Dr. Gage opens the
book with an introduction that reflects upon the fairy tales told to children.
Those that involve a mistreated maiden who is rescued by a handsome prince. The
two are married in a castle and live happily ever after. He goes on to say
"So we must ask ourselves whether these folk tales point us towards some
greater truth. Are they reflections of a grander story? Does their imaginative
fiction point us towards a factual tale?"[2] Within
the pages of The Romance Of Redemption Dr. Gage answers those questions.
I have to mention
that from the moment I began reading I couldn't stop. The way Dr. Gage exquisitely
retells familiar biblical stories not only increases the enjoyment, but also
depends the way we understand these texts. He is not only a biblical scholar,
but also a master poet; weaving biblical theology and poetic beauty throughout
this work, the end result is a wonderfully rich devotional that is easy and
enjoyable to read. Dr. Gage's insight is astonishing. He draws out many parallels and illuminates the biblical text masterfully. One parallel that caught my attention was on Page 30 where he discusses the similarities between Moses and figures like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
"Like Noah, Moses was delivered from the waters of death by an
ark daubed with pitch. Like Abraham, the Lord vindicated Moses by bringing
plagues upon the house of Pharaoh. Like
Isaac and Jacob, Moses discovered the woman he was to marry at a well."
There are some connections that he makes that I am still not sure
are true parallels, but there are only a very few and they may well turn out to
be valid. These too are wonderful because they cause me to think long and hard
about the biblical text and about Jesus.
In the end let me
say that this is a book well worth reading and rereading. Get a copy for
yourself and one for a friend. You will be enriched and your friend will thank
you.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Disclosure
of Material:
I received this book free from St. Andrews House Publishers/, LLC
as part of the Book Crash review program, which requires an honest, though not
necessarily positive, review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am
disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR Title 16, Part
255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in
Advertising.”
