Men who knew God

by William Sanford Lasor and William Sanford La Sor

Old Testament famous men. Abraham, Jacob, Joseph etc. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0830700641
• Release Date: January 1970
• Publisher: G/L Regal Books
• Length: 196 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A clear and concise look at 13 Old Testament personalities

In Men Who Knew God, noted Bible scholar William Sanford LaSor holds up the lives of some of the great personalities of the Old Testament as spiritual case studies; basically, he attempts to explain the types of spiritual truths we can glean today from an examination of the lives of these patriarchs of the faith. He does not go into any chosen subject in great depth, but he does do an excellent job of placing each character in his proper contemporary setting. In order to understand the men in question, one must understand the historical setting of each one's time on earth, LaSor argues. Too often, Old Testament subjects are studied in a cultural vacuum, but LaSor is intent upon describing these men as they were, real human beings who rose above their many mistakes by way of their unflagging faith in the God of Israel. Some of the ancient leaders and prophets, as many already know, committed some terrible acts in their times, and since the Bible records these sins and mistakes, LaSor is determined not to gloss over the bad, insisting that the greatest insight can only be gained by studying each man in his entirety. This book describes the lives and spiritual accomplishments of the following Old Testament personalities: Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and Ezra. In addition to the Bible itself, LaSor draws on historical, geographical, cultural, anthropological, and psychological materials in reconstructing the lives and accomplishments of these men. Ideally, LaSor seeks to impart life lessons to modern readers through the examination of the selected Old Testament characters' lives. I am not sure he succeeds exceedingly well at this aspect of the book, however. The vast majority of each separate study is of a more historical than deeply insightful nature. The author's attempt to present these men as real human beings, warts and all, is the bridge of understanding he attempts to lead readers across, but oftentimes the life lessons he seeks to impart feel as if they were inserted into the narrative late in the game. Certainly, though, Men Who Knew God is a rewarding read. It is also written in clear and simple language. This, plus the sketches accompanying each chapter, sometimes gave me the feel of reading a book for children or young adults. Youngsters are not really LaSor's target audience, but his style of writing is quite accessible to young as well as old. You won't find any heavy theology or in-depth examination of the lives of the thirteen chosen subjects in these pages; this is very much an introductory sourcebook for the study of prominent Old Testament figures.