Yancey’s book is based on the premise that the Old Testament is neglected by too many Christians. He points out that the OT is the Bible Jesus used and that Paul’s statement that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness …” (2 Tim. 3:16) is referring to the OT, the only Scripture existing at that time.

He says the OT gives us many examples of the difficulties of living for God and can help us over our own trials. I think he makes a good point. He takes five portions of the OT — Job, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Ecclesiastes and the Prophets — and explores what we can get from each.

Job — It isn’t about enduring pain and loss, it’s about faith. Yancey says, “Job convinces me that God cares more about our faith than our pleasure.”

Deuteronomy (and particularly Moses’ closing speech) — Remember the past so you don’t repeat your mistakes. “Success, not failure, is the greatest danger facing any follower of God.” But “We have a God who travels by our side, who tabernacles among us through the vast and dreadful wilderness. We have a God of grace, who loves even the dusty ones — especially the dusty ones.

Psalms — Most of the Psalms deal with anger or sorrow or depression. The book “contains the anguished journals of people who want to believe in a loving, gracious, faithful God while the world keeps falling apart around them.” I think Yancey makes a great point in this section — when we’re angry or disappointed with someone, don’t retaliate. Instead, express your anger or hurt to God — He can deal with it.”

Ecclesiastes — “it presents both sides of life on this planet: the promise of pleasure so alluring that we may devote our lives to their pursuit, and then the haunting realization that these pleasures ultimately do not satisfy.” It gives us the inevitable consequences of a life without God at the center.

Prophets — They deal with the major issues of life “the silence of God, economic disparity, injustice, war, the seeming sovereignty of evil, the unrelieved suffering that afflicts our world.” God answers with “historical proofs of His love, promises a Messiah/deliverer and concludes always with a preview of the future when all that is wrong on earth will be set right.” With their three levels of prophecy — now, later, much later — they give us a glimpse of God’s cosmic perspective.

Yancey ends by taking all these issues into the New Testament and asks if God gives answers to the three basic questions — “Do I matter? Does God care? Why doesn’t God act?” He shows convincingly how Jesus answers the first two of these questions. I found his conclusion a bit weak concerning the third. I would recommend reading Sir Robert Anderson’s THE SILENCE OF GOD for the best answer to that question that I’ve found in any book.

I found this book exciting and encouraging. It’s nice to know that others have faced the same struggles I’ve faced with difficult Scriptures. I also happened to agree with his premise. Yancey writes in a deceptively simple style that gets to the heart of the matter without making you realize how brilliant his thought process is. I find him challenging, even when I don’t entirely agree with him. I definitely recommend this book.