Abraham: One Nomad's Amazing Journey of Faith

The books on the Bible characters by Swindoll are all excellent

This biography of Abraham is highly practical for life today and easy to read. I enjoyed Chuck Swindoll's storytelling and found it helpful in both remembering what he had to say and in learning about the culture in which Abraham lived.

Seeing the results of his faith and of his mistakes, I could learn from Abraham's example. Some of the questions don't change much. Do I leave it all behind if God says to go? Do I try to hurry God's timing? How will my choices affect those around me?

I encourage you to read it and see how it relates to your life.

I expect a good book when i see Charles Swindoll listed as the author and "Abraham was not a disappointment. This has to be the most complete look at the partiarchs life i have ever seen. In his classical style Swindoll methodically follows the life of Abraham leaving no stone uncovered. It is a great reminder of the faith that Abraham had but even more importantly the day to day battles that were fought by a man who was not that much different than you and I.

A warm cup of coffee, your favorite sitting spot and this book are all you will need to join Abraham as he travels the lands encountering people of different nationalities, relatives and faces his enemies head on, at least most of the time.

As we proceed through the book, Charles gives us practical applications that apply to us today in the here and now. These practical helps are incredibly relevant when you consider Abrahams culture 1000's of years ago would have looked much different.

Pick up a copy today you'll be glad you did.

I recieved my copy from Tyndale house, free for an honest review.

Insight for Living on Abraham. It was a delightful side-by-side in depth study from which I gleaned a wealth of information.

Abraham lived a nomadic life before we read about him in the Biblical account, as well as throughout the rest of his life. He spent much of the first 60+ years of life as an idol worshipper until God called him to leave the land of Ur. Many historical and Biblical stories are rooted in the days of Abraham, and he saw the nation of Israel undergo a change that only a few witnessed. His faith was amazing, and as easy as it is to put him and his faith on a pedestal, we must remember that we serve THE SAME GOD who have given us THE SAME FAITH.

This book encourages us to remember that our faith is a journey and although we dont know the twists and turns, we can rest in the assurance of its final conclusion and destination. Each and every one of us will face uncertain future decisions, we will be tempted to run ahead of God, we will struggle with seeing how Gods promises could come true in the face of our current situations, and we will be forced to wait because there is no other choice. The life and faith of Abraham can serve as a constant reminder that God has us in the palm of His hand and nothing we face or will ever face is going to surprise God. He will have already worked out the details, just as he did when Abraham was asked to sacrifice Issac and a lamb/ram was provided.

This is a biographical read as well as a non-fiction easy to read handbook on the life of Abraham. I encourage you buy or borrow a copy of this today. Read it for yourself and revel in the truths of faith that Gods servant Abraham steeped himself into.

I received this book from Tyndale Publishing and am not being compensated for my review.

Abraham is highly respected by the world's three monotheistic religions. The Bible calls him "the father of faith". And Charles Swindoll is a seasoned Bible teacher and writer. So I was sorry to find a couple major blemishes in Swindoll's new biography of the patriarch.

The biggest shock was how "gospel centered" this book is not. Although Swindoll carefully covers everything from Genesis 12 to 24 as well as many New Testament references to Abraham, he manages to minimize the many parts of this story that point forward to Jesus and the cross. A modern Jew would disagree with little in this book.

He missed what Paul taught in Galatians 3:17 that when God made promises to Abraham's "Seed", the Seed is Jesus.

He missed the entire chapter of Hebrews 7, explaining how Melchizedek (the priest who met Abraham as he returned from conquering the kings) is a type of Jesus.

He spent only four sentences mentioning that Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac pointed forward to Jesus' death on the cross (pg 203).

Swindoll correctly states that Genesis 15:6 ("Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness"), is "one of the most significant verses in the Bible" (pg. 57). But he only gives it five paragraphs, and doesn't mention until 3 pages later that the faith that gives righteousness must be in Jesus' work on the cross (pg. 61).

Swindoll writes with the assumption that his readers are Christians, and thus places the gospel message in the appendix. But Christians need to be "evangelized" just as often as everyone else, and the gospel is not an appendage to the story of Abraham; it is the central message.



There is actually more law than gospel given in this book. Swindoll's Abraham dwindles into a collection of good moral precepts and principles. This is not bad: we do need to heed the Bible's moral precepts, and Swindoll delivers them. He just does not explain much how we will find the power to keep them.



My other, smaller critique, is that Swindoll quotes A. W. Tozer's analogy that explains the way God's sovereignty and man's responsibility interrelate. When you think about their analogy, though, it quickly breaks down (about like trying to explain the Trinity using an egg, or water).

Even given these problems, this book is still one that I recommend for several reasons:

Swindoll makes clear just how unmerited God's election of idol-worshiping, lying-in-a-pinch Abram was. This makes God's graciousness shine.

Swindoll writes with a pastor's tender heart. For example, he does a beautiful job using the story of Hagar to speak to today's single mothers.

He does a good job blending accurate exposition with relevant application.

It is God, not Abraham, who emerges as the hero of this story -- which shows that Swindoll has gotten the most important thing right.

Swindoll is just a good writer!

Swindoll's book is flawed. But so was Abraham. And yet God chose to use him. May He do so with this book as well.

(I received this book for free from Tyndale in exchange for a review. My review was not required to be positive.)