"Pearl In the Sand"

One of my favorite past times is reading. The hubby bought me a kindle for Valentine's Day, and I think he may regret his choice now, I can't seem to ever put it down. The book I just finished is called "Pearl In the Sand" by Tessa Afshar. It tells the story of Rahab and Salmone, who are the parents of Boaz, who is mentioned in the Bible in the book of Ruth. The Bible doesn't tell much about Rahab and Salmone, but this book tells their story in a fictional romance. Wherever possible the book was based on biblical and archaeological sources. Through the Bible, we are told that Rahab was a zonah (prostitute) in Jericho. After the destruction of Jericho, Rahab and her family settle in the Isreal camps permanently, and are placed under the leadership of Salmone, who comes from a highly distinguished family in the house of Judah. Salmone is very apprehensive toward Rahab due to her past life, and much of the novel is God working in all of their lives. Though Rahab has left her life as a zonah, she still feels guilt of the life she left and thinks that she is unworthy of God's love and any other man's love and there is also the stinging pain over her father selling her to prostitution at the early age of 15, that she must overcome.  Also, Salmone must learn to adhere to God's plan and relinquish in it, while learning to be a husband to a women that thinks she is unworthy of his love. Throughout the whole novel, God's love is evident and His promises for His people are kept over and over again.

When I saw this book on the free list, I was skeptical at first because I tend to not be drawn toward history, but the romance and compassion of the story kept me intrigued. I highly recommend this novel, especially if you need some uplifting. It spoke to my heart and had me identify parts of my life that I just need to sit back and let His plan be done. It also helped me on the subject of forgiveness and reacting toward people who have wrong me by affirming that God is in control and my number one priority is to honor Him. I'm really glad I read this book, and feel a new sense of peace because of it, so if you have a chance, pick it up and read it.