Twelve Unlikely Heroes: How God Commissioned Unexpected People in the Bible and What He Wants to Do with You

by John F. MacArthur Jr.

What kind of people does God use to accomplish His work?

Far from the children’s tales depicted in picture books and nursery rhymes, the men and women highlighted in the Bible were unnervingly real.  They faltered. They struggled. And at times, they fell short. Yet God worked through them in surprising and incredible ways to accomplish His purposes. Scripture does not hide their weaknesses, caricature their strengths, or spin their stories as a display of human nobility. Instead, it describes these heroes of the faith with unflinching honesty and delivers an unexpected “God is not ashamed to be called their God” (Hebrews 11:16).

In Twelve Unlikely Heroes, pastor and best-selling author John MacArthur uses his deep knowledge of the Bible and history to take us back to see these three-dimensional men and women in their own times and cultures. In doing so, it becomes clear how their dramatic stories apply to us today. People who might at first seem foreign quickly become familiar and unforgettable—particularly as they reveal the true Hero behind every witness, the power counterbalancing every weakness, “the Author and Finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1).

Genres: Christian, Christian Living, Nonfiction, Theology, Biography, Christianity, New Testament

217 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2012

About the author

John F. MacArthur, Jr. was a United States Calvinistic evangelical writer and minister, noted for his radio program entitled Grace to You and as the editor of the Gold Medallion Book Award-winning MacArthur Study Bible. MacArthur was a fifth-generation pastor, a popular author and conference speaker, and served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California beginning in 1969, as well as President of The Master’s College (and the related Master’s Seminary) in Santa Clarita, California.

Reviews

[Grace Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Almost written as Sunday School stories but for adults. Very biblically based and always pointing back to God as the ultimate hero.

[Alexis Neal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-known preacher John MacArthur walks the reader through the stories of twelve 'unexpected' Bible heroes (in ten chapters--Gideon and Samson are paired, as are Mark and Onesimus).

I confess that I was expecting something a bit ... different. With a title like Twelve Unlikely Heroes, I somehow got it into my head that the stories would all involve lesser-known bible characters--some of the more obscure judges, perhaps, or Jael, or Abigail, or Haggai or Titus or somebody. So when I flipped to the Table of Contents and saw names like Joseph, John the Baptist, and James, I was a little disappointed. Not that they're all big names--MacArthur includes Enoch, Miriam, and the aforementioned Onesimus. But still, his focus was different than I'd anticipated.

The overall point is that God is the real hero, and He is most glorified when He uses, well, unlikely vessels. Which makes sense when you look at the stories of Gideon (a coward), Samson (an arrogant fool), Jonathan (son of a king yet not heir to the throne), Jonah (a disobedient, grump), Esther (a (conveniently gorgeous) Hebrew orphan), Onesimus (an escaped slave), and John the Baptist (a crazy hermit man). Enoch (?), Joseph (a slave-turned-convict), Miriam (a ... Hebrew?), James (the skeptic), and Mark (the runaway?) are a bit more of a stretch--to me, anyway. Me, I would have picked different characters--more women, for starters. I mean, women as heroes? In Bible times? Talk about unexpected!

Still, MacArthur does his best to play up the weaknesses of the men (or women) in order to highlight God's power and grace working through them. And maybe it's for the best that he tends to pick better-known heroes. He has a tendency to 'fill out' the narrative, adding details for context and making the characters more real and relatable. But I am leery of adding anything beyond what is included in Scripture. So concluding that, say, Mark was raised in a Christian home simply because Peter came to his house after escaping from prison seems ... like a bit of a stretch. I mean, maybe. But maybe Mark's mom was a recent convert. Maybe Mark was already an adult when she converted. Maybe the church met there because of Mark, and not because of his mom. I mean, it's a plausible explanation, but it's one of many. And MacArthur does this a lot, attributing thoughts or feelings to characters without backing it up from Scripture.

Not that he teaches anything blasphemous. He doesn't. Simplistic, yes, but not wrong. Yes, his chapter on Enoch contains--rather unnecessarily--his views on creation and pre-flood weather, but the substance of his points is valid, even if some of the peripheral statements may be less well-supported. And he's strong on the gospel, which, let's face it, is by no means a sure thing when you're dealing with modern 'Christian' writers.

