

In one sense, Robertson could’ve made this easier to talk about this book — there’s not one central argument developed throughout. There’s a general discussion (brief) of wisdom, wisdom Biblically defined, that is. And then using that discussion, Robertson looks at the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament (and Lamentations, which is not usually considered Wisdom Literature, but can function as such), summarizing each book, looking at the various forms of wisdom described and passed on through it.

Simply,

Wisdom is the ability to understand the basic principles inherent in God’s created order, and to live by those principles. Wisdom enables a person to summarize these basic principles in a succinct and memorable fashion. Wisdom is living out the whole of life with a constant awareness of accountability before a loving, gracious, and just Creator and Redeemer.

The work he does to get to this summary is well worth the time and effort to work through. Actually, that goes for everything in the book, but I’ll hold off on saying that kind of thing for a few paragraphs.

The chapter on Proverbs is, fittingly, the longest and most developed. He discusses various approaches to the book, to understanding its construction and from there trying to understand it:

A much more accurate view of the theology of Proverbs may be gained from a covenantal perspective. The wise sayings of the book are not presented in a vacuum. They are not purely moralistic aphorisms. Instead, they are steeped in theistic assumptions. These wise observations about how the world works assume that God the Creator is none other than Yahweh, the Lord of the Covenant.

This, right here, would help so much of what I’ve read about Proverbs over the last few decades. To get into everything that Robertson says about the pursuit of Wisdom, passing it on and living by it from this book would make this post unbearably long — but it builds the foundation for everything that comes. Proverbs covers Wisdom as a whole — the rest of the book deals with it in specific areas.

While dealing with the personification of Wisdom in Proverbs 8, Robertson gives an excursus, “Athanasius as the Champion of the opponents of Arianism,” that is just gold. I’d love to see this developed into something longer.

Following Proverbs, he moves on to Job. Job doesn’t give us the answers to the puzzling circumstances of life, but for those who understand the book, they learn how to puzzle through the circumstances, how to think about them — how to ask God about them. Yes, there are answers given in the book — not easy answers, not the answers anyone necessarily wants, but answers — answers tied to the hope of the Resurrection. But wisdom knows to look for those answers in the difficulties of life, with a sure faith that is willing to look at dark circumstances and say, “I don’t know why this is happening, but I trust in Him Who does.”

Ecclesiastes, is, naturally, a tricky chapter — Robertson threw me a curveball when setting aside the usual discussion of authorship of the book to note

But a related question of some significance for understanding the book has been generally neglected. This neglected question is the identity of the “target audience”of Ecclesiastes.

Chewing on this a little helps get through some of the discussion of authorship. There are so many divergent readings of Ecclesiastes that your head can swim just trying to get a sense of them, Robertson is a pretty sure guide through them before landing on his conclusion that Ecclesiastes presents a “realistic picture of life” — one that is a precursor to Paul’s discussion in Romans 8, where creation is subjected to frustration, but that this is being renewed. I do think this chapter could’ve been organized in a more straight-forward way, but I appreciate the way that Robertson makes you work through various considerations and themes before leading to his conclusions — which are all very helpful.

His discussion of Lamentations, summed up in the subtitle “How to Weep,” was one of the best things I’ve read on the book (an admittedly too-short list). You may think that’s a pretty easy thing to learn — but there’s a wise way, a godly way to weep over the tragedies that will come into our lives. The book of Lamentations teaches us that — and, here’s the RH emphasis coming through — there’s a hope tied to the wise weeping. A hope tied to faith in God’s commitment to preserving a repentant people to Himself.

Lastly, we get to the wisdom of “How to Love” (in a marital sense) in the Song of Songs. The way he reads the book is a “Redemptive-Historical” way, in

terms of the redemptive work of God in restoring humanity to the situation prevailing at the time of creation . . . a restoration of the initial blessing of man and woman in their relation to each other, just as when they first stood in each other’s presence “both naked” but feeling “no shame” (Gen. 2:25). This Song rejoices in the fullness of God’s redemption of the marriage relationship.

He concludes this chapter uniquely, with a script for a Dramatic Reading of the Song of Songs — I think there could’ve been a bit more instruction on how to approach such a Reading — and why — than he gave. But I really appreciated that part.

He could’ve used a conclusion to wrap things up — returning to the closing admonition of the opening chapter. But that’s probably just a taste thing on my part.

There’s a focus on the literary/poetic forms in each book tying in the themes and teachings of them to the way the author presents them. This kind of discussion — no matter the type of literature (inspired or not) always stretches me. I imagine I’m not alone in that — in fact, I bet many people will skip those parts. This is to their own detriment. Robertson discusses these matters in a way that takes some effort to understand, but it’s effort that pays off.

This is a truly helpful book — not full-fledged commentaries on any of the books, but helpful summaries pointed towards seeing the wisdom passed down in each book, and tied into the Redemptive work going on in history all around us. I found it interesting that the recent A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the Old Testament doesn’t approach some of these books the same way as Robertson — in some ways flatly contradicting him. I’d hoped for more overlap between the two works approaching this material from the same framework — but none of the contradictions or differences change the overall message of the Biblical material, just shadings. Honestly, in each case, I think Robertson’s readings are easier to square with the texts in consideration (and not just because he has more pages to develop his points, either).

Robertson, as always, delivers the goods with this book. The reader has to think about what he says, has to drag out their Bible and use the two books together, but will ultimately come out the better for it. I found this book to be incredibly helpful, insightful and something that drove me back to the fullness and fulfillment of all the wisdom of God — Jesus the Messiah. Just where Robertson wants his readers to focus.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from P&R Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for this post — thanks to both for this.
N.B.: As this was an ARC, any quotations above may be changed in the published work — I will endeavor to verify them as soon as possible.

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4 Stars

Tag: O. Palmer Robertson

What’s Christ of the Consummation, Volume 1 About?

An Unexpected Bonus

So, what did I think about Christ of the Consummation, Volume 1?

What’s Christ of the Consummation, Volume 1 About?

An Unexpected Bonus

So, what did I think about Christ of the Consummation, Volume 1?