Mitchell L. Chase

Summary: Traces the idea of wisdom in scripture and how integral it is to walking well with God in covenant relationship.

For most of us, when we think of Wisdom in connection with the Bible, we think of the Wisdom literature. Three books stand out: Job, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. We might add some of the psalms, perhaps the Song of Songs. Then some might even add James. While these books are of the “genre” of Wisdom literature, Mitchell L. Chase proposes that wisdom runs through the show more whole storyline of the Bible. An adequate theology of wisdom must encompass the whole Bible.. In this book, Chase offers an outline of the contours of such a theology.

It is a story that begins in the Garden. God wanted Adam and Eve to be wise in knowing good and evil through trusting obedience. Instead, they chose the folly of moral autonomy in a quest for wisdom apart from God. Now the divine wisdom that created the world would be needed to save it. Before continuing the storyline of Genesis, Chase considers our need for wisdom amidst suffering in the ancient story of Job. Then we turn to Abraham and his descendants, including the children of Israel in the exodus. We observe the wisdom of trusting obedience that saves Egypt in famine, and the consequences of giving way to fear when Israel heeds the bad report of the spies rather than trust God’s power to give them the land.

Eventually, under Joshua, Israel enters the land. As he passes the torch to the next generation, Joshua exhorts them to live by God’s law. This was wisdom for enjoying the covenant relationship God had established with Israel to be their King and enjoy his protection. But they would have none of it and rebelled. Rejecting God, they had no king and pursued the folly of doing what was right in their own eyes, becoming prey to the nations. They believed only an earthly king could save them. In Saul, they learned that a king whose heart was not after God would also be a problem.

Then in David came a king who sang God’s wisdom from the heart, giving us many of the psalms. He sang of the wisdom of delighting in the law of the Lord and the folly of rejecting God. He sang of the holiness by which we may approach God, the presence of God in death’s shadow, and how God would guide all our ways in wisdom.

Following David, Solomon sought, received, and gathered wisdom to instruct both his children and his corporate son, Israel in living well with God. Then in the Song of Songs, Solomon, as tradition would have it, gave us wisdom for love in the covenant relationship of marriage, a parable for God’s covenant relationship with his people. Finally, Solomon offers us the wisdom that comes in knowing we will die. He paints our pretentious projects as futile against the transience of our lives, and commends the wisdom of receiving with joy the gifts of the day: good work and its fruits.

Israel’s history after Solomon is the sad story of pursuing Lady Folly rather than Lady Wisdom. Folly led to a kingdom torn asunder the fall of the north under a relentless string of kings who did evil in the lord’s eyes. In the south, a few respites of righteous rule were not enough to prevent Babylonian conquest and exile. Yet even in exile, God’s wisdom was manifest in Daniel, wisest of councilors and one who, along with other prophets to the one, the Son of Man, who would redeem God’s people.

At last, the one greater than Solomon comes. He is wisdom in the flesh, the way, the truth, the life. He renews us in his image, to live in covenant relationship with him as King over all our lives. And living wisely in Christ enables us to perceive the life that is ours beyond death. Thus, we live in the blessed hope of partaking of the tree of life in the heavenly city.

I love how Chase shows the wisdom of God for life that runs through the biblical storyline. Likewise, we see the folly of rejecting wisdom and the sad history of thinking we know better than God. By Genesis 3, we already know how that story plays out. Yet we keep falling for the same lies. Thanks be to God for Christ, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). Chase helps us see how all that treasure is ours in Christ. He helps us see how all of scripture can not only make us wise for salvation but to live well with God.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review. show less

First sentence (from the introduction): When a floating shelf fell from our living room wall, we heard multiple sounds at the same time.

Mitchell Chase's new book is an exposition of Genesis 3. He argues that a right understanding of Genesis 3--is essential to understanding all the rest--the Bible itself, the gospel message, life. He shows in his chapters HOW each paragraph/section of this chapter [Genesis 3] fits into the big picture. He doesn't just leave you hanging. He walks you through show more how a (right) understanding brings the rest of Scripture into focus, into clarity. These are key concepts, themes, doctrines. And the root--if not the ultimate fruit--are found in this opening section of Scripture.

