A thoughtful collection of sermons on the book of Hebrews, with some points of which to be aware.
Plot
This little book is a collection of Tozer's sermons on the lovely, deep book of Hebrews, separated into twelve sections - 'Jesus, Our Man in Glory;' 'Jesus, God's Final Revelation;' 'Jesus, Heir of All Things;' 'Jesus, God's Express Image;' 'Jesus, Lord of the Angels;' 'Jesus, Standard of Righteousness;' 'Jesus, the Eternal Word;' 'Jesus, Keeper of God's Promises;' 'Jesus, Like unto Melchizedek;' 'Jesus, One Face of One God;' 'Jesus, Mediator of the New Will;' and 'Jesus, Fulfillment of the Shadow.' This book is then followed by another collection of sermons, "Jesus, Author of Our Faith."
Morality
Tozer talks about Jesus being the standard of our righteousness, and Jesus being our Righteousness Himself. He discusses as well how sin has corrupted the world, and the necessity of a Savior to redeem God's creation; he also states firmly that we must not be tolerant of sin and evil, no matter who else around us is tolerant of it.
Spiritual Content
Tozer's sermons are on the book of Hebrews, but he pulls from other Scriptures as well. (The references are given, and I would strongly encourage readers to look them up and see if they fit with what Tozer is saying.) He talks about angels in the section 'Jesus, Lord of the Angels' and handles them well, making it clear that we know little about them from the Scripture, but that (whatever modern science may say) it is made clear that they exist. God's plan of redemption is illustrated as it moved through the giving of the Law, the Levitical priesthood, the prophets, up until the time that God "spoke in His Son."
There were a few small parts that I felt were stated a little too lightly or flippantly; for instance, Tozer makes the case that God was "bored" with the Levitical priesthood. While Tozer uses passages in the prophets where God says that He despises Israel's and Judah's offerings, I believe "bored" is too human a word to use in reference to God. He was not bored with the sacrifices; rather, He despised the mechanical and heartless offering of sacrifices and was preparing for the next "stage" of redemption and His self-revelation - the "speaking in His Son," Jesus Christ.
Violence
Christ's death and resurrection are mentioned often, as well as His suffering in Gethsemane. Tozer uses John Dillinger as an illustration at one point.
Drug and Alcohol Content
None.
Sexual Content
None.
Crude or Profane Language or Content
None.
Conclusion
As a collection of sermons, having not originally been written in book form, this was not as polished a read as Tozer's excellent The Knowledge of the Holy. The prose is much lighter and conversational, which made reading it a bit choppy. However, many of Tozer's insights into the book of Hebrews are excellent and he clearly wishes to impress hearers and readers with the grandeur of the fact that the God-Man, Jesus Christ, is seated at the right hand of God the Father and is our Mediator, our High Priest. Many people believe that the book of Hebrews is dull, and Tozer makes the very good (and very true) case that it is not.
As mentioned in the Spiritual Content box, readers should follow Tozer's references and dig for themselves, as with all such books. Reading it alongside the book of Hebrews itself would be a good idea, too, to see just what Tozer is talking about and to think deeply about his points.
This review is brought to you by Jeanne.