I didn't find the book to be terribly challenging, spiritually speaking, but it's by no means bad. If you're looking for a jumping off point for a bible study, or even for a fairly straightforward devotional, this might be a decent option. I didn't love it, but you might.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Angie Vallejo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read John Arthur's two previous books in this series (Twelve Ordinary Men and Twelve Extraordinary Women), I was certainly eager to read his newest addition to the trilogy. I certainly wasn't disappointed! Once again, John opens up history and tells the fascinating stories of twelve people from the Old and New Testaments, giving historical and cultural backgrounds for additional clarity and interest. These are facinating people who were chosen by God to fulfill his will,even though though in an earthly sense, we certainly would not consider them to be heroes! The entire book is excellent, however, I would have to recommend the last chapter as a must read: the stories of two men who were runaways, with a wonderful reminder of forgiveness and redemption.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was much better than the only other book in the series I have read, Twelve Extraordinary Women, which did not capture my attention very well. I'm not sure that I can pinpoint why, but this 3rd book in the 'Twelve' series really started my thought processes more in regards to the characters dealt with, and God's usage of them.

I'll say at the start that I appreciate that MacArthur doesn't try to make you see types in the people and events discussed, but takes the people and events as literal. And so takes the inspired apostle Paul literally when he said that " Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness. That the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work. (2Ti 3:16-17 ASV) Which I would assume to mean that every inspired scripture is profitable as it is, without having to change it into allegory for it to be profitable. As an example of this, in dealing with Sampson, the author uses Sampson as an example for teaching and instruction in righteousness, stating that "His[Sampson's] fatal attraction to pagan women was not only the pattern of his life, but proved to be the path to his death. If Sampson were Superman, his own sinful desires were his kryptonite. He could kill a lion, but not his lust. He could break new ropes, but not old habits. He could defeat armies of Philistine soldiers, but not his own flesh. He could carry away the gates of a city but allowed himself to be carried away when lost in passion."

MacArthur draws insights from literal Scripture, in his chapter on Jonah he notes that "The pagan sailors recognize the Lord's power over creation and worship Him as a result. The pagan King of Nineveh likewise recognizes God's sovereign hand. Surprisingly, the only person who resists God is Jonah - the prophet of Israel who acknowledged the Lord's sovereignty with his lips (Jonah1:9)yet rebelled against it with his life." And all this without any of the characters or objects in the historical accounts having to symbolize Christ.

For the most part, MacArthur keeps the focus on what the Scriptures actually say. When dealing with James the brother of Christ, and how many people wonder about Jesus' childhood and that there are myths about miracles He performed as a youth, It is pointed out that "The normalcy of Jesus' childhood and early adulthood is confirmed by the fact that when He began His public ministry, His former neighbors in Nazareth did not believe Him to be the Messiah."

Now for the negative. "From the beginning, the Lord elected Israel to be a nation of Missionaries. As His chosen people, they were to be a light to the Gentiles - a people so passionate in their devotion to the Lord and zealous for other nations to love and worship the true God that their corporate testimony would reverberate throughout the world....the people of Israel as whole failed in their missionary task......When Jonah rebelled against the Lord's command and ran in the opposite direction, he epitomized the collective failure of the nation of Israel." Where is Israel ever told that they were to be Missionaries to the Gentiles? I know that they will be Missionaries of a sort in the Millennial Kingdom, but where are they ever commanded to attempt to 'convert' people on this side of things? God Himself commanded them to wipe out the other nations as they were moving into the promised land, not to evangelize them. From the Scriptures, I understand that they were to be sanctified from the nations around them, and to welcome strangers/aliens, not to actively pursue them as possible converts. Besides this, MacArthur sometimes delves into the realm of speculation when he states the possible feelings and thoughts of various characters. There are some other things, but I'm sure they'll be noticed by the studied reader.

That stated, it was an interesting look at the lives of these 'twelve unlikely heroes'(though I have some trouble with the word 'hero' but I can overlook it). MacArthur states "Some heroes are made in a moment. Others are defined by a lifetime." And most importantly as he also points out, "Noah did not preserve the ark in the midst of the flood; Abraham did not make himself the father of a great nation; Joshua did not cause the walls of Jericho to fall down; and David did not defeat Goliath on his own. In each of these well-known examples, and in every other case, the Hero behind the heroes is always the Lord. In literature, the hero is the main protagonist, the principle character, and the central figure of the narrative. That is certainly true of God throughout the pages of Scripture. He is the One who always provides the victory. It is His power, His wisdom, ,and His goodness that are continually put on display - even when He utilizes human instruments to accomplish His purposes. Consequently, all the glory belongs to Him. " I'll let the back cover of the book provide the ending statements as it well sums it up: Speaking of these 'heroes', "Scripture does not hide their weaknesses, caricature their strengths, or spin their stories as a display of human nobility. Instead it describes these heroes of the faith with unflinching honesty and delivers an unexpected ending: 'God is not ashamed to be called their God' (Hebrews 11:16)"

I received this book as a complimentary copy from BookSneeze® in exchange for my review(which does not have to be favorable).

