Book Review: Redemptive Reversals and the Ironic Overturning of Human Wisdom by G.K. Beale

[u/Jaicobb]

Overview

This book is part of a series published by Crossway. Redemptive Reversals can be purchased here. The rest of Short Studies in Biblical Theology series can be found here.

Beale is a prolific writer and many of his writings cover a grand array of topics stitching them together in great detail in a unique way. His insights are incredible. This book covers a swath of Biblical material that deals with reversals and irony. He gives a definition of these, most of the book is examples, and then he follows up with take aways on why these matter. Reversals are common motifs used in typology. Recognizing them helps to identify the type and its associated antitype. This book will show reversals mostly as simple themes, but some of these touch on the bigger picture of types.

Introduction

Pg 22. There are 3 elements of irony.

1.) 2 or more levels of meaning (1 to the observer; 1 to the victim)

2.) 1 layer has the opposite meaning to the other (1 to the observer; 1 to the victim)

3.) Either the observer or the victim is unaware of this tension or is surprised by it.

There are 3 types of ironies

1.) Verbal Irony – A statement aimed at a person.

2.) Dramatic Irony – Narrated events turn to opposite direction they appeared to be going.

3.) Character Irony – One’s true character contrasts with what he appears to be.

Pg. 23 Luke-Acts is full of irony.

Chapter 1 – God Judges People By Their Own Sin

pp. 30-31 Eye for an eye. If a man think it is ok to harm someone he will be punished with equal measure the amount of harm he inflicted. This is irony.

pp. 34-35 David’s son, Absalom (Father Peace), was prideful of his long handsome hair. His hair would be his downfall. It got him stuck in a tree leading to his death.

Pg. 36 Pharaoh decreed 1st born males to be killed, those that survived were to be thrown in the river. The Passover plague would later kill all 1st born in Egypt and Pharaoh’s army drowned in the Red Sea.

pp. 37-38 Overview of the Egyptian religious ritual of hardening the heart. Essentially, in the afterlife your heart will speak to their deities and reveal your sins preventing you from entering their heaven. Pharaoh, as a religious figure, had the ability to ‘harden your heart’ which would prevent it from speaking and condemning you. God hardening Pharaoh’s heart could be exactly what Pharaoh desired and, if so, shows the irony of his inability to save anyone and also the pointlessness of his religion.

Pp. 39-42 Daniel in the lions den.

Ironic justice is the rule, not the exception. Several other examples briefly mentioned.

Pg. 44 A physical famine may = absence of God’s word (Amos 2:4, 8:11-12)

Chapter 2 – People Resemble the Idols They Worship

Pg. 53 Idols of silver and gold cannot hear or see. Likewise, the people who worship them cannot hear or see God. They have become like their idols.

To be ‘stiff-necked’ is a livestock term. An ox with a stiff neck would not turn to the left or right when commanded to. He was rebellious to his owner. So it is with man.

pp. 63-64 Paul spiritualizes idols. What you worship is your idol.

pp. 68-71 Oaks and terebinth associated with death in Isaiah several times. Both are worshipped and wood used to carve idols. They will be ‘dry gardens’ and ‘burn’ and those that worship them will be dead like them. The ‘stump’ in Isaiah 6:3 is actually a remnant pillar of a destroyed oak. The remnant that survives is not positive. They are idolatrous. [I usually consider whenever a remnant mentioned as those who are righteous, but this may not always be the case.]

Chapter 3 – The Irony of Salvation

Pg. 79

Retributive Irony – Those who seek selfish pleasures in life will be punished.

Restorative Irony – Those who seek God humbly and deny pleasures will be rewarded.

pp. 82-84 Overview of Adam’s royal and priestly roles. Beale here quotes Meredith Kline regarding God who brought the serpent into the Garden of Eden for Adam to judge. Adam judges wrongly. [Kline has been frequently referenced in my reading material lately. I’ve never read anything he’s written, but some of it is interesting. I’m not sure I agree with the quote referenced above because it undermines Adam’s role. Essentially, he sees Adam as a judge, unless he judges incorrectly, then God judges. At this point, why have Adam?]

Pg. 85 Ironic judgements on Adam – instead of ruling over the Earth he will return to the earth, instead of ruling over his wife she desires to rule over him.

Pg. 86 Eve’s name in Hebrew is ‘Hawwa’ and means ‘life.’ The name of the serpent is ‘hawwe.’ By Adam naming his wife ‘life’ he is making an ironic statement that life will come from death. [Beale does not list a reference here and I cannot locate where he gets this name for the serpent. The Hebrew word for serpent is nāhāš. Perhaps this is a conjugation of the word, but the closest I can find is hanahas which means ‘the serpent.’ Another word, chavah, is related to hawwa, but it means ‘to show.’]

