Scouting the Divine
by Margaret Feinberg
Zondervan books
suggested retail $16.99

I received a copy of this book through Amazon’s Vine program.  (The Vine program provides review copies of books in exchange for reviews posted on the books’ pages on Amazon.com.)  I enjoyed and appreciated it so much, I decided to review it here, too, so I could share it with you.

The book began with the author’s curiosity about some of the agriculture illustrations in the Bible – sheep and shepherds, vines, wheat and tares, etc.  Because most of our lives are so far removed from this agricultural lifestyle, we can often have a difficult time understanding these examples.  So Mrs. Feinberg set out to find a shepherd, a farmer, a beekeeper, and a vintner (winemaker) who would spend some time showing her their work.

I was hesitant to request this book for review, because I prefer not to read doctrinal/theology books written by women.  I need not have been concerned.  The author does not really “teach” in this book, she just “shows.”  With a great gift for description, she takes us along with her as she visits each place, and shows us what she sees, hears, feels, tastes, and smells.  She asks each professional for his reactions to certain relevant verses, and she shares how each responds.  There is no need to “teach,” as the insights are all already there.  They are present already in the illustrations God chose to use, and they grow in clarity as the nuances of each one become apparent.  These nuances are found through familiarity with agricultural foundation of each one.  To a degree, we develop this familiarity by accompanying Mrs. Feinberg on her journey.

The book was easy reading, and the writing was so compelling that I found myself drawn to keep reading, keep reading.  Yet I am going to have to re-read the book – at least once! – to gain all there is to gain from it.  There is just so much here to take in that it is not possible to process it all in one quick reading.  We learn about sheep recognizing their shepherd’s voice, about the care and expertise it takes for a vinedresser to prune a grapevine, about the effects of seasons on a farmer’s livelihood, and about the precision built by the Creator into the operations of a beehive that ultimately produce the blessing of honey.  This is just the tip of the iceberg.  (Especially where the sheep are concerned.  That is one jam-packed section of the book!)

I highly recommend this book as both an enjoyable and a profitable read.

The book for this review was provided, free of charge, by Amazon for its Vine program.  In exchange for the book, I agreed to review it at Amazon.com.  The choice to post a review here at my personal blog was mine alone.