Customer Reviews

The Character of Our Discontent

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The Character of Our Discontent was not the book that I expected it to be. Unlike finding a raccoon in a box this surprise was pleasant.

Discontent is a collection of sermons that span the Old Testament. Initially I had expected that the sermons would be little vignettes of the characters of the Old Testament, a who's who of God's chosen lot. Instead the focus shifts sermon to sermon as the text allows. Instead of a picture of who Moses is we are presented a picture of what he did, what the action speaks to today, or what an eloquent flaming shrubbery has to say about life for Christians today.

The sermons are short. Staccato. However brief each is packed with anecdotes and other little tidbits and stories that bring to life the intentions of the scripture and highlight the insights of Bevere. Some are humorous, others, like that of a Hungarian survivor of WWII, are wrenching and powerful in their own right. It is apparent that Bevere is as good an editor as a preacher.

Concluding each sermon a prayer is offered which connects the scripture to the present as well as lending further practicality to the texts themselves. Always the prayer points back to the message so we have Bevere mirroring the word back to God. "This was the point God, help us to do it."

I enjoyed this little book so very much that I am tempted to wrap this review up here and leave my hangups hung up, but in all fairness what is troublesome in the work is not in the words but rather in the formatting. Each sermon opens with a chapter number and title. Then in text underneath is the listing of the scripture which will be preached upon; but there is no text. Bevere often refers the what is in the scripture, but he never once gives the text in full. I did feel at times that I should have my bible on hand as I was reading. Were the scripture blocked in italics the reader could quickly review the scripture to prepare for what comes ahead.

My only other issue, and this is purely aesthetic is that prayer at the end of the sermon. It is separated by a bold header (PRAYER:). It is just a preference but like having scripture at the start I would have preferred to have the prayer set apart in italics to break the monotony of the print type.

Overall this is a wonderful book that I would recommend to pastor and layman alike, to him who already loves the Old Testament and to him who has yet to relish its delights. And without a doubt it is better than a raccoon in a box.

Propter Sanguinem Agni,
RS

This book was provided to me free of charge by the publisher. They asked only for my honest opinion. Nothing weird or anything like that. I am only disclosing this information because it is illegal if I don't. I'm pretty sure that I would go to prison, probably for life, seeing how reviewing a product you are given for free under the guise of having purchased it yourself is similar to murder. O laws, like whitewashed tombs!

Allan Bevere writes with the conviction that the Old Testament provides meaningful insights for Christian life today. He develops a portrait of several Old Testament characters in this sermon series. He explains how out of THEIR discontent grew Moses' friendship with God, Joshua's service to God, and Jeremiah's hope in God. The author describes other characters as well, but his title reveals the main goal of the book ~ The Character of OUR Discontent. Bevere challenges us to model the godly character of our Old Testament predecessors in our less than ideal life situations. He begins each sermon with relevant Scripture verses and ends it with a thoughtful prayer. The chapters read smoothly with a healthy balance of explanation, illustration, and life application. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about biblical characters or who struggles to trust in God during circumstances of discontentment.