Walking With Frodo: A Devotional Journey Through the Lord of the Rings
by Sarah Arthur (Goodreads Author)

4 out of 5 stars

This devotional examines pairs of opposite sins and virtues in the Lord of the Rings, and inspires the reader to look closely at their own life and faith. Each section is divided into two chapters for the sin and for the virtue, and at the end of each chapter there is a proverb or wise saying that encapsulates the lesson for that chapter.

We examine darkness and light, pride and humility, corruption and integrity, betrayal and loyalty, disunity and forgiveness, deceit and honest, bondage and freedom, control and servanthood, and despair and hope.

For darkness and light, we explore the story of the battle between the Balrog and Gandalf, showing how we are up against a mighty dark foe, but we have a great power of light fighting on our side. Gandalf’s weapon is the light, and he is a type of Christ, showing his power in the resurrection.

For pride and humility, Sauron is the ultimate embodiment of pride, and the hobbits are ultimately humble. Frodo is especially humble when he accepts the quest of the Ring, not out of a wish to be known for glorious deeds, but out of a wish to protect the Shire. The proverb for this chapter is that “humble service is the key to victory”.

Boromir is the example for corruption, and Faramir is the example for integrity. Another word for corruption is “decay”, and Boromir eventually is corrupted because he and his father cannot stand for anyone to question their motives or hold them accountable. In contrast, a person with integrity has all the pieces of their life fully integrated, rather than separating their life into different compartments. Faramir allows Gandalf to hold him accountable, so that he does not fall into hypocrisy.

The example for betrayal is Gollum, in contrast to Sam the perfect model of loyalty. The chapter on betrayal contains a warning to be cautious in friendships that are on thin ice with conditions for that person’s loyalty depending on the context and what they can gain from a situation. But Sam unconditionally sticks with Frodo, even into the very jaws of Mordor, no matter the danger. The proverb for this chapter is “loyalty requires personal sacrifice”, and the reader is urged to keep to a sincere devotion to Christ. We are all guilty of betraying Christ, just as Peter did when he denied Christ three times, but we can move forward in forgiveness and grace and prove ourselves to be loyal servants.

In the chapters for disunity and forgiveness, we see the contrast between Sauron’s orcs who are always fighting amongst themselves, and Gimli and Legolas who set aside centuries of war and racism between their people, and become close friends. The focus in this chapter is that “Love keeps no record of wrongs” from I Corinthians 13. The proverb here is that “forgiveness is your strongest defense against the enemy” because if we fight amongst ourselves, the darkness will swoop in pretty quickly.

Wormtongue is the example for deceit, and Eomer is the example for honesty. While Wormtongue is pouring lies into King Theoden’s ears, Eomer has the courage to tell Theoden the truth even if he is banished for it. The proverb here is that “the truth is never so harmful as the consequences of deceit”, and the reader is reminded that a harsh truth is still preferable to a comforting lie. Deceit will always bring destruction in its wake, destroying the trust in relationships.

King Theoden is further examined as the example for bondage, since his fears have mastered him (with Wormtongue’s help) until he is powerless. Facing our fears is the only path to freedom, as Theoden found out when he was able to shake off his stupor and find his courage again.

The example for freedom is Eowyn. She is afraid of being locked in a cage until old age overtakes her. She dreams of doing great deeds and winning renown on the battlefield. I did not really agree with this book’s assessment of Eowyn’s character. She is a very complex personality, and very entrenched in her Rohirrim culture, which has a lot of ancient Germanic tribe influences. The greatest virtue for a culture like that would be to do courageous deeds and die in battle. This book paints a picture of a prideful Eowyn who wants to marry Aragorn so she can be queen of the world. But I think Eowyn doesn’t really want to marry Aragorn; she wants to be a warrior like Aragorn. And not for some misguided love of fame and power, but because she wants to protect her home. She has been trained to lead and protect her people. But this books says that “she is willing to let others take center stage,… including Theoden and Aragorn, but only if she can play Best Supporting Actress.” “When Eowyn finally relinquishes her need to have greatness on her own terms, she is free to love Faramir, free to serve the people in her care, …” I think the author is missing the complexities of Eowyn’s character and her culture. The author talks about Eowyn’s “fear of obscurity”, but I don’t see that in her character. “Winning renown” or fame is just the way her culture talks about doing virtuous deeds and celebrating their victories together. I think Eowyn would be content to die in obscurity, if only she could protect her people and strike a blow for the light. That whole chapter just didn’t have the right analysis.

The chapters about control and servanthood contrast Saruman’s need for control and Aragorn’s sacrificial servanthood as a Ranger protecting the Shire and guiding the Hobbits on their journey. Saruman thinks he is clever enough to control Sauron in their alliance, and he deceives the Council of the Wise until Gandalf realizes what is going on. Saruman betrays and hurts those who love him in his desire for power and control. But Aragorn selflessly serves in obscurity for years, patrolling the borders of the Shire, and even when he takes up the throne of Gondor, he does so in order to serve and heal the people.

For despair and hope, we see the terror that the Nazgul inflict on the armies of Gondor in a psychological attack that leaves them helpless and crawling for cover. But there is always hope when help comes at the darkest hour. Gandalf drives back the Nazgul from the walls of Minas Tirith. The Eagles rescue Frodo and Sam from Mount Doom. If we put our hope in the Author of the story, we know that there will be a happy ending, just as we put our hope and trust in Christ for restoration and renewal in Heaven.

Overall, I really enjoyed this devotional! Some of the modern examples and hypothetical anecdotes didn’t really speak to me much, but I really enjoyed the examples from The Lord of the Rings. Most of the anecdotes are geared toward teens and college age, talking about being kind to your roommates and siblings, and respecting your parents and teachers. The writing is personable, and not scholarly, so it is very accessible for any age. In fact, I personally would have preferred a more scholarly approach, but it was still enjoyable.