I sit here with the tears just drying on my cheeks. We've had a rough week and what pulled it all out were these things: MP3's sung by my friend Michael Young and a few other artists, a call from my daughter, and a fabulous book by Tessa Afshar called PEARL IN THE SAND.
You might think that a Canaanite woman forced into the harlot trade at the age of fifteen would have a difficult time following the God of the Israelites--or even wanting such a thing. But Rahab of Jericho is a different sort of gem. She has longed to serve a God who isn't thirsty for the blood of little children much of her life. Her own gods have betrayed her at all turns.
When two Israelite spies come to Jericho, she harbors them, and in doing so, saves the lives of her family in the oncoming war.
The boys take Rahab and her loved ones to the Israelite camp, where she begs that they might join with their erstwhile enemies.
Through the entire gripping story runs a ribbon of self-loathing and shame. Rahab had been a harlot. Who would ever want or love her?
Someone not only grudgingly steps up to take care of them, but finds himself falling for this woman who would normally have faced stoning in his culture. Both he and Rahab have much to learn about how God goes about His business. This book about God's matchless love and repentance and forgiveness really touched some chords in me. It lays everything out so clearly and concisely, without being preachy or heavy-handed.
For being a book about a repentant harlot, there is zero sex, no bad language, and no graphic violence (despite it also being a book about war).
I give this book five linen shirts out of five.
You can purchase PEARL IN THE SAND on Amazon at this place. Thank you, Tessa, for such a beautifully told tale and for giving me a way to speak to and forgive my loved ones. If I had the print book, it would sit on my favorite books shelf.
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