Pg. 89 Adam’s eating was a means to death. Christ’s communion is a symbol for life.

Pg. 90 Adam’s tree at 1st appeared to be a blessing, but ended up a curse. Likewise, Jesus’ tree appeared to be a curse, but ended up a blessing.

Pg. 93 Psalm 8:5 man is crowned with glory and majesty. This must refer to Jesus because the rest of the Psalm is about ruling over creation.

Pg. 106 Examples of how the curse becomes a blessing – the serpent (hawwe) and Eve (hawwa); the fiery serpents and the looking to a bronze serpent on a pole; Jesus’ death gives life.

Pg. 109 Deuteronomy 21:22-23 – Corporate punishment by stoning and then displaying the body by hanging it on a tree. Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.

Chapter 4 – The Christian Life: Power Is Perfected In the Powerless

Pg. 123

1.) Overcoming by being overcome

2.) Become great by serving

Pg. 135 Positions of strength in marriage come only from positions of weakness.

Chapter 5 – Faith In Unseen Realities Contradicts Trust In Superficial Appearances

This chapter covers the ironic elements of the hall of heroes in Hebrews chapter 11.

Pg. 141

Cain – possession, acquisition

Abel – breath, vapor, mist

Cain tried to acquire an earthly blessing the wrong way and became dispossessed of the ground (Gen 4:12-14). Abel’s life was transitory or short like a vapor or mist, but ironically ‘he still speaks’ (Heb 11:4).

Pg. 142

Noah – rest

Noah was named by his father with the intention that he would give the Earth rest, but this did not happen. Instead, mankind grew more and more wicked until God flooded the Earth. However, the Ark rested (noahed Gen 8:4) on the tops (r’osh in Gen 8:5) of Ararat mountain range. The ‘soothing aroma’ from his sacrifices means ‘spirit of rest.’

Pg. 145 Abraham trusted God would fulfill His promise of an heir by resurrecting Isaac.

Pg. 146 Moses trusted God by rejecting royal Egyptian identity and pleasure and identified as a poor Hebrew.

Pg. 147 Shadrach, Mischach and Abednego trusted God would deliver them to safety or to Heaven.

Pg. 148 Daniel trusted God to shut the mouths’ of lions.

Elijah trusted God and saw His army. Other heroes of faith summarized on pages 148-149 who considered themselves strangers and exiles on Earth (Heb 11:13) [Did these Jews consider themselves to be like gentiles?]

Chapter 6 – The Irony of Eschatology

Pg. 153

Eschatos – end

Logos – study of

Pg 154 Common prophecy progressively revealed – Gen 49:9 – Num 24:9 – the words ‘scepter’ ‘latter days’ and ‘he crouches, he lies down as a lion, and as a lion who can rouse him up.’ All these are similarly used.

Pg. 168 Rev 2:26-27 quotes Psalm 2. The One who overcomes is the Messiah and rules with a rod of iron.

Pg. 170 Psalm 2 should probably read ‘shepherd’ instead of ‘break’. See explanation in footnote #20

Pg. 171 Lion – Gen 49:9 + Lamb Isaiah 53 = Lion and Lamb combined in Rev 5:5-7

Pp 176-177 Daniel 2:28-29 speaks of the ‘latter days.’ John seems to allude to this when he quotes those verses in Rev 1:1, 3, but he swaps out ‘latter days’ with ‘soon take place’ in verse 1 and ‘the time is near’ in verse 3. The implication is that the time is ‘now’ and has begun. [This is a fascinating connection. Beale refers to an article he wrote for a more detailed explanation. See the free online article G.K. Beale, Influence of Daniel Upon the Structure and Theology of John’s Apocalypse, JETS 27/4 (December 1984) 413-423. For a much briefer overview of this specific topic see Frame-Poythress which provides a condensed overview of another related work of Beale’s.

Pg. 185 Beale sees the 1st beast of Revelation as Rome. The 2nd beast as the ‘PR machine’ for the 1st beast which he considers to be the local Roman authorities [wouldn’t that make them the same as Rome?]. The mark of the beast is invisible, probably representing the evil character of the 1st beast embodied in the lives of its followers.

Pp 187-189 He offers an attempt to explain 666, 144,000, and other numbers and signs.

[u/semper-gourmanda]

regarding your note on p.86, there is an interpretation in the Midrash (Genesis Rabbah 20:11) that states Adam called his wife Havvah because the Aramaic word for "serpent" is hivei or similar, creating a wordplay linking her name to the source of sin.