[Aneta Jackowska-Musiol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marvellous account of deeds of ordinary people who have an outstanding faith in God and therefore their actions are memorized in Bible. Saints are not saint at all! God makes them saint! I loved this book troughly until the point here author boldly and without giving any evidence, states that Jesus had brothers and sisters. To me, a Catholic, this is not acceptable, so I just omitted this chapter.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Twelve Unlikely Heroes" by John MacArthur takes a detailed look at the lives of twelve different Biblical men and women that the casual reader may gloss over upon first glance. The people that MacArthur chose to examine in this book include Enoch, Joseph, Miriam, Gideon, Samson, Jonathan, Jonah, Esther, John the Baptist, James, Mark, and Onesimus.

MacArthur thoroughly dissects the stories surrounding each person, skillfully bringing together not just Scripture, but historical, archaeological, and cultural evidence as well. It is clearly evident that much research has gone into each story. I truly appreciated the historical evidence presented throughout the book as it helped to tie things together and provide a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding these fascinating people.

Each person MacArthur looks at in this book are all sinners and have all fallen short in various areas. But he highlights so beautifully the way that God worked in each person's life to bring about His greater glory. It's a wonderful reminder that God can (and does!) use flawed, sinful people to accomplish His work and His purposes. In both the prologue and epilogue, MacArthur reminds readers that each man and woman featured in this book were known for both their faith and their faithfulness. These are the people (among many of the Biblical men and women) that I want to look up to and who I want my children to look up to.

(I’ve received this complimentary book from Thomas Nelson Publishing House through the Book Sneeze program in exchange for a review. A positive review was not required and the views expressed in my review are strictly my own.)

[Brenten Gilbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third installment of MacArthur’s “Twelve” series and it’s the second that I’ve read. (I skipped the women one, but I probably should read it.) What I appreciate about the series is that it presents a nicely segmented study on various attributes that are helpful to cultivate in our lives and recognize in those around us. So often, it’s easy to write others off, but really, if we think about it carefully, we’re all created in God’s image and we all have a purpose in this life. So it’s important to shed the spotlight on some unlikely folks that God used mightily to accomplish His plan.

This book, as well as the others, work well as independent reading, a starting point for a personal Bible study, or (I imagine) an excellent basis for a small group curriculum. I found myself diving in a little deeper beyond what was presented in the book to get better perspective and enrich the reading for myself. But the bottom line is this book is another fine addition to the series and to any personal library.

- from TRudATmusic[dot]com[slash]raw (11/7/12)

[Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third in a loose trilogy which began with Twelve Ordinary Men and then there followed Twelve Extraordinary Women, and now Twelve Unlikely Heroes. I have now read all three and enjoyed all three.

To sum up what this book meant to me , I will quote from the Epilogue,

"Our study of the heroes of the faith has shown us that the Lord does not limit his kingdom work to one kind of person. In fact, no two are the same, demonstrating that God uses almost endless combinations of personality, cultural background, experience, and station in society to accomplish his will." [page 213].

I found this, and find it, refreshingly encouraging!

If you are in need of a different perspective on your life and work for the Lord, then I recommend this book to you. Perhaps you and I will join the ranks of the 'unlikely heroes'?

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was so much that I really liked about this book! It included some of my favorite Bible heroes -- Esther and Joseph, for example -- as well as some I had a lot to learn about, like Gideon and John Mark. There was a nice balance between informational text and more personal application/discussion.
The one thing that held me back with this book was the writing style. I know Pastor MacArthur is an excellent speaker and has authored excellent books, but for some reason his writing style was just hard to read. Too many adjectives? I'm really not sure what it was, but it made it hard to finish.

