Forty
Days on the Mountain: Meditations on Knowing God
by Stephen Smallman
What does a seasoned pastor, an urban missionary,
and a faithful teacher of God’s Word have to say to our generation? In his new book, Forty Days on the Mountain, Pastor Stephen Smallman brings us face
to face with Moses, Jesus, and the Scriptures of the Old and New
Testaments. With a rare combination of
solid interpretation of the Bible and the unique ability to get to the heart of
the matter in short chapters, Smallman does a remarkable job in these
meditations on knowing God. You will be
nourished spiritually in these pages but don’t think for a second that you won’t
be challenged in your well-traveled faith.
On Day 3 Stephen looks at Moses’ meeting with God at
the Burning Bush (Ex. 3.1-15). He notes
that it was God’s initiative that in placing the burning bush before Moses and
subsequently calling Moses toward God’s presence. Smallman writes, “This initiative on the part
of God is the pattern throughout Scripture, from his seeking out Adam and Eve
after the fall, to the call that God graciously extends to place our faith in
Christ …it all goes back to God’s coming to him (30).” Though the interaction between divine
initiative and human volition is mysterious (30), we have to forsake the notion
that we as humans are the instigators towards the divine. The beauty in this is that we serve a God who
desires to make himself known and is in pursuit of us at every angle in every
age.
One very important distinction is found on Day 17 where
Stephen looks at Colossians 1:9-14. In
this Pauline passage, the phrase “you may be filled with the knowledge of his
will, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.” Of this section, Stephen
writes, “I’m afraid that for many Christians that order is reversed - …Or
perhaps it would be better to say we are so preoccupied with the doing of Christianity that we pay scant
attention to the matter of knowing (80).” The deep knowledge that the Colossians have
of God’s will compels them to act in a manner worthy of their calling as holy
believers in Christ. For Smallman, the
knowing encourages the doing of the Christian faith and these twin aspects of
faith are not at odds, but rather work in concert together.
With a vision for the necessities of the Christian
faith, for growth in grace, and a challenge for comfortable Christians, Stephen
Smallman is to be commended for writing such an excellent book.
Thanks to P&R Publishing for the copy of this
book in exchange for an honest review.
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