Customer Reviews

Legacy of Faith: From Women of the Bible to Women of Today

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What am I doing writing a review of a book on women of the Bible? I was preaching on some of the women in the Bible and came across her book -- honest!

I had been reading another book by a different author, which was shallow and driving me up the walls. Then I came across this one. Chalk and cheese. It was everything the other book wasn't.

Lydia Brownback let's each character speak for themselves. In contrast to the 'Let's just see how great all the women of the bible are' approach of some books in this genre, she delves deep and looks at each woman in her own setting, warts and all.

The characters become real people with whom the reader can start to identify. This throws up some interesting and useful applications. For example, how many books do you see with a chapter on widowhood (Anna)? In many of the chapters, the lesson Brownback brings out of the character is to help us learn from that person's mistakes rather than proposing that they display great faith.

For example Sarah shows us the seriousness of focussing on our circumstances so that we end up doubting God's promises; Miriam warns us of the danger of a `what-about-me?' attitude when life seems unfair.

It is rich, provocative, and dealt with the passages superbly (in most cases) and got down into the nitty-gritty layers of the heart. She understands how sin works, and how it disguises itself, and she aims for the sin behind your sin--the underlying heart issues.

But what really sets this book apart is that she constantly points you to Jesus. Jesus is set forth as the supreme object of faith, not simply as a saviour, or as a substitute for the things we don't have, but as the Christian's first love. This is vital -- faith is not simply something to be encouraged by looking at others, but something to be fed by looking at Jesus.

Well worth it!