Forty Days on the Mountain: Meditations on Knowing God

Smallman hits the nail on the head with this one. With my schedule it was still easy to keep up with the stronge message the goes with the reading of the book and Bible at the same sitting.

The author, in his introduction, writes that in this devotional he has tried "to walk deliberately through a very profound topic- the knowledge of God - one small step at a time". I think he has done a wonderful job. Steve Smallman takes his readers down a well-known path, like a skilled guide. Each day's meditation is rich with insights into God's character, and His relationship with Moses and the Israelites. In the past I often looked at the God of the Old Testament as distant and stern, a God of "do's and don'ts"; but from the very first pages this book revealed a surprisingly personal God who's relationship with Moses was deep and touching. It was amazing to see how the Israelites walked through the desert with God's presence right in their midst. As I read this devotional, God's face came into much better focus, and I came to see that God's grace is as much a part of the Old Testament story as it is a part of the gospel and the New Testament. Also, as I read about the idols with which the Israelites struggled, the author's insights challenged me to examine the idols of my own heart. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a devotional that is rich in content and personally meaningful.

Smallman's Forty Days is probably the best resource I have used for a small group Bible study (although it of course can be used as an individual devotional). In a study of the Exodus chapters of the Israelites leaving Egypt, Smallman does an excellent job of focusing on two characteristics of God in particular that we don't normally associate with the Old Testament: God's grace and presence. We usually think of these as "New Testament attributes" of God. Smallman shows how God's grace is no less revealed in his relationship with the Israelites, and that his presence is distinct in the Exodus story as one foreshadowing to his presence and Spirit dwelling within us today. Smallman's study of Moses and his passion to know the Lord's grace and presence spurs us on to deepen our own passion to pursue a more intimate relationship with Jesus. -- Libby Conrad