Book Review: 100 Names of God Daily Devotional

PICTURE OBTAINED FROM ROSE PUBLISHING

Beginning this year, I am going to review different Christian books that I come across. I would like to begin with this daily devotional by Christopher Hudson on 100 names of God that we see in the Bible.

This devotional book, while in no-wise an exhaustive commentary on the names for God used in the Hebrew and Greek languages, provides an excellent look at 100 different names that we see for God, many of which are based in 2 of the initial words for God that we see in scripture: El, meaning God, and Jehovah (Yahweh), meaning LORD.

I enjoyed looking at each day and seeing how a different aspect of God's character was recognized through His names. So often, our perspective of God can become dry if we only see Him in a couple of ways throughout the stories of Scripture. But God, with all of His attributes cannot be described in just one way. As said by the author in his introduction, "It takes more than one name to do justice to someone who is larger than life. And if that’s true with regard to exceptional athletes and beloved politicians, how much more is it true of God? (Hudson, 4)" This is why I started the Portrait of Christ Bible study on my blog. Seeing who God is in a deeper sense brings a deeper appreciation for all that He has done for us.

Following each daily devotional reading, there is a question of application which makes us really think about our relationship with God in accordance with the character trait mentioned in the lesson. A final prayer followed by other readings about the name is included, allowing for even more study on the character of God. He also includes a weekly guide for studying more general characteristics through a week and getting specifics each day (pp. 205-207)

There are only 2 negative things that I would have to say about this book, and they, I believe, are more minor in nature. First, the art included can sometimes be distracting to the reader, as he can find himself looking at the pictures rather than focusing on the character of the God he is reading about. Secondly, he uses a less-reliable translation of the Bible, but he counters this by using the names of God from the original language, and including an index on those names (pp. 198-204). As I mentioned, these are merely minor negative characteristics in this book.

The 100 Names of God Daily Devotional is an excellent resource for the Christian who wishes to know more about His God on a daily basis. The simple nature of this text allows even some who may be young in their faith to both read and understand it, yet deep enough that the seasoned Christian may learn something new almost every day.

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THIS BOOK:

Hudson, Christopher D. 100 Names of God Daily Devotional. Torrance, CA: Rose Publishing, Inc., 2015.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL: I received a complimentary copy of this book through the Rose Reviewer book review program, which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.