Overview

When we look to the Bible for role models in our daily discipleship, we tend to think of Noah's obedience and David's bravery. Limping With God: Jacob and the Old Testament Guide to Messy Discipleship posits that we can also look to Jacob. Jacob seems to be anything but a model disciple, though we can learn a lot from his journey. He's a trickster, liar, and selfishly ambitious man who fathers children with four women and leads a dysfunctional family rife with jealousy and backstabbing. But Jacob is also Israel, the namesake of the Old Testament community of God, chosen and blessed. As such, this sinner-saint, who limps along with the Lord, burdened by weakness and beset by problems, is the mirror image of all of us who follow Jesus. In Jacob's life we see our lives, our struggles, our failures, and most especially the God who loves us and chooses us as his own. As we explore his bio, from his wrangling in the womb with Esau to his death as an old man in Egypt, we will learn more about ourselves and the God who is with us and for us in Jesus the Messiah. From the author: ""I have entitled this book Limping With God instead of Walking With God or Running With God, not because there would be anything wrong with those metaphors, but because, as Jacob limped away from his famous wrestling match with God, so we all get by on bum hips and bad knees. Following Jesus, we gimp our way down the dark and slippery paths of life. As we do, we discover, ironically, that the longer we follow him, the weaker we become, and the more we lean on our Lord. Finally, at our most mature, our eyes are opened to realize that we've never run or walked or even limped a single day of our lives. ""We've been on Christ's shoulders the entire time.""

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9781948969833

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Reviews

Like Jacob, we are limping disciples, and we need to follow the same God that Jacob did, believing divine promises and noticing the ways that our temptations and decisions are reminiscent of that ancient patriarch. Chad Bird's book Limping With God guides us helpfully and insightfully through the stories of Jacob's life. Taking us from Jacob's birth to his death, Bird reminds us that we are not alone. The God of Jacob is with us and loves us. --Mitchell L. ChasePreaching Pastor, Kosmosdale Baptist Church (in Louisville, KY) Equal parts academic, pastoral, and devotional. Limping with God is a book that will leave you encouraged with the reality that the God who is stubbornly merciful and gracious to Jacob is stubbornly merciful and gracious to you as well. --Dr. Chris HulshofAssociate Professor of Bible & TheologyJohn W. Rawlings School of Divinity at Liberty University

The story of Jacob is filled with twists and turns, and God's grace shines through all of it. The unfaithfulness of Jacob is a backdrop where God's faithfulness and covenant-keeping love is highlighted all the more. Like Jacob, we are limping disciples, and we need to follow the same God that Jacob did, believing divine promises and noticing the ways that our temptations and decisions are reminiscent of that ancient patriarch. Chad Bird's book Limping With God guides us helpfully and insightfully through the stories of Jacob's life. Taking us from Jacob's birth to his death, Bird reminds us that we are not alone. The God of Jacob is with us and loves us. --Mitchell L. ChasePreaching Pastor, Kosmosdale Baptist Church (in Louisville, KY)

Author Information

Chad Bird is a Scholar in Residence at 1517. He holds master's degrees from Concordia Theological Seminary and Hebrew Union College. He has served as a pastor, professor, and guest lecturer in Old Testament and Hebrew. Chad has authored several books, speaks regularly at conferences and congregations, and cohosts the popular podcast, ""40 Minutes in the Old Testament."" Chad and his wife Stacy make their home in Texas, where they have been blessed with four children and three grandchildren.

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