Twelve Unlikely Heroes

One of the things that intrigues me about the characters in the Bible is the way that God takes ordinary people, just like you and me, and through them accomplish extraordinary things. Since I am a big fan of John MacArthur’s “Twelve Ordinary Men” and “Twelve Extraordinary Women”, I was excited when the opportunity presented itself to read and review his newest newest book “Twelve Unlikely Heroes, How God Commissioned Unexpected People in the Bible and What He Wants to Do with You.”

In this latest book, MacArthur does not disappoint. By examining the lives of these unlikely heroes the author shows how God is in control and that with Him anything is possible. God does not always choose the most likely candidate in order to accomplish His work. In fact, most of the time He chooses the most unlikely candidates. These 12 heroes show how God can change the world through the lives of the unlikely, just as He can change the world through our lives.

John MacArthur starts out by stating that our world today has a twisted sense of what it means to be a hero.

The word Hero is slowly losing its significance because it has been so broadly redefined in popular culture. … Nowadays, celebrity status alone is enough to get a person deemed heroic. You’ll often hear people refer to their favorite person as “my hero,” indicating that all that may be necessary to be a hero is to have one person who thinks you are.”

But these are not the heroes of this book. If you are looking for celebrities or pop icons then you should go pick up a copy of People Magazine. MacArthur describes the Biblical heroes in his book.

The pages of Scripture are filled with stories of great heroes – men and women whom God used in unique and powerful ways to accomplish His purposes. Their exploits vary greatly, yet the common thread that runs through all of their testimonies is faith.

In his book, you will learn about the unlikely heroes of Enoch, Joseph, Miriam, Gideon, Samson, Jonathan, Jonah, Esther, John the Baptist, James, Mark, and Onesimus. If you have read any of the other “twelve” books by the Mr MacArthur then you will not be disappointed with these newest unlikely characters and their stories.

One of the things that I really appreciate about this, and the other MacArthur books, is that the author does not glorify those that he is writing about. He does not ever forget that the real hero in our lives is God. Without Him none of these characters would have made a lasting impact, nor would we be reading about them today.

By understanding that He is always in control and that with His help anything is possible, then we start to realize that we can have an unlikely impact on the lives of others. However, no matter what we are able to accomplish with His help, He will always be The Hero.

I also really like MacArthur’s writing style. He writes this book in a manner that is enjoyable for everyone to read. The material is deep enough for one to learn from but it is not written in a manner that requires a doctorate in theology to understand.

I have used both of the other books (12 Ordinary Men and 12 Extraordinary Women) as a guide for teaching my adult class in church. The manner in which the book is organized with a chapter for each character makes it a great guide for teaching. I am already planning the next series based on this newest group of Unlikely Heroes. (There is also a companion learning guide available for this book as well.)

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in reading about how God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary goals. The book is informative and inspirational, giving the reader an insight into these twelve lives and allowing the reader to see how his or her own life can be impacted by God. I give this book 5 of 5 stars.

Twelve Unlikely Heroes, by John MacArthur and published by Thomas Nelson publishers can be found at Amazon and other Christian booksellers online and in stores now.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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