[Kim Zimmerman]

really good to read and get history and personal accounts of heroes from the bible..loved hearing about james, jesus brother

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although all three of John MacArthur’s books on Biblical heroes are outstanding, (The 12 Apostles, 12 Women) I enjoyed 12 Unlikely Heroes the most. The way MacArthur deals with his subjects is excellent; he brings ancient secular historians, as well as other Biblical characters to bear on the topic, making the book highly educational.
I have the audio book and the narrator reads with clarity and authority. I’ve heard similar books where the reader sounds like a K-Pop singer. It ruins the book.

A book like this can be listened to while on a long drive, washing dishes, or cooking, rather than wasting an hour on music you’ve already heard a thousand times, or some insipid entertainment podcast.

I do have one small criticism, common to all MacArthur’s books I’ve read or heard. He tends to insert the doctrine of the co-equal, co-eternal Triune Godhead where it doesn’t appear in the Biblical text concerning his subjects. Rather than supporting the doctrine, (Surely his sincere intention) it actually weakens it, because an unbiased reader can see the text says nothing about it.

There are two examples in this book.

1. In the section on Enoch, he compares 4th century theologian Athanasius to Enoch, claiming that just as Enoch stood against overwhelming wickedness in the pre-Flood era, Athanasius stood against Arian heretics all by himself. Arians didn’t believe in the Trinity. Few of Arius’ writings are extant, so it’s difficult to say just what he taught. All we know about him comes from his detractors, which is obviously specious.
This is an indirect admission by MacArthur that the Trinity was NOT a widespread, orthodox teaching in Athanasius’ day. If the Trinity was taught explicitly in the NT (and by early Church fathers), Arius’ teachings would likely have been in the minority, not Athanasius’. Read the Athanasian Creed. Not a single word of it is based on a NT scripture. Frankly, it’s speculative blarney. (See my review of The Complete Works of Athanasius, as well as my Kindle book, The Only True God by Robert George)
At any rate, no text concerning Enoch makes any mention of a co-eternal, co-equal Triune Godhead. Forcing it into the material feels like someone trying to bolster a teaching he loves, but secretly knows has little Biblical support.


2. Similarly, in the section on Gideon, MacArthur claims the angel of the LORD who appears to Gideon is the pre-incarnate Jesus. Then he says Jesus was the 2nd Person of the Trinity. Read the entire account of Gideon. Such claims are nowhere in the text, or anywhere in the OT. Jews then and now don’t believe in the Trinity. In fact, it’s a huge stumbling block to their accepting the Gospel. (It’s a stumbling block for many, and rightly so)
Whether the angel of the LORD, is, in fact, Jesus before He came to earth is speculation. Maybe, maybe not. Hebrews chapter one argues forcefully that, as the Son of God, Jesus is far, far superior to the angels. Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Jesus and the archangel Michael are one and the same. To me, this borders on blasphemy.
Judges 13:20-22 is often used as support for the angel of the LORD being Yahweh. However, all through the Bible, those representing someone are often spoken as BEING that someone. Furthermore, “angel” means “messenger”, so the phrase literally means “Messenger of Yahweh”. If MacArthur is correct, the messenger of Yahweh IS Yahweh, which makes little sense.
There’s not enough room in a review like this to delve deeper.
But no matter how you feel about the angel of the LORD, there is NO mention of the Trinity in the account of Gideon.

Other than those points, this book was a very worthwhile purchase I’ll listen to again and again. Highly recommended.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent book by Pastor and author John MacArthur. This book features the lives of 12 unlikely heroes of the Bible. The author writes of the lives of Enoch, Joseph, Miriam, Gideon & Samson, Jonathan, Jonah, Esther, John the Baptist, James, the Brother of our Lord and Mark & Onesimus. These heroes are diverse in the lives they lead and in their ministries and impact on God's program for mankind. Some were deeply flawed and one was extremely prejudiced. Yet God, in His sovereignty used each one to further His kingdom and to teach us rich lessons. Even after failing miserably, God is still able to use us if we humble ourselves under His mighty hand. The one common thread the author points out in their lives is this, "Their exploits vary greatly, yet the common thread that runs through all of their testimonies is faith." This book should be an encouragement to all of God's people that they can be used by God and will be used by God if they have the faith of a mustard seed.

[Tyler Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dreadful.
MacArthur’s Twelve Ordinary Men is a stroke of genius. It is filled with insight, research, and meaning. Twelve Extraordinary Women is decent, in spite of his particular brand of chauvinism and use of hermeneutical gymnastics. It has redeeming qualities.