Note: While the focus is clearly on Genesis 3. I'd argue that Genesis 1 and 2 are somewhat included/discussed as well. They provide context for Genesis 3. And Genesis 3 provides context for the rest of Scripture.

The chapters are:

Sacred Space
Two Trees
The God Who Walks
That Ancient Serpent
Taking and Eating
A Broken Covenant
Afraid and Ashamed
Salvation Through Judgment
Multiplication and Division
From Dust to Dust
The Mother of All Living
Garments from God
East of Eden

I found this a wonderful read. I would definitely recommend it. It isn't popular to talk about sin, the doctrine of sin, the consequences of sin, etc., but I think it is crucial to the gospel. Churches suffer when sin is either discounted (ignored) OR redefined in an UNbiblical way.

Quotes:
Problems and solutions must match. If you want to understand what the Gospel is about, what Jesus is about, what the cross achieves, then you must understand the nature of the problem they address.
One helpful and popular way to conceive of the Bible’s storyline is with four words: creation, fall, redemption, consummation.
We need the category of redemption in order to make sense of the biblical story. And yet we know that redemption isn’t something needed because of creation. The story of creation was about our good God making a good world. He didn’t make a broken world.
When we look around us and within us, a truth is clear: not all is well in God’s world and in God’s image bearers.
The word fall is shorthand for the rebellion and repercussions that began in the garden of Eden in Genesis 3. The fall is what happened to God’s creation, and it’s why there is a need for redemption. We live as fallen people in a fallen world. The hope of consummation tells us that the conditions of the fall are temporary.
To grow in our understanding of the Bible’s big story, we must think about the fall. We must know what happened, why it happened, and what followed.The events in Genesis 3 become a lens through which to read and understand the progressive revelation of God’s redemptive epic.
One way to tell the story of the Bible is with the theme of sacred space. Sacred space is given, lost, promised, and at last received again.The prophecy is that God will come to dwell with us and reign over us. The loss of Eden is not forever. The God who walked in Eden will be the God who seeks and finds and restores.
Before Eve went astray in her action, she went astray in her heart.
We cannot fully comprehend the horror of our spiritual condition, and our spiritual condition is the reason why. Our sin prevents us from seeing the scope and depth of our sin.
The impact of Genesis 3:15 on subsequent Scripture is profound and far-reaching. Bible readers will feel the reverberations of Genesis 3:15 all the way to the end of Revelation.
One way to conceptualize the drama of Scripture is to understand the role of Genesis 3 in the storyline. Throughout this book, we have reflected on the content of Genesis 3 in both its immediate context and its canonical context. We have tried to answer several questions along the way: what happened, what does it mean, and why does it matter? show less

It has been a pleasure to read this book and it worth the buy if you want to start studying more deeply about God's sovereignty. The book is Chase's study of ten years and looking at the Biblical evidence for and against a completely sovereign God. This book will position the reader to further study. This books is not a complete study of the doctrine and he does not go to deeply into other views because he focus is to lay out the foundation in which you can decide for yourself after more show more study. He does provide some answer to basic critics of his view, which were some stumbling block for himself. The tone of the book is very pastoral. You might not agree with him but you cannot be angry with him. You can tell from the introduction that he knows that this is a sensitive topic. The chapters are setup to highlight chapter three where he brings human freedom and God's sovereignty to play in the crucifixion of Christ. Chapters one and two lay the groundwork from chapter three. Chapters four and five layout the practical elements of this doctrine and attribute. show less

This is the shortest of surveys of the Old Testament and is a useful primer or refresher for anyone who wants to get a good idea of the sweep of the Old Testament. Several significant dates are included without argument and incorporated in a chart at the beginning. I should know more of those dates than I do. They would be worth committing to memory.