Walking With Bilbo

In crafting the epic tales of the adventures in Middle Earth, JRR Tolkien did a masterful job in creating a mythical world when he wrote “The Hobbit” and the “Lord of the Rings” series. Though fictional, the stories of hobbits and dwarves, elves and men, dragons and goblins and trolls, compel the reader to take note of the characters and their characteristics and join in on the journey, as it were. Some fans of the series go so far as to call themselves “Tolkien junkies”, and one of them has written a new book looking at lessons gleaned from “The Hobbit.”

Sarah Arthur, author of “Walking With Frodo,” has followed up her first devotional book with a sequel (or should it be considered a prequel, as is the case with “The Hobbit” compared to the “LOTR” series?) aptly called “Walking With Bilbo.” At any rate, we discover 22 key lessons from Bilbo’s journey with Gandalf and the dwarves that apply to the Christian journey. The author makes it clear that JRR Tolkien did not intend for his stories to be 100% allegorical, however, there are striking connections that can be made.

Knowledge of the classic work is not entirely necessary, as quotes are brought in and further expounded upon. Rounding out each chapter are discussion questions and a list of related Scripture verses. I found this supplement most enlightening, as the passages from Genesis to Revelation confirm the themes drawn out from the book. One such parallelism is that of being chosen and selected. In the original story, Bilbo did not ask to go on the journey with the dwarves—Gandalf specifically chose him because he saw qualities deep within Bilbo that would be developed on the journey and effectively change the course of history through the success or failure of the mission. The same was true for Jesus selecting His 12 disciples, and is true today for all Christians. The calling to follow Jesus is there—do we have the faith to go on the journey?

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of “Walking With Bilbo” through the Tyndale Blog Network, in exchange for my honest review.