Book Review: Twelve Extraordinary Women
Tuesday, August 14, 2007 at 8:52AM 
How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do with You by John MacArthur
First he wrote Twelve Ordinary Men, a book that contained character studies of the twelve disciples. Based on the success of that book, John MacArthur has given us another book written in the same format, only this time, the twelve people whose lives we read about are all women—women chosen for the important place each has in the story of redemption. The twelve women included are
- Eve
- Sarah
- Rahab
- Ruth
- Hannah
- Mary (the mother of Jesus)
- Anna
- The Samaritan Woman
- Martha and Mary
- Mary Magdalene
- Lydia
Twelve Extraordinary Women is a book I thoroughly enjoyed reading and I learned much more than I expected about the lives and characters of these women. They are all women “who were unremarkable in and of themselves.” Rahab was a harlot, Ruth was a very poor widow, Anna was a very old widow, and a list of the descriptions of all of them would go on in a similar vein. What made these women extraordinary, as the subtitle suggests, was God’s work in their lives, shaping them into faithful women—women who loved God.
My favorite chapter was the one on Mary and Martha. I have to admit that there have always been things in their story that puzzled me just a little. Honestly, the thought has crossed my mind that poor Martha got a little bit of a raw deal when she was admonished by Jesus. I admire people with the energy to buzz around making sure everything it perfect for their guests. Doesn’t someone have to take care of those things?
Serving one’s guests, writes MacArthur, is indeed a good thing, but worshipping Christ is of a higher priority.
Nothing, including even service rendered to Christ, is more important than listening to Him and honoring Him with our hearts. …[Christ] would not affirm Martha’s reprimand of [Mary], because it was Mary, not Martha, who properly understood that worship is a higher duty to Christ than service rendered on His behalf.
He goes on to point out that it is the inclination to make service more important than worship to that makes pietism and liberalism so dangerous.
Whenever you elevate good deeds over sound doctrine and true worship, you ruin the works too….Good deeds, human charity, and acts of kindness are crucial expressions of real faith, but they must flow from a true reliance on God’s redemption and His righteousness.
This little summary of one of the lessons learned from the story of Mary and Martha gives you an idea of the sorts of insights that can be found within this book.
So yes, I recommend this book, because I’m betting you will enjoy reading and learning from it as much as I did. Twelve Extraordinary Women would also make a good gift, since it’s an easy read and the subject matter would be of interest to most women.
It’s a good thing to be reminded that God works extraordinary things through ordinary women. Seeing how God’s character-shaping worked in the women of the Bible should inspire us to love “the God whom they trusted and served,” which is MacArthur’s own prayer for the readers.
Reader Comments (6)
The chapter on Mary and Martha was my favourite, too.
This was such a good book.
I haven't read this book but it's on my "to buy and read at some stage" list.
thanks for the great review.
I also read this book and found MacArthur's applications so helpful. My favorite chapter was the one about Mary Magdalene. My person testimony is similar in some ways to hers and I found Dr. Macarthur's insights very edifying. Thanks for the review. Wendy West
"It’s a good thing to be reminded that God works extraordinary things through ordinary women."
Absolutely! - and you are one of them. Thanks for the review. Mary Magdalene's story has always been inspirational to me - such a passion for God and such grace from Our Lord.
Hi Catez,
I'm glad you're back. At least I hope you are back! :)
So thankful that God works through ordinary women! I haven't read this book yet, but your review makes me want to.