Sunday, September 2, 2012

Unlikely but that's God's Way

Twelve Unlikely Heroes by John MacArthur is the third installment in his "Twelve Series" (my term not his).  It builds upon his previous works Twelve Ordinary Men (about the disciples chosen by Christ) and Twelve Extraordinary Women (an analysis of several prominent women in Scripture).  These descriptions of people go to show how that God uses the unlikely of the world to spread His gospel and, thus, bring glory to his matchless name!

Although a big MacArthur fan, I was somewhat disappointed with Twelve Unlikely Heroes.  This book did not have the depth and detailed analysis of his definitive disciples study (which I consider to be the best out there).  Granted, I have not read the second book in this name-sake series, so I am uncertain as to that book's standard; however, the third surely pales in comparison to the first.  For instance, the first book discusses the good, the bad, and the ugly of each disciple; but this third book seems to miss much of the bad and ugly for characters.  Obviously, nothing bad could be said of Enoch but the story of Esther was glossed over as a "cinderella" happen-stance that she stole the king's heart.  Historically, it was much more sinister than that glitz and glamor offering that could have truly matched the thesis of the book.

MacArthur, in his title, references heroes and then goes on to challenge the modern notion of a hero; yet, at the end, it seems to come back to a normal hero definition.  The overt evidence that made each person examined a hero was not clearly stated.  The tie-in of heroes not running away was missed at the end because both Mark and Onesimus ran -- they came back -- and the power of that restoration rested with God.  This book seemed more to focus on the people rather than the Person of God.

Do not let the title deceive you when you open the table of contents.  Yes, the book only has 10 chapters, but 2 of those chapters depict two individuals.  By far, my favorite chapter (and the strongest of the book) was on Enoch.  I learned so much about this Biblical man and his time period that it was inspirational.  Could God ever say that I existed to be pleasing to God.  If not, which it would not be said, then I have much to change through prayer and meditation upon God's Word.

While disappointed with the work, especially when compared to other MacArthur works, I am no, in any way, saying do not read the book.  You can and will learn, but do not have the expectation of a repetition of the quality of Twelve Ordinary Men.

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