Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Book Review: Our Covenant God



book cover

Our Covenant God
by Kay Arthur


ISBN-13: 9781578561827
Hardback: 288 pages
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Released: March 16th 1999


Source: Bought at library book sale.

Book Description from Publisher Website:
SOMEONE LOVES YOU. UNCONDITIONALLY. UNSHAKABLE, UNFAILINGLY. That Someone is God Himself.

But how can that be possible? Why would God love you so? Because He has fashioned an unbreakable covenant between Himself and you. And He always keeps His promises. “Everything God does,” says Kay Arthur, “is based on His covenant.” And when you understand how thoroughly the dynamic concept of covenant permeates everything God says in His Word, and everything He does in our lives, you’ll come to experience one of the most stabilizing, most freeing truths you’ll ever know.

In a culture in which unfaithfulness is rampant, God’s “fierce, ferocious loyalty” toward us is difficult to imagine. And yet, through her characteristically warm and wise exploration of the Scripture, Kay Arthur will lead you into discovering the stunning truth of God’s covenant–and help you experience its revolutionary truth in your life.

The Bible reveals the covenant bond to be the highest personal relationship possible. In ancient times, covenants were solemn, binding agreements supremely honored above all others. Making a covenant represented an unqualified, total commitment of one person to another–unconditionally, totally, eternally.

As you follow the thread of God’s covenant woven throughout the Bible, you’ll discover the awesome privilege of getting to know the Lord as your Covenant God.


My Review:
Our Covenant God studies the covenants God has made with humans (as recorded in the Bible). The focus was mainly on the blood covenants found in the Bible and how, since it was so binding between humans, that should give us confidence in the covenant God has made with us. She quoted information from a book by a person who studied blood covenants all over the world and throughout time to help provide cultural background information.

I thought that Kay Arthur did a good job describing how covenants work and showing them "in action" in both the Old and New Testament. She'd take an aspect of covenant making, describe it, show an example of it in the Bible, and then make an application point about it before moving on. Very good information.

I'd highly recommend this book to Christians, especially those who haven't read information on blood covenants before.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt from Chapter One
The Riches of Covenant

If only he had known....
If only I had known!

He had been summoned. What could he do? There was no higher authority to appeal to, no one to mediate. He had been bidden to come--and go he must.

Most people looked on him with contempt because of his physical appearance. Some even derisively spat out the word "cripple" as he passed them by. He hated the stares of the people who watched his rocking body lumber and jerk as he approached the throne--the throne of a man who he was sure desired his death.

He sweated profusely.

The fear churning within caused his hands to tremble. He clenched them together to hide his misery from the watchful eyes.

But it was no use--both shook.

Bitterness had hardened his countenance, but inside he felt as spongy as mud and as worthless as dirt.

He felt cheated by life, ignored by God.

Robbed of a bright and seemingly certain future at the age of five, when his father and grandfather were killed suddenly in battle, he had spent his life in a barren, no-account, out-of-the-way village.

All his life he had successfully hidden from this man--a man who, he had been told, could never be trusted. Now this man had found him!

How much worse could it be? he wondered in irony...and heard his angry heart respond with a refusal to weaken.

He didn't know it, but in a matter of minutes he would discover how needless his years of bitterness, fear, poverty, and hiding had been. Even his physical disabilities could have been avoided had he and others known one thing--the covenant that had been made on his behalf!

And so it was with me--and so it may have been with you or with a friend or family member--just as it was with Mephibosheth of old, whose story we'll study in depth later.

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3 comments:

audreygeddes said...

I love Kay Arthur. Thank you for this great review. I will be getting this book for sure. You might also enjoy "Voices of the Heart," by Linda Lambert Pestana, which is a wonderful and inspiring memoir which touches on forgiving yourself and others.

Debbie of ChristFocus Book Club said...

I'm glad my review helped connect you with a Kay Arthur book you didn't know about. :) Thank you for the recommendation. I'll look into it.

audreygeddes said...

Great, Debbie. Love your blog :}.