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How Old Testament saints dealt with tough times
By Anthony Selvaggio. Evangelical Press. 120 pages. £6.99
ISBN 978-0-85234-724-9
This really is an excellent book. The author examines the lives of several Old Testament characters and looks at how they dealt with specific trials and problems.
My first thought was that it was going to be a ‘Dare to be a Daniel’ or ‘Slay Your Goliath’ type of book, but actually it is full of perceptive comments and avoids the obvious. So, the chapter about Daniel looks at the problem of living and bringing up children in a hostile culture. The chapter on David deals with how he coped with the death of his child, born to Bathsheba. And have you ever thought about what might link the two Tamars of the OT and Jephtha’s daughter? Well, read the book to find out!
What is so encouraging about this book is that it is so Christ-centred. The first chapter explains the author’s view of Old Testament interpretation, and he concludes that we must remember that the OT characters were real people and therefore we can fully identify with them and learn from the warnings and examples of their lives. But they also point us to Jesus and that is exactly what this book does, constantly and effectively throughout.
The author succeeds in making this book immensely readable and accessible to ‘ordinary’ Christians, while at the same time conveying spiritual truth which will be of value to everybody. His chapters would make excellent sermon material! I used it for my own devotional time but I think it would lend itself very well to a group Bible study for Christians of any age and maturity as there is so much practical help.
Wendy Mason,
Park Evangelical Church, Stoke on Trent
