WOW.
That's all I can say about my first dip into the biblical fiction genre. This is the first book I've read by Connilyn Cossette and it surpassed all my expectations of what this type of book would be like. First off, I want to clarify that biblical fiction is basically a story set in Bible times (this one was set at the time when Israel's first king, King Saul, was chosen and the first year of his reign). Most of the characters will be fictional (like Avidan, Keziah, and Imati just to name a few), but some of them will be from the Bible (e.g. Samuel the Seer and Jonathan--Saul's son). There were SO MANY quotes I wanted to share with you, especially the closer I got to the end of the story, but I pinned it down to this one, from the heroine Keziah's perspective. "Without her, I never would have found the Rehavites. Never known what it was like to love a man like I did Avi or hear stories that so profoundly changed the way I saw the God of my ancestors. No longer did I fear the one who had crushed Egypt. I now understood how he offered mercy and protection to those who called on his name, guidance to those who sought his wisdom, and steadfast love to all of humankind from the very beginning." This book made me so thankful for the biblical truths we so often take for granted now. Back then, they couldn't see how the future would play out. They couldn't look back at Christ's incarnation, life on earth, death, and resurrection as the ultimate proof of God's love for them. Yet still, they had hope. They were looking ahead to the promise of a Holy One to come, even if they couldn't fully understand it. I was so blessed by this book! Thank you for writing this story, Connilyn, and for reminding us of the God who loved us long before we ever came to know Him. <3 About the book (from the back cover) As the eldest son of a Levite and a Philistine, Avidan is torn between his duty to his family legacy and the desire for something more. After an enemy attack strikes close to home, he takes the opportunity to fight with his cousins for the newly crowned King Saul. But when one of the cousins goes missing during the battle, Avidan refuses to leave him behind. Keziah is the daughter of one of the most powerful clan chiefs in the territory of Manasseh. On the brink of a forced marriage to a loathsome man decades older than her, she has no choice but to run, hoping to find sanctuary with her mother's family. United during their journeys and battling to survive the dangers that surround them, Avidan and Keziah make a pact to travel together. As challenges pile up, they must not only rely on each other to stay alive but also learn to trust the true and eternal King of Israel to guide their every step.
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"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." John 12:24
This is the time of year when I think of the verse above. It's autumn, and after the blaze of foliage that colored our world for a few weeks, the leaves have mostly faded. Trees are being stripped of their covering, of the life that had once run through their limbs. They are dying. Seeds and bulbs are being planted in preparation for the Spring season. But first, they have to die. As much as we shy away from the topic of death, there is a certain beauty in dying. In fact, dying is necessary. If it weren't for death, we wouldn't witness the miracle of resurrection, of new life. In the same way, our salvation in Christ was only made possible by His death. He had to die, in order to redeem us. He had to die in order to restore our relationship with God. He had to die to satisfy the demands of Divine Justice and God's wrath. And yet, He lives! He rose with resurrection power and LIFE. His resurrection secured salvation for us, and also secured every promise found in scripture. In other words, He brought forth a harvest that was so abundant. A harvest of believers He is in the process of nurturing and preparing for that great Harvest Day at the end of time. Matthew Henry's commentary on this verse stood out, and I thought I'd share it with you: "This immortal seed submitted to the laws of mortality, he lay in the grave like seed under the clods but as the seed comes up again green, and fresh, and flourishing, and with a great increase, so one dying Christ gathered to himself thousands of living Christians, and he became their root. The salvation of souls hitherto, and henceforward to the end of time, is all owing to the dying of this corn of wheat." What an amazing Savior we serve! |
AuthorHi! I'm Carolyn, a writer seeking to glorify God with my words. Archives
February 2024
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