Friday Reading: Biblical Fiction, anyone?

I will admit, I don’t read much Biblical historical fiction.

Not because I don’t approve of it, but because I’m usually very picky about the type of historical fiction I read. I grew up reading gothic romance and Little House books, so my preference lends to European and American history in general.

But, as I’ve mentioned previously, HERE, our church is reading the Bible through, and while the plan skips some of the more boring sections like Levitical sacrifice, genealogy, etc., it did NOT skip the amazing story of Rahab!

As we were getting close to this part in Joshua, I happened to be browsing through my library’s new ebook lending program, Libby. (If your library doesn’t have an ebook program, request it! It’s awesome!) Flipping through the general Christian Fiction section, my eyes beheld a book that I’d considered reading before, but just hadn’t gotten around to it – you know how it is!

It was Jill Eileen Smith’s The Crimson Cord: Rahab’s Story, book 1 in the “Daughters of the Promised Land” series.

How could I NOT read it? So, I hit the “borrow” button and it magically appeared in my queue! I started it that night, and was not  disappointed.

Here’s the blurb:

Wife to a gambler who took one too many risks, Rahab finds herself sold as a slave to cover her husband’s debt. Forced into prostitution by Dabir, counselor to the Syrian king, Rahab despairs of ever regaining her freedom and her self-respect. But when Israelite spies enter Jericho and come to lodge at her house, Rahab sees a glimmer of hope and the opportunity of a lifetime. In one risky moment, she takes a leap of faith, puts her trust in a God she does not know, and vows to protect the spies from the authorities. When the armies of Israel arrive weeks later, Rahab hopes they will keep their promise, but she has no idea what kind of challenges await her outside Jericho’s walls–or if she will ever know the meaning of love.

Under Jill Eileen Smith’s talented hand, the familiar story of Rahab bursts forth in high definition. Readers will find themselves fully immersed in a world of dark and dusty streets, clandestine meetings, and daring escapes as a mysterious biblical figure claims her full humanity–and a permanent place in readers’ hearts.

As a woman, the story of Rahab has always fascinated me. We know so little about her, and of course this book is a fictionalized account, but like so many lives, the “what if” resonates with the story of Rahab.

What if she DIDN’T choose that way of life, but had it forced upon her? What if God’s chosen people had not accepted her?

What if there had been no Rahab? Then there would have been no Ruth and Boaz, no King David. God had a plan for a prostitute, a widow, and a king, and they were all related in some way.

Then we get to the genealogy of Jesus. Rahab is there.

My review of this 2015 novel? I couldn’t put it down. I smiled. I cried. It seriously has all the “feels” that you can imagine a story about a woman in her situation would have. I finished it in about 3 evenings – the last of which had me up way too late in the evening, but it was worth it. The other books in the series feature Deborah, Ruth, and Hannah. More fascinating ladies from the Old Testament.

In non-fiction news, I am working through a new devotional by my friend Jennifer Kennedy Dean, called SEEK: 28 Days to Extraordinary Prayer.

Here’s a short description:

SEEK is a short, content-rich, four-week prayer guide to help believers in pivotal moments journey to the heart of God to receive His perfectly timed and designed provision. The weekly prayer and journal listings follow a four-part pattern to surrender, exalt, expose, and knock, making it a comfortable process for veteran Christians and easy to follow for newer believers.

I’ll let you know more about it after I finish the 28 days. It’s really changing the way I look at prayer already!

What are YOU reading now? I need to hear from you, my friend!

Happy Friday!