I am way behind on telling you about my reads of the year so far...
I am so behind, actually, that I am not going to tell you everything in one post.
Last time I talked about books I was reading the
A Lineage of Grace series by Francine Rivers. There are 5 short books in the series (about 100 pages each) and I read the first two and then took a break.
I think they are wonderful. Here is why: I am not a history buff. at. all.
It is my biggest weakness in the study of the Bible. I don't get the history around each lesson I learn so I am probably not getting the full impact of the lessons.
The series has 5 books in it. Each telling the story of a woman in the Bible that is in the lineage of Christ. Tamar. Rahab. Ruth. Bathsheba. Mary.
Francine Rivers is very very clear in the forward at the beginning of the book that these stories are historical fiction however the outline for each story comes from the Bible. She says
"The ultimate authority on people of the Bible is the Bible itself. I encourage you to read it for greater understanding. And I pray that as you read the Bible you will become aware of the continuity, the consistency, and the confirmation of God's plan for the ages - a plan that includes you."Anyway, reading the story in this way helps me to understand the times in which these people were living which in turn helps me to understand the impact of the lesson that is in the Bible and these wonderful ladies that are in the lineage of Christ.
I have read Tamar and Rahab.
Something in the story of Rahab struck me. Her Faith. God's people had been fed daily by God and had been led daily by God and some of them did not have the faith that Rahab did. Here is a quote from the book (NOT the Bible)
"Salmon had always thought it was Joshua's and Caleb's faith that had singled them out from all others among the chosen race, but a single evening in the company of a Jerichoan whore had made him realize that God could write His name upon the heart of anyone He chose - even a Canaanite prostitute! Out there in the darkness, across the Jordan inside the wall of a pagan city was a woman of contemptible reputation who'd never seen a miracle, tasted a bite of manna, or heard a single word of the Law. And yet her faith was strong enough that she had greeted, welcomed, and protected those who were coming to destroy her and her people. 'The Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below," she had declared."I intend to read the rest and will let you know how it goes.
