Book Review: The Tale of Three Kings

I don't often read e-books, but I started off the new year with a little one called The Tale of Three Kings: A Study in Brokenness, by Gene Edwards. It came to my attention because an old friend mentioned it on Facebook in a Facebook memory with the instruction to PLEASE read it! I immediately checked our library and they didn't have it, but a neighboring library had it available in e-book format. I had to join something called Hoopla, but it was a painless process and before I knew it I was reading and then done with the whole book (yes, when I said "little," I meant "little").

Gene Edwards presents the story of three kings: Saul, David, and Absalom. On the dedication page, the author prays, "May you be so utterly healed that you can still answer the call of him who asks for all because he is all." The book is directed at Christians who have been wounded by the actions and behavior of other Christians (often those in leadership positions). In dissecting the methods and manners of these three kings, Edwards points out the blessings that can come from such pains, sorrows, and crushings.

One of my favorite lines in the book described King David thus: "There in those caves, drowned in the sorrow of his song and in the song of his sorrow, David became the greatest hymn writer and the greatest comforter of broken hearts this world shall ever know." Despite our questions, God can use our pain and suffering to produce healing and comfort for others. He alone can make us strong to withstand the fiery spears that might be hurled in our direction. He chooses weak individuals to show forth His strength.