Twelve Unlikely Heroes is a shameless cash grab, capitalizing on the success of that series. MacArthur retells the biblical narratives of 12 infamous underdogs. That’s all. He retells the story, with little added context, and little analysis except “Look how God used them. Isn’t that neat?” There’s absolutely nothing of value in this book. I skimmed the latter half when I realized the disappointment was endless.

[Kate Lendley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a fan of John MacArthur's teaching for years but have never taken the time to read a book he has written. As a want-to-be Bible scholar I really enjoyed this book. The historical facts coupled with Biblical insights helps bring each character to life. Although I was familiar with each unlikely hero in this book I learned something new about each one of them. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to both seasoned Christ-followers or those just started their journey with Jesus.

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can summarize the entire purpose of this trite book in just a few short sentences:

"No man or woman is a hero, only God is. God directs His own heroism through divine providence. God is sovereign. God is great."

I've never seen a book take its own premise and detonate it in every chapter. What am I supposed to learn from this that I cannot already learn from the Bible itself? The answer must be nothing, because I learned nothing.

[Loredelcarmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

En este libro vi con otra perspectiva a las doce personas (Héroes) mencionados en él. Hombres y mujeres del Antiguo y Nuevo Testamento que gracias a su fe en Dios, él los transformó en verdaderos héroes. La manera en que escribe MacArthur me encanta porque realmente lo transporta a uno como lector al lugar de la narración y es de fácil entender, narra de una manera para nada aburrida y siempre usa la Biblia como referencia.

[Monte Hickingbottom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, Dr. MacArthur never fails to disappoint. While I do not agree with him theologically on every point, his biblical insight in full of wisdom. Some of the characters that he chose to highlight in this book, the Bible may have only denoted a handful of scripture about them. Yet he manages to bring tie in scriptures from other parts of the Bible to add clarity. I definitely recommend this book.

[Lisa Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used this as a bi weekly devotional. It's a great book filled with nuggets of biblical truths with the take away that God can and will use anyone if we are willing to allow him to move in our lives. It covers 10 male heroes and 2 female heroes. This would be a great book for a Jr. High/High school bible study. Each chapter is broken up into sections; Rewind, Rethink, Reflect and React with many study questions to encourage discussion. It also has a leaders guide for a small group setting.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would be good for an introductory Bible study/discussion group, but it mostly rehashes Bible stories without providing any groundbreaking insights. I’d say you’d do better just to read the Bible itself instead. To his credit, MacArthur chose to include some of the most interesting and unexpected figures from the Bible, but he tries to flesh out their already fascinating stories with a lot of his own speculation, which I did not appreciate.

[Rachel Grepke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third in the "series" and was just as good as the first two! The Bible has a plethora of underrated characters and it's time they shined! While most of these people and moments you will already probably be familiar with, this book adds a new thought to it all. Well written and worded, it is a great read.

[David Diaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent read. MacArthur always writes in a very readable style. So, the book is very approachable and an easy read. It is chock full of moral lessons taken from the lives of 12 bible characters.

[Rocío Parada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dios nuestro eterno héroe

En la historia y en nuestra historia, el Héroe por excelencia siempre será Dios, solo basta confiar nuestra vida a El en medio de los procesos que hemos vivido, vivimos y viviremos. Nuestra historia heroica aún se está escribiendo….

[James Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and learned more about some of the people from the Bible. I have always wanted to learn more about the people God used for His purposes and this book shared the stories of a dozen of them. A well reference book in which anyone can read and learn from.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn't exactly what I expected it to be, but was still a worthwhile read. My biggest complaint is that MacArthur sometimes asserts assumptions or guesses as certainties. Otherwise, it was a thought provoking read.

[Samantha Saunders · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always enjoy books from this series. I still think 12 extraordinary women is my favorite but this one is up there. I love the historical context provided and all of the reference across biblical and extra biblical texts

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about some of the heroes of the faith. Was engaging to the very last page. Will re-read. Highly recommended!

[Mark Ennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Book

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. A different look at biblical people than I have seen before.

[Surama higueros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parafrasea

Parafrasea las historias que pudiéramos leer en la biblia. Me hubiera gustado un poco más de interpretación. Sin embargo lo disfrutamos

[M.L.S. Weech · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting and inspirational look into what God can do in the lives of anybody. A full review to appear on my blog in time.